MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Golfers Cameron Smith and Adam Scott believe the Australian Open has regained its status as a prestigious tournament after returning to its traditional format without playing it concurrently with the Women's Australian Open.

Smith had been highly critical of Australian golf’s biggest event, which for the past three years had been played concurrently with the Women's Australian Open, with male and female golfers playing off alternate tees.

Smith and Scott will join Rory McIlroy in this year's Australian Open which starts on Thursday at Royal Melbourne.

While Golf Australia claimed it made the most sense commercially, the women, including top-ranked local Minjee Lee, mostly didn’t benefit, arriving jet-lagged after the LPGA season-ending event in the U.S. a

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