A mere glance down the list of winners tells you everything you need to know about the Australian Open.

It may revolve around a few different courses but no wonder the roll-call of Australian Open champions includes Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott amongst others – sure, all class but also renowned links players. Top the list with Mark Calcavecchia, winner at Royal Sydney in 1988 and at the Open Championship at Troon a year later, and it’s clear what to expect.

This week’s tracks are as linksy as we will get in this part of the world. Victoria and Kingston Heath are sand-belt courses, with fast-running fairways and greens, and carefully placed bunkers. Think all the Melbourne form plus, of course, the Dunhill Links and The Open.

If you were on Cam Smith last week at 7/2, there is little harm in going in again.

The 29-year-old is clearly one of the top three players in the world right now, and has already showed his ability for this week’s test with the win at St. Andrews and at Brisbane last week, when he had all his main market rivals well behind.

Runner-up to Spieth at The Australian in 2016, he backed that up with a fourth and 10th place over the next two years before fading from a first-round top-10 back at the Sydney course in 2019.

If there are negatives, it’s that he now plays away from his home town, something that seemed worth a shot or two seven days ago, and the price.

At around 5/2, Smith has to win, and with much going on around him, it maybe he once falls short of expectations.

This is a unique test this year. For the first time, both the men’s and women’s championships are being held at the same time, played simultaneously on the two tracks. Whilst some players – Scott Hend, in particular – feel this lessens the uniqueness of each event, so much so he did not enter, the likes of Min Woo Lee and sister Minjee Lee couldn’t be happier.

The Lee siblings simply relish the challenge of playing against, or with, each other, and this format should bring back healthy memories of the recent runnings of the Victoria Open, held at 13th Beach Golf Links.

With under two years between their ages, Minjee just holds the upper hand. Her two majors and eight LPGA tour wins outstrip her younger brother’s pair of European wins, even if beating Matty Fitz at the Scottish Open is not far short of the top grade.

Whilst that is enough to think a dream each-way double is achievable, it is their form at those Sydney links that points to their chance this week.

Minjee has won twice, once as an amateur, while it took Min Woo a couple of years longer to gain a two-shot victory over Ryan Fox in 2020.

Current form of the 24-year-old works – three top-fives, a top-10 and a 12th place finish in five starts – and whilst his form in this event isn’t particularly eye-catching, his overall Aussie form shouts loudly.

Min Woo led the New South Wales Open in 2019 before fading on Sunday to finish third, before finishing in the same position behind Adam Scott at the Australian PGA a couple of weeks later.

The 2020 Vic Open was his only event in his home country in 2020, but he returned this year to finish fourth at both runnings of his home PGA, the Covid-delayed January event, and, of course, seven days ago.

It may seem that Min Woo has recently found form, but he was top-20 going into the final round at Brookline in June, 12th at the halfway mark at St. Andrews, seventh at the cut-mark on the Boise on the KFT, and came from out of the clouds (136th) after round one at Wentworth to finish just outside the top-40.

Currently in 61st on the world rankings, Min Woo will be looking to cement his place inside the top-50 and invites to all the top tournaments in 2023, and he’ll have no more incentive than to beat his sister.

“To have each other present will give us some motivation,” he told Golf Australia.

Cam Davis is another youngster that has to go well after an excellent top-10 at last week’s PGA. Clearly trending towards another victory, it was a coin toss between him and the selection. Whilst tempted to go ‘win only’ on each, the 27-year-old is just left out.

There were a couple of big-priced places at last week’s PGA, so away from the ‘names’, take a chance with Denzel Ieremia, a New Zealander who may be able to continue a fine run of form.

The 26-year-old has been mixing his trade on the Latinoamerica Tour as well as the Australasian, and all is with promise.

Making his way onto the PGA South American tour via his second place at q-school, he played nine times through the 2021/2 season, recording four cuts, with a best of fifth place in Peru. That is a decent start for the ex-Iowa Cyclone, who ended his college career with the third-best stroke average in school history.

It’s his form at home that catches the eye, though, with a sixth place (three behind Min Woo) at the 2019 New South Wales Open, followed by a top-five at this event at The Australian and a top-10 at the year-ending Australian PGA.

2020 saw the Wellington man finish top-10 at the Queensland PGA, a feat he almost repeated when 12th in that event a couple of weeks ago, plenty enough to gauge interest here, and yet just one of four consecutive results that give him claims of a big effort here this week.

Following the BUPA Tour Championship, Ieremia finished a closing fifth at the Western Australian Open, seventh at the Victorian PGA (held at Moonah Links, many times a host of the Australian Open) 12th at Queensland (top five at halfway) and last week 18th in Brisbane (again, top five at the cut mark).

Recommended Bets:

• Min Woo Lee – Each-Way
• Denzel Ieremia – Each Way
• Denzel Ieremia – Top-20 (if available)