Preview: ISPS Handa Vic Open
The action promises to be exciting in Victoria this week. The course looks quirky, fun viewing, and there are plenty of rookie's looking for a career changing week Down Under.
The European Tour heads back down to Australia this week, to 13th Beach Golf Links, for another hosting of the ISPS Handa Vic Open under its modernized format. The competition dates back to the 1950's, but since 2012 it has been held synchronously with the Women's Victorian Open. This will be the second iteration of the event since it has been a European Tour co-sanctioned event.
Many golf fans will still be in the dark about the event format itself, given its youthfulness as an event on the European Tour schedule, and the relative lack of attention it received last year.
Men and women will both be competing in Australia for their own separate titles this weekend, with identical event purses being distributed to both fields.
As reported on the European Tour website, a "36-hole cut will reduce both tournaments to the top 65 players and ties, with the final two rounds to be played solely on the Beach Course. A 54-hole cut will then reduce the field to the top 35 and ties for the final round, again on the Beach Course."
What is apparent is that the women's field is considerably stronger than that of the men's. World #9 Minjee Lee will tee it up in Australia as the top ranked player in the field, as will 2019 US Women's Open Champion, Jeongeun Lee. Comparatively, the top ranked player in the field on the men's side is Haotong Li, who currently sits as #79 in the Official World Golf Rankings. The only major winner in the men's field is also a US Open Champion, in Geoff Ogilvy, who was victorious in 2006.
For the men's version of the event, non-Australians don't typically win. David Law of Scotland was in fact only the fourth winner of the Victorian Open from outside of Australasia in the events 60 year history. Furthermore, out of the other 60 years worth of event champions, only three were from New Zealand. The list of winners in this event are as Aussie as the guy Kessler Karain fought.
I'll be expecting my 'cease and desist' letter any day now.
Coincidentally, it has been a good few weeks for Australian golfers. On the PGA Tour, Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman both took home trophies in January, as did Lucas Herbert on the European Tour.
Herbert wrapped up the Dubai Desert Classic in style, saving a par to extend the playoff after blasting a three-wood approximately six clicks right, and into the water, before birdieing the second playoff hole for his first European Tour title. In an event that has produced an abundance of Australian winners, a hot Lucas Herbert could certainly make it two wins in quick succession.
Speaking of home nation favourites, Wade Ormsby certainly falls into the category of potential champions in Victoria. Ormsby already has a win to his name this year, taking the top spot at the Hong Kong Open on the Australasian Tour. The last time he tee'd it up in Australia, at the Australian PGA Championship in late December, Ormsby finished just 3 shots behind eventual winner, Adam Scott, in a tie for third place.
Following those two stellar events, however, Ormsby has suffered a rough three weeks of form in desert, with two missed cuts and a T51 finish in the Middle East.
He's no stranger to 13th Beach Golf Links though, having played this event last season, where he put together a score of 17 under par for the week. This total fell short of David Law by just one shot.
Although Ormsby has a win under his belt in 2020, and has a good record at the host course, recent form might suggest that this is not to be the week that the Aussie adds a second European Tour win to his CV.
Finishing one stroke better than Ormsby last year, David Law was the 2019 ISPS Handa champion, thanks in no small part to him Putting the proverbial lights out. In fact, that sentence doesn't quite do his putting stats justice. His stats with flat stick last year were mesmerizing. For the week, David Law averaged +3.53 Strokes Gained: Putting, per round.
He averaged Three and One Half Strokes Gained: Putting, vs. a field of fellow professional golfers per round. Law picked up 14 strokes with the putter alone on the field average over four rounds. That helps.
The putter, unfortunately, clearly hasn't stayed that hot for the Scotsman however, as results indicate it has been a tough spell . Law hasn't finished inside a Top-40 since the Andalusia Masters in June 2019, and has missed 10 cuts in the 17 events that followed. It would take something special (like a sizzling putter) for Law to go back-to-back this week.
The bookmakers favourite for this event is Chinese golfer Haotong Li. Haotong hasn't hit the heights in 2020 that have already earned him two European Tour wins in his early career. Recently, the twenty-four year old has results of 41st (Abu Dhabi), Missed Cut (Dubai) and T21 (Saudi Arabia) through the three events on the European Tour's 'Desert Swing.'
Many would argue that Haotong is the most talented golfer in the field, and with two high profile European Tour wins (Volvo China Open, Dubai Desert Classic) to his name already, it would be tough to argue that. It would hardly come as a shock if Haotong does turn it on this week, but with his recent form, a solid, no-nonsense Top-20 is perhaps more likely from the Chinese star.
Turning to women's event, it is unfortunately incredibly tough to make any informed predictions, as the LPGA Statistics website is woefully uninformative. Driving stats are limited to Fairway's Hit percentages, and putting stats are as plain as 'Average Putts per Round.'
