ABRAHAM ANCER. Ancer made his offseason debut last week at Royal Queensland and finished 33rd. The Mexican has had success in Australia, winning the Emirates Australian Open in 2018 by five shots at The Lakes Golf Club. The Fireballs GC star also had a fantastic week at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, earning 3.5 points to lead the team.
JOSELE BALLESTER. Ballester was back in action last week at Royal Queensland, finishing 10th the week after his first professional win at the Saudi International. The young Fireballs GC phenom should be a strong fit for Royal Melbourne with his shot-making ability.
BEN CAMPBELL. Campbell has played three times this offseason, resulting in finishes of T59, MC, MC. Last year, the RangeGoats GC player missed the cut at the Australian Open.
LUCAS HERBERT. Herbert had a strong showing in his most recent start at the Saudi International. The Australian and Ripper GC star finished T5 and will now have a shot at winning his home Open while in good form. He finished T5 at last year’s Australian Open and has finished in the top 10 in three consecutive trips to the event.
MATT JONES. Jones, another member of the All-Australian Ripper GC, has been struggling of late, missing the cut at both the Saudi International and last week’s Australian PGA Championship. He finished T33 and T36 in his last two starts at the Australian Open.
MARC LEISHMAN. Last week, Leishman finished in the top-3 of the Australian PGA Championship for the third consecutive time. The popular Ripper GC star arrives home in Melbourne in fantastic form, seeking his first Australian Open victory. Leishman earned 2 points for the International Team at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.
SEBASTIÁN MUÑOZ. Muñoz finished 14th at his debut the Australian PGA Championship last week. This will also be the Australian Open debut for the Torque GC standout.
JOAQUIN NIEMANN. In four starts this offseason, Niemann has finished T20, T55, MC, MC. The Torque GC captain won the event in 2023 at The Australian Golf Club and finished T5 last year at Kingston Heath.
CARLOS ORTIZ. Ortiz made his Australian PGA Championship debut last week, finishing 25th. The Mexican will be making his Australian Open debut and should fit Royal Melbourne beautifully with his elite ball striking.
DAVID PUIG. Puig earned the biggest win of his career at last week’s Australian PGA Championship, joining Legion XIII’s Tom McKibbin and Fireballs GC’s Josele Ballester as LIV Golf’s youngest stars who’ve won this offseason. Puig, a key member of Fireballs GC, put on a ball-striking clinic and a putting masterclass, coasting to a two-shot victory at Royal Queensland.
CAMERON SMITH. The Ripper GC captain has now missed the cut in back-to-back starts after a poor performance at one of his favorite courses, Royal Queensland. Smith’s best finish at the Australian Open came in 2024 when he finished T17.
CALEB SURRATT. Surratt finished runner-up at the Saudi International in his most recent start. The young Legion XIII star didn’t play in last week’s PGA Championship and will be making his debut in Australia this week at Royal Melbourne.
NEDBANK GOLF CHALLENGE IN HONOUR OF GARY PLAYER
The Nedbank Golf Challenge is set to begin, honoring nine-time major winner Gary Player and anchoring the DP World Tour’s Opening Swing with a no-cut tournament at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City.
Gary Player CC is a par 72 measuring 7,837 yards. The Gary Player-design rewards long, high power-fades down tight Kikuyu fairways that will punish errant shots with water in play on 10 holes. The challenges of the course are the deep bunkers and fast Bentgrass greens.
