The Tasmanian Open is an annual golf tournament held in Tasmania, Australia.
History The Tasmanian amateur championship was first played in 1902 as a 36 hole stroke-play event. From 1910 the stroke-play acted as qualifying for a match-play stage, with the leading four players qualifying. In 1913 the 36 hole stroke-play event was opened up to professionals as well as amateurs and the winner became the Tasmanian Open champion. The first winner was an amateur, Eustace Headlam. This was the only event before World War I, the championship being revived in 1919 and was again won by Headlam. There was no Open championship between 1923 and 1929, the event again being restricted to amateurs. The 1922 Open was won by Robert Nettlefold and when it restarted in 1930 it was won by his son, Len Nettlefold, with Jock Robertson, the Kingston Beach professional, the runner-up. Len Nettlefold won the event 7 times in 8 years and won for an eighth time in 1947. In 1938 Alf Toogood, Jock Robertson's successor at Kingston Beach, became the first professional winner and he was followed by Denis Denehey in 1939.
After World War II, amateurs continued to be successful, including 19-year-old Peter Toogood, the son of Alf Toogood, in 1949. Alf himself won the following year, 1950, pushing Peter into second place. Peter Toogood won again in 1951 and would win every year from 1954 to 1959, matching Len Nettlefold's record of 8 championships. The Open was expanded to 72 holes in 1953. Ron Smith, an amateur from Victoria, won with 60-year-old Alf Toogood one of the runners-up.
In 1961, a small group of New South Wales professionals went on a promotional tour of Tasmania, and played in the Open. One of them, Alan Murray won, with two others, second and third. The following year the Tasmanian government gave a grant towards the Open, and the £1,000 prize money attracted a number of professionals. Frank Phillips and Peter Thomson tied on 279, but there was something of anti-climax since Thomson had assumed that Phillips would win and had left for the mainland, forfeiting the championship to Phillips. The £1,000 prize money continued for a few years, rising to A$10,000 by 1975 and reaching A$100,000 in 1988 and 1989. There had only been three professional wins up to 1960 but from 1961 to 1992 the situation reversed, with only one amateur winner in that period, Max Robison in 1978.
The 1991 event had prize money of A$85,000, failing to meet the minimum requirement for a tour event. From 1993 to 2022 the event failed to attract leading professionals and there was only one professional winner during that period, Simon Hawkes in 2016.
Winners YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-upVenueRef.Tasmanian Open 2025 Simon Hawkes 207 −9 1 stroke Connor McDade Launceston 2024 Alex Edge 207 −9 1 stroke Caleb Bovalina Kyle Michel Launceston 2023 Toby Walker (a) 204 −12 4 strokes William Bruyeres Launceston
2022 Samuel Slater (a) 2021 Joshua Fuller (a) 2020 Hayden Hopewell (a) 2019 Aiden Didone (a) 2018 No tournament 2017 Lee Chang-gi (a) 2016 Simon Hawkes 2015 Anthony Quayle (a) 2014 Jarryd Felton (a) 2013 Jordan Zunic (a) 2012 Ricky Kato (a) 2011 Matt Stieger (a) 2010 Jin Jeong (a) 2009 Ryan McCarthy (a) 2008 Tim Stewart (a) 2007 Rohan Blizard (a) 2006 Ben Parker (a) 2005 Ashley Hall (a) 2004 Kevin Chun (a) 2003 Nick Flanagan (a) 2002 Adam Groom (a) 2001 Richard Swift (a) 2000 Andrew Webster (a) 1999 Brendan Jones (a) 1998 Geoff Ogilvy (a) 1997 Cameron Percy (a) (2) 1996 Cameron Percy (a) 1995 Lee Eagleton (a) 1994 Mathew Goggin (a) 1993 David Bransdon (a)
YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-upVenueRef.Tasmanian Open 1992 Darren Cole 281 −3 2 strokes Taylor Murphy Mowbray Tattersall's Tasmanian Open 1991 Chris Gray 280 −8 2 strokes Jon Evans Bradley Hughes Robert Stephens Royal Hobart 1990: No tournament 1989 Ian Stanley 279 −1 Playoff Peter O'Malley Devonport Tasmanian Open 1988 Brett Ogle 284 −4 1 stroke Brett Johns (a) Tasmania Foster's Tattersall Tasmanian Open 1987 Brian Jones 283 −5 1 stroke Mike Colandro Tasmania Foster's Tasmanian Open 1986 Stewart Ginn (4) 281 −7 Playoff Magnus Persson Royal Hobart 1985 Ian Roberts 271 −17 2 strokes Ian Baker-Finch Riverside Tasmanian Open 1984 Mike Clayton 275 −13 2 strokes John Clifford Wayne Grady Kingston Beach 1983 Bob Shaw 271 −9 1 stroke Ian Stanley Devonport Tattersall's Tasmanian Open 1982 Colin Bishop 286 −2 1 stroke Mike Cahill Rodger Davis Stewart Ginn Jack Newton Tasmania 1981 Roger Stephens 276 −12 2 strokes Colin Bishop Launceston 1980 Stewart Ginn (3) 280 −8 3 strokes Brian Jones Royal Hobart 1979 Marty Bohen 271 −9 4 strokes Terry Kendall Devonport 1978 Max Robison (a) 287 −1 4 strokes Ian Stanley Tasmania 1977 Bill Dunk (2) 272 −12 4 strokes Mike Cahill Mowbray Tasmanian Open 1976 David Good 283 −5 Playoff Stewart Ginn Brian Jones Ian Stanley Royal Hobart 1975 Stewart Ginn (2) 272 −8 Playoff Ross Metherell Devonport 1974 Bob Shearer 281 −7 Playoff Ted Ball Tasmania 1973 Stewart Ginn 280 −4 2 strokes David Good Ian Paul Randall Vines Claremont 1972 Bill Dunk 272 −8 5 strokes Devonport 1971 Frank Phillips (2) 285 −3 3 strokes Tim Woolbank Tasmania 1970 David Graham 282 1 stroke Terry Kendall Kingston Beach 1969 Alan Murray (3) 280 −8 1 stroke Randall Vines Riverside 1968 Randall Vines 274 −14 17 stroke Walter Godfrey Royal Hobart 1967 Bob Stanton Devonport 1966 Tim Woolbank Claremont 1965 Alan Murray (2) 287 1 stroke Ted Ball Launceston 1964 Ted Ball 269 9 strokes Peter Thomson Kingston Beach 1963 Peter Mills 278 7 strokes Darrell Welch Riverside 1962 Frank Phillips 279 Playoff Peter Thomson Royal Hobart 1961 Alan Murray 281 4 strokes Darrell Welch Launceston 1960 Des Turner (a) 1959 Peter Toogood (a) (8) 1958 Peter Toogood (a) (7) 1957 Peter Toogood (a) (6) 1956 Peter Toogood (a) (5) 1955 Peter Toogood (a) (4) 1954 Peter Toogood (a) (3) 283 −1 7 strokes Len Bowditch (a) Royal Hobart 1953 Ron Smith (a) 298 +6 1 stroke Peter Brown (a) Alf Toogood Launceston 1952 Lance Baynton (a) 149 Playoff Len Bowditch (a) John Toogood (a) Kingston Beach 1951 Peter Toogood (a) (2) 143 9 strokes Gerald Bailey Launceston 1950 Alf Toogood (2) 142 3 strokes Peter Toogood (a) Royal Hobart 1949 Peter Toogood (a) 143 Playoff Ron Smith (a) Launceston 1948 E. J. Willing (a) 148 2 strokes Peter Brown (a) Kingston Beach 1947 Len Nettlefold (a) (8) 152 Playoff Alf Toogood Launceston 1946 Len Bowditch (a) 147 1 stroke Alf Toogood Royal Hobart 1940–1945: No tournament due to World War II 1939 Denis Denehey 148 2 strokes Len Nettlefold (a) Launceston 1938 Alf Toogood 148 3 strokes Denis Denehey Kingston Beach 1937 Len Nettlefold (a) (7) 144 1 stroke Alf Toogood Launceston 1936 Len Nettlefold (a) (6) 132 9 strokes C. G. Thynne (a) Royal Hobart 1935 Len Nettlefold (a) (5) 147 4 strokes Bill Robertson Launceston 1934 Len Nettlefold (a) (4) 145 2 strokes Jock Robertson Kingston Beach 1933 Terence Brown (a) 152 1 stroke Ellis Davies (a) J. Melrose (a) Launceston 1932 Len Nettlefold (a) (3) 142 3 strokes Eustace Headlam Royal Hobart 1931 Len Nettlefold (a) (2) 143 5 strokes Jock Robertson Launceston 1930 Len Nettlefold (a) 148 1 stroke Jock Robertson Kingston Beach 1923–1929: No tournament 1922 Robert Nettlefold (a) 154 1 stroke Eustace Headlam (a) Len Nettlefold (a) Hobart 1921 Thomas Archer Jr. (a) 157 1 stroke R O'Connor (a) Launceston 1920 Hugh Smith (a) 157 3 strokes Felix Headlam (a) Hobart 1919 Eustace Headlam (a) (2) 152 3 strokes Henry Allport (a) Launceston 1914–1918: No tournament due to World War I 1913 Eustace Headlam (a) 152 7 strokes George Fawcett (a) Launceston
Source:
References