Somebody that is certainly in with a chance, however, is Rolex World Number Nine, Minjee Lee, who is making her first appearance of the season. This hasn't stopped her from being listed as the bookmakers favourite to win. With five professional wins to her name already, and having made 24 cuts from 26 events played in 2019, it seems very likely that the 23 year old Australian is going to be in the running come Sunday.
Celine Boutier is the defending champion, after putting together a score of eight under par in the 2019 event, to win by two strokes. The Duke University Alumni had her breakout season in 2019, and going back-to-back this week could certainly be on the cards.
Focussing back on the men's event, while the field might not be the strongest viewers will see all year, the action promises to be exciting. The course is quirky and fun, and there are plenty of rookie's looking for a career changing week down under.
This week, look to the following three golfers to be in contention come Sunday:
Murray was DQ'd from this event last year, but in the two rounds he did complete, he was a healthy six under par. His disqualification has reportedly come from signing for an eight on the Par 5 second hole, before reporting to officials that he had indeed made a nine; a harrowing tale, if I've ever heard one.
Two weeks after that, Murray recorded his first professional win at the New Zealand Open, and despite a tough finish to 2019, has started 2020 strong with a solid T21 finish at the Abu Dhabi Championship three weeks ago.
The 22 year old Australian placed Top-5 in Strokes Gained: Putting that week in Abu Dhabi, which as we know from David Law last year, is a good attribute to have in the back pocket coming into this tournament.
Already mentioned in this article is one of the Lee siblings, in LPGA superstar Minjee Lee, who has been marked as the favourite for the women's event. Competing concurrently in the men's championship is Minjee's brother, Min Woo Lee.
Ever since bursting onto the tour last year with drives that seem to never crest, it has always seemed a case of 'when,' not 'if' for Min Woo Lee. He sits third on tour this season for Strokes Gained: Driving, after finishing a handy seventh in that same category for 2019.
The young Australian started the year positively, finishing T3 in the South African Open, and T15 in the Australian PGA Championship. He has only played one other event in 2020; a missed cut last week in Saudi Arabia.
He hits it well, and though his form can be rather hot and cold, a win doesn't seem far away. He certainly has the game. With family in the field, and in front of a home crowd...
What a week to do it this would be.
Many golf fans will still be in the dark about the event format itself, given its youthfulness as an event on the European Tour schedule, and the relative lack of attention it received last year.
Men and women will both be competing in Australia for their own separate titles this weekend, with identical event purses being distributed to both fields.
As reported on the European Tour website, a "36-hole cut will reduce both tournaments to the top 65 players and ties, with the final two rounds to be played solely on the Beach Course. A 54-hole cut will then reduce the field to the top 35 and ties for the final round, again on the Beach Course."
What is apparent is that the women's field is considerably stronger than that of the men's. World #9 Minjee Lee will tee it up in Australia as the top ranked player in the field, as will 2019 US Women's Open Champion, Jeongeun Lee. Comparatively, the top ranked player in the field on the men's side is Haotong Li, who currently sits as #79 in the Official World Golf Rankings. The only major winner in the men's field is also a US Open Champion, in Geoff Ogilvy, who was victorious in 2006.
For the men's version of the event, non-Australians don't typically win. David Law of Scotland was in fact only the fourth winner of the Victorian Open from outside of Australasia in the events 60 year history. Furthermore, out of the other 60 years worth of event champions, only three were from New Zealand. The list of winners in this event are as Aussie as the guy Kessler Karain fought.
I'll be expecting my 'cease and desist' letter any day now.
Coincidentally, it has been a good few weeks for Australian golfers. On the PGA Tour, Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman both took home trophies in January, as did Lucas Herbert on the European Tour.
Herbert wrapped up the Dubai Desert Classic in style, saving a par to extend the playoff after blasting a three-wood approximately six clicks right, and into the water, before birdieing the second playoff hole for his first European Tour title. In an event that has produced an abundance of Australian winners, a hot Lucas Herbert could certainly make it two wins in quick succession.
Speaking of home nation favourites, Wade Ormsby certainly falls into the category of potential champions in Victoria. Ormsby already has a win to his name this year, taking the top spot at the Hong Kong Open on the Australasian Tour. The last time he tee'd it up in Australia, at the Australian PGA Championship in late December, Ormsby finished just 3 shots behind eventual winner, Adam Scott, in a tie for third place.
Following those two stellar events, however, Ormsby has suffered a rough three weeks of form in desert, with two missed cuts and a T51 finish in the Middle East.
He's no stranger to 13th Beach Golf Links though, having played this event last season, where he put together a score of 17 under par for the week. This total fell short of David Law by just one shot.
