Golf Australia has bowed to pressure from leading players such as Cameron Smith and other stakeholders and will again separate the men's and women's Australian Opens.
The past three Australian Opens have seen the men and women play at the same two venues concurrently in late November-early December.
The 2022 and 2024 dual-gender Opens were at Kingston Heath and Victoria golf clubs, while both national championships were decided at The Australian and The Lakes in Sydney in 2023.
While there were financial and logistical advantages to staging the two events - and the Australian All-Abilities Championship - side-by-side, they were outweighed by the negatives.
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LIV Golf star Smith was the most outspoken critic last year, slamming the "soft and slow" conditions at the two famed Melbourne sandbelt courses which he claimed had reduced the Opens to "American-style target golf".
"It seems there's been lot of water and it's not exactly what I was expecting," said Smith.
"The course(s) are in great condition but playing so much different to how they're designed and how they're meant to be played, which is pretty disappointing."
World No.6 Hannah Green admitted the pins at Kingston Heath and Victoria had been made easier for the men to cater for the women.
Australia's LPGA Tour stars including Green and Minjee Lee would also prefer the women's Open move to a different timeslot much earlier in the year.
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The decision to again split the two events was made following GA's annual review.
"We are proud of what has been achieved over the past three years with mixed-gender Australian Opens, together with the All-Abilities Championship," GA chief executive James Sutherland said on Saturday.
"With record crowds and broadcast audiences there is a lot to be pleased about.
"Our long-term event strategy is to build the profile of our tournaments and to showcase the game at the highest level.
"This move aligns to our strategy and will allow flexibility to better adapt to the ever-changing landscape in world golf.
"With all that in mind, we believe this is the right time and we are confident that both national open championships will stand on their own two feet and prosper in their own right."
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GA has yet to decide on venues and timeslots for the 2025 Australian Opens.
If the women's event is moved back to the start of the year, the next edition would likely take place in February or March 2026 to best align with the LPGA schedule.
