LETTER OF THE MONTH

IT’S OUR OPEN TOO I will turn 40 years old next month. I have been playing golf for 30 of those years and can’t get enough of the sport.

But, sadly, because I live in Western Australia I will never get to see an Australian Open unless I pay thousands to get on a plane and spend a week in Sydney to watch the golf, which is something I couldn’t possible justify to my family.

The Open was last played here in Perth in 1974, four years before I was born.

I know we have had our fair share of tournaments played here over the years from the Heineken and Johnnie Walker Classics to the World Super 6 most recently. But none of them come close to having the prestige of our national championship.

Is it any wonder that Golf WA won’t become part of the One Golf exercise by Golf Australia when the West has been ignored for so long when it comes to hosting the Australian Open?

Perhaps one day I’ll get to see the Stonehaven Cup with all the great names like Nicklaus, Palmer, Player and Norman on it. I’m not holding my breath though. Kevin McDougall

Via email

OPEN TO IDEAS (MARK I) Geoff Ogilvy’s article “How The Stonehaven Cup Lost Its Lustre” story (GA, November issue) was fascinating and got me thinking.

Talking to some of the guys at golf, they were all for a $10 levy to fund investment into the Australian Open with the event being played on our great courses around the country. Evan Wilkinson Via email

OPEN TO IDEAS (MARK II) Congratulations to Geoff Ogilvy on his Australian Open article (How The Stonehaven Cup Lost Its Lustre, GA, November issue). As a former champion of the event it must have been a difficult task to write.

One point he did make which really stuck with me was the fact that the Australian Open has lost the interest of the rest of the country because it is always held in Sydney.

I live in Sydney and go to the tournament every year. But rotating it between three Sydney courses does nothing for its international appeal. Imagine if they rotated the US Open around three New York courses every year … not only would it never happen but there would be a massive uproar.

Golf Australia should pick a list of eight of our best courses right around the country and rotate through the list over a decade. And I love the idea of Royal Melbourne hosting every five years, how good would that be? Mark Corcoran

Via email