by Nick Cullen / emiratesaustralianopen.com.au
GA Rookie Squad member Nick Cullen starts his first Major at Royal Lytham and St Annes.
The Emirates Australian Open means something different to each player in the field. To the top ranked players it’s a chance to win another national title and confirm themselves as one of the worlds best players.
To some of the players, it’s a chance to make a name for themselves in Australian golf and make their way up the world rankings. To the rest of the field it’s a near final chance to make their move up the order of merit and have full status on tour next year.
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For me The Australian Open is special. Not only because it is Australia’s most prestigious event but because it’s the tournament kick started my career. Last year I was one of the players who needed to make a move up the money list.
Although I finished 36th, the money I made in the 2011 Open was enough to confirm my status in 2012 and enabled me to play the One Asia tour in 2012. I had my first career win at the season opening Indonesia Open and now have status for the next two years and life is that little bit easier.
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The life of most professional golfers isn’t what people think. Sure there are the top 100 players in the world who live in mansions and drive Ferraris but there are thousands of professional golfers who are hanging on to the dream and hoping their chance will come, soon.
There are players who need to make a cheque to be able to keep playing next season, even next week. Let’s hope that this year's Australian Open will help keep that dream alive for some of the players in the field and maybe even totally change their life, like it did for me last year.