Slow greens, strong winds and a challenging Royal Melbourne course await Yannik Paul and Freddy Schott at the DP World Tour event in Australia.
The DP World Tour kicks off this Thursday with two events: the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa and the Crown Australian Open at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Black Rock, near the southeastern metropolis of Melbourne. Alongside a traditionally strong Australian field, German players Freddy Schott from Düsseldorf and Yannik Paul from Frankfurt are also competing.
Challenging conditions at Royal Melbourne
Yannik Paul, 31, began his practice rounds earlier this week on the historic course, which was completed in the early 1930s. On social media, he shared insights about the course conditions and expressed excitement for the challenge ahead. Although summer is approaching in Australia, stronger winds are forecast for Thursday’s opening round, expected to ease as the tournament progresses. Paul noted on X.com that the tour organizers had informed players that, due to the forecast, the greens would be prepared differently. He expects that the greens will neither be mowed nor rolled before the first round, resulting in slower putts than usual.
In another post on X.com, Paul described the course as relatively firm but not yet feeling like concrete. Depending on pin positions, holes could become ‘very difficult to manage’ due to the weather shift. He characterized Royal Melbourne as a course that rarely requires a driver off the tee but demands precise approach shots. Numerous doglegs lead to ‘semi-blind shots’ over bunkers and corners. The greens are among the toughest features: ‘It’s extremely hard to hit them,’ Paul said. Long putts between 9 and 24 meters are common, often leaving tricky second putts from 1.5 to 3 meters.
Yannik Paul embraces the challenge
Despite the tough setup, Paul remains enthusiastic. He called Royal Melbourne ‘an incredible golf course’ and concluded, ‘I’m looking forward to a great challenge’—sounding ready for whatever the wind and course throw at him on Thursday.
At the Crown Australian Open, players compete on the Composite Course in Black Rock, which combines holes from both the West and East courses. Notably, the West Course, completed in 1931, was designed by the legendary Alister MacKenzie, who created around 60 golf courses worldwide and helped redesign about 40 others, including the Old Course at St. Andrews. His masterpiece is considered to be Augusta National, home of the annual Masters Tournament.