OFFICIAL PROGRAM $5 incl GST WELCOMES THE WORLD 13 – 16 FEBRUARY 2020 THE royal adelaide GOLF CLUB WOMENSAUSOPEN.COM Player Profiles • Course Map Hole-By-Hole Guide WELCOME WELCOME FROM THE CHAIRMAN FROM THE OF ISPS SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT Sport has the power to break down barriers and bring people together, moving us Welcome to South Australia and the Royal towards a world of greater conciliation and Adelaide Golf Club for the 2020 ISPS global prosperity. Handa Women’s Australian Open. Through our mission to promote sport, It is with great pleasure that we welcome we have been proud partners of Golf Australia for the past 11 years. some of the world’s best players to South This initial relationship through our sponsorship of the Women’s Australia and to one of Australia’s best golf courses, the pristine Australian Open has developed into a partnership which champions Royal Adelaide. our shared values of equality and inclusivity in the game. Last year we launched the ISPS Handa Vic Open with Golf Australia - the first We are set for a spectacular four days of intense competition, and ever professional golf tournament in the world that realised equal are thrilled that Nelly Korda is returning to defend her 2019 title. prize money for male and female athletes. We continue to sponsor the Nelly will also be joined by Minjee Lee and Hannah Green, two of Australian All Abilities Championship, which incorporates disability Australia’s exciting top ranked players. golfers into the week of the Australian Open by providing the same The ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open is Australia’s richest platform and course on which to showcase their talent. tournament, with players competing for the US $1.3 million We cannot underestimate the power of sport, the relationships it purse - proudly leading the way in supporting women’s sport and fosters; enabling us to tackle the critical issues our world encounters placing South Australia as a premier sporting destination. today. Our partnership with Golf Australia is testimony. Whilst you are here, I encourage you to further explore Adelaide This summer has made us acutely aware of the devastation wrought during your stay, discover the rooftop and laneway bars, and the by climate change. The importance of fresh air and verdant landscape exceptional restaurants that boast our world class food and wine. so often taken for granted, has been set in sharp relief against the The Adelaide Fringe Festival also opens on the weekend, the tragic wildfires in Australia, that continue to wreak their destructive biggest open-access arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere affects on the wildlife and communities. These catastrophes move us and I encourage you to go along and enjoy one of the many shows to gain a renewed and considered perspective on the interdependence on offer. of all things in life, including sport, prompting us to reflect upon the Enjoy your time here, and I wish everyone good golf! values that we should uphold as accountable citizens of the world. More than ever, we look to our athletes to highlight these values in their inspirational performances. Hon. Steven Marshall MP Premier of South Australia Our sincere thanks to all involved in the preparations for this tournament. Golf Australia’s Board and its CEO Stephen Pitt and his entire team - we thank them for their unparalleled professionalism and friendship. We are grateful for the dedicated support from the LPGA, this week’s army of volunteers, as well as the Royal Adelaide Golf Club and the state of South Australia for hosting this successful tournament. Finally, to the players, we wish you the best of luck in what we trust will be a brilliant week of golf at prestigious Royal Adelaide. Dr Haruhisa Handa Founder & Chairman, ISPS Handa 4 2020 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open 2020 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open 5 WELCOME FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF GOLF AUSTRALIA Welcome to the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open at beautiful Royal Adelaide, one of the finest golf courses in the world, and a masterpiece of the superb Adelaide sandbelt. Golf Australia is very proud of this tournament, a groundbreaking event that has led the way for others in an era of burgeoning major women’s sports events. We brought the Open to South Australia in 2016 and we’re delighted to say the change has been an unqualified success. South Australians embraced the tournament from day one when we arrived at The Grange to find people lined up five deep at the first tee, as they have done here and at Kooyonga in years since. This is the 11th year of our partnership with Dr Haruhisa Handa Every day is a through his ISPS Handa organisation, and we are extremely grateful for Dr Handa’s ongoing commitment to