Editing Australian Goldfields Open

{{EngvarB|date=April 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox Snooker tournament
|tournament_name = Australian Goldfields Open
|image =<!--[[File:2013 Australian Goldfields Open logo.png|200px]]-->
|venue = [[Schweppes Centre|Bendigo Stadium]]
|location = [[Bendigo]]
|country = Australia
|establishment = 1979
|organisation = [[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association]]
|format = [[Snooker world rankings|Ranking]] event
|prizefund = [[Australian dollar|$]]500,000<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kalb |first1=Rolf |title=Turnier-Infos: Australian Open |url=https://de.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/australian-open-turnier-infos-australian-open-184738235--spt.html |publisher=[[Eurosport]] Deutschland |access-date=30 June 2014 |language=de |date=29 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714203243/https://de.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/australian-open-turnier-infos-australian-open-184738235--spt.html |archive-date=14 July 2014 }}</ref>
|final year = 2015
|Current Champion = 
|Final Champion = {{flagicon|SCO}} [[John Higgins]]
}}

The '''Australian Goldfields Open''' was a professional [[Snooker world rankings|ranking]] [[snooker]] tournament. The final champion was [[John Higgins]] in 2015.

==History==
Australia had previously hosted the [[1971 World Snooker Championship|1971]] and [[1975 World Snooker Championship|1975]] [[World Snooker Championship]]s, as well as several other high-profile snooker tournaments and in 1979 the ''Australian Masters'' was established. There was an attempt to turn the event into a ranking tournament in 1989 but the sponsorship fell through so it was staged in Hong Kong instead, as the ''Hong Kong Open'', which incidentally became the first ranking tournament to be staged in Asia. The Hong Kong event was discontinued after just one year, but returned to Australia in 1994 as the ''Australian Open''. The tournament reverted to being called the ''Australian Masters'' for the following season, but was dropped from the calendar after the 1995 event. In addition, the tournament was also held in 1995 as the ''Australian Open'' immediately following the Australian Masters, featuring mostly the same players and the same two players in the final.<ref name="Cuesport">{{cite book|last=Hayton|first=Eric|title=Cuesport Book of Professional Snooker|page=167}}</ref> In 2011 the [[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association]] resurrected the event under the ''Australian Goldfields Open'' name and added it to the [[Snooker season 2011/2012|2011/2012 calendar]].
The tournament's later incarnation providing the first ranking tournament victories for future World Champion [[Stuart Bingham]] and future world finalist [[Barry Hawkins]] and arguably resurrected the careers of these two players who had previously been considered journeyman professionals, who had previously hovered between the fringes of the top 16 and top 32.

In 2016, the event was quietly dropped from the calendar.

