Words: Paul Prendergast
Image: Mark Wilson – Golfplus Media
| – The 2026 Capital.com Australian Open at Kingston Heath from 3-6 December will represent the championship’s 109th edition, dating back to 1904. – There have been 58 unique men’s winners of the Australian Open and 18 players have won the Open more than once – headed by Gary Player’s 7 victories. Defending champion Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson will be among a handful of past champions seeking to become the 19th multiple winner. – Two of these multiple champions (Peter Lonard and Matt Jones) will be in the field this year. – There are two reigning major champions – Rory McIlroy (Masters) and Ryan Fox (Open Championship) – headlining this year’s field, joining three past major champions in Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott and Cameron Smith. – This will be the 10th occasion Kingston Heath has hosted the men’s Australian Open, seven of them outright and two as a co-host with Victoria GC in 2022 and 2024. The first Open staged at Kingston Heath was in 1948 where Australian Ossie Pickworth won his third of four Australian Open titles. – The 2026 Open will mark the 100th anniversary of Dr Alister MacKenzie’s creation of the layout’s bunker plan, at a cost of £250, during his 1926 visit to Australia. Kingston Heath had moved to the present site a year earlier but held off building their bunkers until MacKenzie’s arrival. – At the 2025 Australian Open, Rory McIlroy indicated that his ‘favourite par-three in the world is the 10th hole at Kingston Heath’. The short 10th was also the first hole constructed on the layout by Scottish professional Dan Soutar but is routinely taken out for tournament play to avoid crowd bottlenecks around it’s close confines. What’s they’ve said: “You have so many different options on the course; off the tees, options near the greens. Golfers rave about Kingston Heath and I can understand why.” – Tiger Woods, 2009 Australian Masters champion at Kingston Heath. “I could play Kingston Heath every day for the rest of my life and the upside of that is, it’s in Australia and it’s an amazing golf course.” – Adam Scott, 2012 Australian Masters champion at Kingston Heath. “Kingston Heath is totally awesome. Someone please tell modern day architects we don’t need 8000-yard tracks, they’re not enjoyable. Best yet.” – Ian Poulter. “I could play Kingston Heath every day of my life, and I’m not sure there is a better way to think about a golf course.” – Karrie Webb, 2008 Women’s Australian Open champion at Kingston Heath. “These green complexes are just fantastic, they’re subtle without being over-killed. The bunkers are the most beautiful sand you’ll ever see, the firm faces, the ball runs back into the middle of them. I love it.” – Graeme McDowell. “Probably my favourite all-time that I love is Kingston Heath. It’s just one of those classic MacKenzie-style courses just rolling through the Melbourne sand belt.” – Ian Baker-Finch, 1987 Australian Matchplay champion at Kingston Heath. “It’s brilliant. It’s my favourite kind of golf, especially with the wind blowing. You’ve got to control the ball; you’ve got to always thinking about the angles that you leave yourself. I could happily play here for the rest of my life” – Soren Kjeldsen, 2016 World Cup of Golf winner (with Thorbjorn Olesen) at Kingston Heath. “Kingston Heath, Royal County Down, Pine Valley and Cypress Point” – Rory McIlroy, when asked recently for his ‘Mt Rushmore’ of golf courses. |