our championship. good day for golf. I’d like to thank the South Australian Government and SA Tourism Commission for their wholehearted support and trust the event helps promote Adelaide and South Australia as one of the world’s leading golf and tourism destinations. A hearty thanks to others in Golf Australia’s sponsor family, including Host Plus, Qatar Airways, Drummond Golf, Coca Cola Amatil, Titleist, Coopers, Pepperjack, Marsh, Rolex, Sporte Leisure, Sport Australia, Pullman Hotel Adelaide and AgBioEn, along with our other proud partners who all continue to offer great support to all levels of golf around the country. And we’re delighted to again have the tournament showcased live by ABC Television both nationally and around the world. We are thrilled with the outstanding support at Royal Adelaide, whose committee, members and staff have made this week possible. And we humbly appreciate the efforts of all the volunteers who put so much tireless effort into making the event seamless. To all players, spectators, sponsors and media representatives, we hope you enjoy the 2020 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open – we know you’ll witness a little bit of history this week, and you’ll do so in one of the greatest of sporting theatres. Andrew Newbold At Drummond Golf, this is not a Chairman, Golf Australia game we like, it’s a game we LOVE. So, get in store, get expert advice, then just play. 2020 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open 7 DG2020_Handa Womans_Open_Official Event Program Ad.indd 1 19/12/19 3:22 pm WELCOME FROM THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL ADELAIDE GOLF CLUB It is with a somber heart that I welcome everyone to Royal Adelaide Golf Club for the 29th staging of the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open. Some of our communities have been hard hit by the recent catastrophic bushfires and our heartfelt sympathy goes out to all those affected. Loss of life, human and animal can never be replaced but nature will rebound, infrastructure can be rebuilt and individuals can be supported and those processes have already commenced. The worldwide TV coverage will be an opportunity to show that, whilst individual small parts of South Australia have been decimated the majority of tourist destinations have been left unscathed, even on Kangaroo Island. The tournament TV coverage provides us with a unique opportunity to showcase 3 of the many high quality golf courses in South Australia to the rest of Australia and the world. It has been a privilege for Royal Adelaide Golf Club along with Grange and Kooyonga Golf Clubs to hold the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open for the last 4 years and our Club welcomes the opportunity to host for a second time. Our members and the golfing community in general have embraced this golfing event like no other, and have been rewarded not only by the skill, but the general engagement and interaction of the golfers. The positive effect of this tournament for golf in South Australia lingers well after the event. Our Course Superintendent Nathan Bennett and his team (supplemented by green staff from 6 other Adelaide courses, 4 Melbourne courses, Royal Hobart, Royal Mid Surrey and Sunningdale) have presented the links in perfect condition for tournament play despite the challenging weather patterns we have experienced and I am sure that once again the winner will have had to master the subtleties a course like ours provides. Jim Sweeney Captain, Royal Adelaide Golf Club Book now on pullmanadelaide.com.au 2019 South Australian Tourism Awards Winner of Best Luxury Accommodation. 8 2020 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open FEATURE FEATURE It’s time to write another legend at Royal Adelaide The ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open keeps ticking the boxes, and writing new Caption needed here please legends. By Martin Blake* Just delve back just a few short years to tap into them, dear reader. Royal Adelaide at Seaton is unique in so many ways, from the From 2017 at Royal Adelaide with the dancing Korean, Hana Jang, Adelaide-Grange passenger train which dissects the course right and her posse of raucous followers on that final day. To 2018 and the behind the 18th green, running every 15 minutes, to the wonderfully cool brilliance of Jin Young Ko, back then a little-known player on quirky par-three fourth hole with its irregular green, framed by the the world stage but now the No. 1 player on the planet. And to 2019 iconic architect Dr Alister Mackenzie on a short visit to Adelaide in at The Grange, where Nelly Korda emerged as the latest member of 1926. Then there’s the signature hole, the so-called ‘Crater Hole’ at her family with a particular and quirky affection for Australia. No. 11, where players hit their second shot into a green set among the numerous sand dunes.