$250k Australian Open ready to roll on the Gold Coast
The Australian Open is poised for a powder-keg start on the Gold Coast tomorrow with the blue-ribbon men’s singles. The world’s biggest and most lucrative bowls event is poised to commence on the Gold Coast tomorrow, with two thousand competitors set to compete for a slice of the $250,000 Australian Open prize purse.
The competition will enjoy a powder-keg start tomorrow with the sectional rounds of the blue-ribbon men’s singles discipline, boasting a field of 864 competitors, to begin across 9 clubs, utilising 24 greens.
Due to the enormity of the men’s singles, the discipline will also continue on Sunday at 12 Gold Coast clubs, before its sectional rubbers conclude on Monday, when the women’s singles action begins.
Some tantalising match-ups will take place over the initial three days of sectional rounds for the singles, including Australian Jackaroo Barrie Lester drawn in the same section as Broadbeach’s Canadian world champion Ryan Bester, while Belmont’s Kane Nelson, 11, youngest open competitor, will have youth on his side when he takes to the Paradise Point greens on Sunday.
In total, 14 Gold Coast clubs will be utilised of portions of the 18 discipline competition; two more than last year, while the playing schedule has also increased by one day to cater for the vast amount of matches – 4335 will have been played once the dust has settled.
Each open discipline will feature three sectional rounds (bowlers with a disability at least two), with section winners and next-best-qualifiers advancing to the knockout stages of the competition.
More than 360 Gold Coast participants and 150 international raiders will stake their claim on the nation’s most prestigious title.
The Australian Open runs from Saturday, June 11 to Friday, June 24 across 14 Gold Coast clubs, culminating in a live Fox Sports broadcast of the men’s and women’s singles and pairs finals from 11.00am to 5.00pm on June 23 and 24.
The Queensland Government is proud to support the Australian Open through Tourism and Events Queensland as part of the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar, showcasing Australia’s best live events in Australia’s best destinations.
Click here to view an Australian Open information sheet for further details.
