What a sight that could be. On Sunday afternoon, Minjee and Min Woo Lee went head-to-head for the Stonehaven Cup.
They competed, growing up at home in Perth, for the title of best in their family. If they could do it at the Australian Golf Club for the title of best in the country, they would make enough noise to drown out the flight path. No party hole is necessary.
With its first global mixed event, Golf Australia dangled this prospect and yet, as Maxwell Smart would say, missed it by a lot.
In the mix.Credit: Simon Letch
When Australia decided two years ago to combine its men’s and women’s Opens, it seemed to offer the best of all worlds. Both sexes compete over four days on two premier courses, last year Victoria and Kingston Heath, this year The Australian and The Lakes. Same pin placement, same rough, with women playing on the front tees to balance the difference in driving power. A great idea and what a perfect way for a summer tour to put COVID behind it.
Reception to the actual events has also been, uh, mixed. It turned out that men and women don’t play against each other; instead, they play side tournaments.
Sometimes leaders are on the same path, sometimes not. Sometimes a person from the other lot has arrived on your fairway. Hello, how are you, I think you are about to hit my ball. As a show, it can be as difficult to understand as a mixed Irish quartet.