Although Ormsby has a win under his belt in 2020, and has a good record at the host course, recent form might suggest that this is not to be the week that the Aussie adds a second European Tour win to his CV.
Finishing one stroke better than Ormsby last year, David Law was the 2019 ISPS Handa champion, thanks in no small part to him Putting the proverbial lights out. In fact, that sentence doesn't quite do his putting stats justice. His stats with flat stick last year were mesmerizing. For the week, David Law averaged +3.53 Strokes Gained: Putting, per round.
He averaged Three and One Half Strokes Gained: Putting, vs. a field of fellow professional golfers per round. Law picked up 14 strokes with the putter alone on the field average over four rounds. That helps.
The putter, unfortunately, clearly hasn't stayed that hot for the Scotsman however, as results indicate it has been a tough spell . Law hasn't finished inside a Top-40 since the Andalusia Masters in June 2019, and has missed 10 cuts in the 17 events that followed. It would take something special (like a sizzling putter) for Law to go back-to-back this week.
The bookmakers favourite for this event is Chinese golfer Haotong Li. Haotong hasn't hit the heights in 2020 that have already earned him two European Tour wins in his early career. Recently, the twenty-four year old has results of 41st (Abu Dhabi), Missed Cut (Dubai) and T21 (Saudi Arabia) through the three events on the European Tour's 'Desert Swing.'
Many would argue that Haotong is the most talented golfer in the field, and with two high profile European Tour wins (Volvo China Open, Dubai Desert Classic) to his name already, it would be tough to argue that. It would hardly come as a shock if Haotong does turn it on this week, but with his recent form, a solid, no-nonsense Top-20 is perhaps more likely from the Chinese star.
Turning to women's event, it is unfortunately incredibly tough to make any informed predictions, as the LPGA Statistics website is woefully uninformative. Driving stats are limited to Fairway's Hit percentages, and putting stats are as plain as 'Average Putts per Round.'
Somebody that is certainly in with a chance, however, is Rolex World Number Nine, Minjee Lee, who is making her first appearance of the season. This hasn't stopped her from being listed as the bookmakers favourite to win. With five professional wins to her name already, and having made 24 cuts from 26 events played in 2019, it seems very likely that the 23 year old Australian is going to be in the running come Sunday.
Celine Boutier is the defending champion, after putting together a score of eight under par in the 2019 event, to win by two strokes. The Duke University Alumni had her breakout season in 2019, and going back-to-back this week could certainly be on the cards.
Focussing back on the men's event, while the field might not be the strongest viewers will see all year, the action promises to be exciting. The course is quirky and fun, and there are plenty of rookie's looking for a career changing week down under.
This week, look to the following three golfers to be in contention come Sunday:
Connor Syme
Photo by European Tour
Connor Syme is in some eye-catching form.
After losing his European Tour in 2018, the former Australian Amateur Champion immediately bounced back in 2019, by finishing in the Top 15 on the Challenge Tour season points list.
Since regaining his card, Syme hasn't missed a single cut, and has only one finish outside the Top-25 all season.
He's gaining 1.19 shots a round on the field in the category of Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, and is gaining 0.72 strokes Putting per round. While neither of these stats will leave you gasping for air, they indicate consistently good play throughout every facet of his game.
It wouldn't take much improvement for these sort of stats to translate into a win, and it certainly wouldn't be shocking if that win came this week.
Zach Murray
Photo from Golf Australia
Murray was DQ'd from this event last year, but in the two rounds he did complete, he was a healthy six under par. His disqualification has reportedly come from signing for an eight on the Par 5 second hole, before reporting to officials that he had indeed made a nine; a harrowing tale, if I've ever heard one.
Two weeks after that, Murray recorded his first professional win at the New Zealand Open, and despite a tough finish to 2019, has started 2020 strong with a solid T21 finish at the Abu Dhabi Championship three weeks ago.
The 22 year old Australian placed Top-5 in Strokes Gained: Putting that week in Abu Dhabi, which as we know from David Law last year, is a good attribute to have in the back pocket coming into this tournament.
Min Woo Lee
Getty Images
Ever since bursting onto the tour last year with drives that seem to never crest, it has always seemed a case of 'when,' not 'if' for Min Woo Lee. He sits third on tour this season for Strokes Gained: Driving, after finishing a handy seventh in that same category for 2019.
The young Australian started the year positively, finishing T3 in the South African Open, and T15 in the Australian PGA Championship. He has only played one other event in 2020; a missed cut last week in Saudi Arabia.
He hits it well, and though his form can be rather hot and cold, a win doesn't seem far away. He certainly has the game. With family in the field, and in front of a home crowd...
What a week to do it this would be.
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