Steph Kyriacou’s press conference ahead of the 2026 Women’s Australian Open at Kooyonga on Adelaide’s sandbelt is only moments old, and it has been beset upon by a gang of hecklers.
While Kyriacou tries to deliver her first answer, Hannah Green and her husband/caddie Jarryd Felton have encroached from the nearby practice green to invade her line of sight. Green begins pointing frantically at an imaginary watch.
“I was only two minutes late,” Kyriacou retorts.
“Go back to your job.”
She then returns her attention to the media pack.
“Yeah, maybe just retake that one, so ask me again,” she says.
But the next question is about to come from another Aussie LPGA gun, Grace Kim, who has now ingratiated herself amongst the journos.
“Oh my God, are you serious, man?” Kyriacou says.
“Who is your favourite roommate?” Kim enquires, expecting to be the answer to her own question.
“Karis,” Kyriacou deadpans, referring to yet another Australian LPGA cardholder, Karis Davidson, and Kim bounds off with a muted grin.
The mood then finally shifts from boisterous to business, but the interaction is reflective of Australia’s top liners feeling relaxed and calm ahead of the national championship’s return to South Australia and its trademark healthy crowds.
“I think it's always exciting,” Kyriacou said.
“It is a bit nerve-wracking because, you know, there's thousands of eyes just on you. But I think being an Aussie playing in front of Australian crowds makes it easier because, I mean, no matter how you play, they're always going to be encouraging and they're going to be supporting you.
“So I think for us we have that home-ground advantage.”
But home-ground advantage hasn’t manifested itself in a conga line of glorious Australian victories since the Women’s Australian Open was first contested in 1974.
In fact, only three Australians have lifted the Patricia Bridges Bowl in the championship’s history. It’s a brief, albeit iconic, list: Jan Stephenson (1977), Jane Crafter (1997) and five-time champion Karrie Webb, who was last crowned in 2014.
Kyriacou said the thought of joining that illustrious group is more inspiring than daunting.
“I don't know if it puts on pressure,” she said. “But I think it's just something really cool to look forward to when you do win that trophy.
“I mean, you're going to be on a trophy with all those amazing Australian golfers.
“So I would say not so much pressure, but just like something pretty cool.”
Kyriacou’s last visit to an Australian Open wasn’t as a competitor, but as a volunteer.
She attended the men’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne in December and carried the scoreboard for the feature group of Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee.
“It was actually quite heavy,” she said of lugging around the unwieldy board.
“I was really sore the next day, to be honest, but it was a really cool experience. I would definitely do it again.
“I knew all the crowds were going to be so busy watching a group like Rory, Adam, and Min.
“I just wanted to be in it because I'm vertically challenged, and it would have been kind of hard to watch from outside the ropes. So it was a great experience.”
It’s Kyriacou’s first visit to Kooyonga. She was still making her way through the amateur ranks when the Open was last played at Kooey in 2018, but turned pro the year before the Cargie Rymill layout hosted the 2021 Australian Amateur.
“It's quite tough, actually, off the tee,” she said.
“There's lots of bushes around, which I didn't know was here, but I think if you get it off the tee, this course is very much a placement course.
“So if you get it good off the tee and leave yourself some good approach shots in, I think that's going to be a key point for winning.”
That and avoiding the hecklers.
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