13th beach honors Vic Open winners

This year's Vic Open winners, Celine Boutier and David Law. Image: Getty

Thirteenth Beach has awarded honorary memberships to players who have won ISPS Handa Vic Opens at the excellent Bellarine Peninsula links.

Hosted by the Vic Open since 2013, the club recently made the offer to all players who have won the tournament since that year. The memberships are valid as long as the Open is held at 13th Beach, which has a deal to be the guest club until at least

Victoria Matt Griffin, who won the Open in 2014, said he had received the notification by e-mail a few weeks ago.

A six-fold winner in Asia and Australia, who has recently played most of his golf on the Japanese tour, Griffin said the "special memories" of 13th Beach would stay with him forever.

"It's always good to go back to a place you've won in the past, especially when it's close and you just drive off the highway," said Griffin.

“I remember (in 2014) that I had my now wife and my parents there. At that stage, the Vic Open was only worth about $ 120,000, so financially it wasn't that important, but when I look back at the end of my career, it will probably be in the top. It is sentimental.

"I remember having the trophy for 12 months and it was fun to watch the trophy and look at the big names on it, really."

Two previous winners, Richard Green and Marianne Skarpnord who are partners, actually live on 13th Beach.

Craig Skimming, the club's manager, said 13th Beach wanted to recognize the tremendous growth of the event and the winners. "We have had an overwhelmingly positive response," he said. "It is clear that some of them are going to use it, and others will not, but that is not the point. It is about the gesture."

Frenchwoman Celine Boutier and the David Law of Scotland won the Open in 2019.

The ISPS Handa Vic Open 2020, part of the European Tour for men and the LPGA Tour for women, is planned for February next year.