Normally the Australian Open doesn’t have a great field but because next week’s Presidents Cup will be played at Royal Melbourne, a lot of top players are in the country this week. Tiger Woods has also shown up this week trying to win for the first time since the won the Australian Masters in 2009. "I have a great affinity for playing golf in Australia and I'm looking forward to competing against an outstanding field." Woods said.
Strong Field
The Australian Open actually has the best field in the tournament’s long history. Both of the captains of next week’s Presidents Cup teams, Fred Couples and Greg Norman are in the field. U.S. players who will be competing next week have made the trip for this week’s tournament. Along with Woods it will be Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar, Nick Watney, David Toms, Bill Haas and Hunter Mahan. "I'm really looking forward to being a part of the championship in Sydney," Watney said. "Most of my family are coming down for it. There seems to be a real buzz around this year's Open leading into the Presidents Cup, and it is amazing how many top international players have won the tournament." Steve Stricker won’t be playing as he recovers from an injury while Phil Mickelson chose to play in this week’s Singapore Open.
The International contingent is very strong led by Adam Scott and defending champion Geoff Ogilvy. Those two will be joined by Jason Day, Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley. "It's fantastic to hear that so many of the U.S. and International team members will be in Sydney before the Presidents Cup." Ogilvy said.
The Golf Channel will be showing all four rounds and with the tournament being played in Australia that means it will begin on Wednesday night in the United States so keep that in mind when you place your Australian Open betting wagers.
