Sport
12 December, 2025
Oscar's deep dive - December 9, 2025
The Australian Open golf: a big history and a huge 2025
Last week some of the world’s best golfers headed down under for the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.
There were crazy winds, sideways rain, sunshine in between, and some of the most ridiculous golf shots you’ll ever see.
Sure, everyone was watching big names like 2025 Masters champion Rory McIlroy, and Aussie legend Adam Scott, who won the Masters back in 2013.
But before we get too caught up in the stars of today, we need to take a trip back in time.
The first Australian Open was played all the way back in 1904, which already makes it one of the oldest national championships in the world.
But its real golden era came in the 1970s through to the early 1990s, when it got a nickname that every Aussie golf fan still brags about:
“The Unofficial Fifth Major”
Yep, it was that big. During that time, some of the greatest golfers ever like Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, and Greg Norman would travel across the world just to play in it.
Nicklaus loved the tournament so much he called the Australian Open a “Major in everything but name.” Winning it meant something massive for a golfer’s career, not just another trophy on the shelf.
Crowds packed the fairways, TV ratings went crazy, and Australia became one of the real homes of championship golf.
This year it is hosted at Australia’s top ranked course Royal Melbourne, one of the toughest, smartest, and most beautiful golf courses in the world.
The greens are lightning fast, the fairways run like concrete, and if you miss by even a metre, the ball rolls into some deep, evil bunker that looks like it was designed by someone having a bad day. Even on a banana peel like Rory found out!!
The weather on the weekend was absolutely wild, classic Melbourne. One minute sunshine, next minute you need a rain jacket. But despite that, the scoring was awesome.
Min Woo Lee kept the crowd buzzing, smashing rockets down the fairway like only he can. Rory McIlroy showed everyone why he’s a Masters champion, shaping shots into the wind that didn’t even look possible. Adam Scott looked smooth as always, proving he can still take on anyone.
In the end, the tournament turned into a real Aussie-style fight: tough conditions, smart shot making, and players trying to stay patient while Royal Melbourne tried it’s very best to embarrass them. The final round had everything huge birdies, big mistakes, long putts dropping, and fans roaring through the stormy weather.
Cam Smith had a good week but fell one shot short with Danish golfer, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen claiming the Stonehaven Cup.