==Winners==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto"
|-
! style="text-align: center; background-color: #00af00" | Year
! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | Winner
! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | Runner-up
! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | Final score
! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | City
! style="text-align: left; background-color: #00af00" | Season
|-
! colspan=6 style="text-align: center; background-color: #c0ffc0" | Australian Masters (non-ranking)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Turner|first=Chris|title=Australian Masters|publisher=Chris Turner's Snooker Archive|url=http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/AustMas.html|access-date=10 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100930185746/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/AustMas.html|archive-date=30 September 2010}}</ref>
|-
| [[1979 Australian Masters|1979]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Ian Anderson (snooker player)|Ian Anderson]]
| {{Flagicon|South Africa|1928}} [[Perrie Mans]]
| style="text-align: center" |Aggregate Score <ref group="n" name="aggregate">The finals were decided on aggregate score over three frames between 1979 and 1982 and five frames in 1987.</ref>
|rowspan=9| {{flagicon|AUS}} Sydney
| [[Snooker season 1979/1980|1979/80]]
|-
| [[1980 Australian Masters|1980]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Spencer (snooker player)|John Spencer]]
| {{flagicon|NIR}} [[Dennis Taylor]]
| style="text-align: center" |Aggregate Score <ref group="n" name="aggregate"/>
| [[Snooker season 1980/1981|1980/81]]
|-
| [[1981 Australian Masters|1981]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tony Meo]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Spencer (snooker player)|John Spencer]]
| style="text-align: center" |Aggregate Score <ref group="n" name="aggregate"/>
| [[Snooker season 1981/1982|1981/82]]
|-
| [[1982 Australian Masters|1982]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Steve Davis]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Eddie Charlton]]
| style="text-align: center" |254–100 points <ref group="n" name="aggregate"/>
| [[Snooker season 1982/1983|1982/83]]
|-
| [[1983 Australian Masters|1983]]
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Cliff Thorburn]]
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Bill Werbeniuk]]
| style="text-align: center" | 7–3
| [[Snooker season 1983/1984|1983/84]]
|-
| [[1984 Australian Masters|1984]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tony Knowles (snooker player)|Tony Knowles]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Virgo]]
| style="text-align: center" | 7–3
| [[Snooker season 1984/1985|1984/85]]
|-
| [[1985 Australian Masters|1985]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Hayton|first=Eric|title=The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker|year=2004|publisher=Rose Villa Publications|location=Lowestoft|isbn=0-9548549-0-X|page=31}}</ref>
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tony Meo]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[John Campbell (snooker player)|John Campbell]]
| style="text-align: center" | 7–2
| [[Snooker season 1985/1986|1985/86]]
|-
| [[1986 Australian Masters|1986]]
| {{flagicon|NIR}} [[Dennis Taylor]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Steve Davis]]
| style="text-align: center" | 3–2
| [[Snooker season 1986/1987|1986/87]]
|-
| [[1987 Australian Masters|1987]]
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Stephen Hendry]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mike Hallett]]
| style="text-align: center" |371–226 points <ref group="n" name="aggregate"/>
| [[Snooker season 1987/1988|1987/88]]
|-
! colspan=6 style="text-align: center; background-color: #c0ffc0" | Hong Kong Open (ranking)
|-
| [[1989 Hong Kong Open|1989]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Turner |first=Chris |title=Other Asia Ranking Events |publisher=Chris Turner's Snooker Archive |url=http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Asia.html |access-date=14 June 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110724175039/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Asia.html| archive-date= 24 July 2011 }}</ref>
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mike Hallett]]
| {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Dene O'Kane]]
| style="text-align: center" | 9–8
| {{flagicon|HKG|1959}} Hong Kong
| [[Snooker season 1989/1990|1989/90]]
|-
! colspan=6 style="text-align: center; background-color: #c0ffc0" | Australian Open (non-ranking)
|-
| [[1994 Australian Open (snooker)|1994]]<ref name=Hayton>{{Cite book |last=Hayton |first=Eric |title=The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker |year=2004 |publisher=Rose Villa Publications |location=Suffolk |isbn=978-0-9548549-0-4 |pages=165–167}}</ref>
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[John Higgins]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Willie Thorne]]
| style="text-align: center" | 9–5
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Melbourne]]
| [[Snooker season 1994/1995|1994/95]]
|-
! colspan=6 style="text-align: center; background-color: #c0ffc0" | Australian Masters (non-ranking)
|-
| [[1995 Australian Masters|1995]]<ref name=Hayton/>
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Anthony Hamilton (snooker player)|Anthony Hamilton]]
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Chris Small]]
| style="text-align: center" | 8–6
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Melbourne]]
| [[Snooker season 1995/1996|1995/96]]
|-
! colspan=6 style="text-align: center; background-color: #c0ffc0" | Australian Open (non-ranking)
|-
| [[1995 Australian Open (snooker)|1995]]<ref name="Cuesport"/>
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Anthony Hamilton (snooker player)|Anthony Hamilton]]
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Chris Small]]
| style="text-align: center" | 9–7
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Melbourne]]
| [[Snooker season 1995/1996|1995/96]]
|-
! colspan=6 style="text-align: center; background-color: #c0ffc0" | Australian Goldfields Open (ranking)<ref>{{cite web|title=Hall of Fame|url=http://snooker.org/trn/hof.asp?pEvent=Australian|publisher=Snooker.org|access-date=22 June 2013}}</ref>
|-
| [[2011 Australian Goldfields Open|2011]]<ref>{{Cite news|title=Stuart Bingham beats Mark Williams 9–8 to win Australian Open |date=24 July 2011 |publisher=[[BBC Sport]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/snooker/14267221.stm |access-date=10 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501001551/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/14267221 |archive-date=1 May 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Stuart Bingham]]
| {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Mark Williams (snooker player)|Mark Williams]]
| style="text-align: center" | 9–8
|rowspan=5| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Bendigo]]
| [[Snooker season 2011/2012|2011/12]]
|-
| [[2012 Australian Goldfields Open|2012]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=177 | title=Australian Goldfields Open (2012) | publisher=Snooker.org | access-date=4 June 2012}}</ref>
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Barry Hawkins]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Ebdon]]
| style="text-align: center" | 9–3
| [[Snooker season 2012/2013|2012/13]]
|-
| [[2013 Australian Goldfields Open|2013]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=258|title=Australian Goldfields Open (2013)|publisher=Snooker.org|access-date=22 May 2012}}</ref>
| {{flagicon|HKG}} [[Marco Fu]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Neil Robertson]]
| style="text-align: center" | 9–6
| [[Snooker season 2013/2014|2013/14]]
|-
| [[2014 Australian Goldfields Open|2014]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=333|title=Australian Goldfields Open (2014)|publisher=Snooker.org|access-date=23 May 2014}}</ref>
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Judd Trump]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Neil Robertson]]
| style="text-align: center" | 9–5
| [[Snooker season 2014/2015|2014/15]]
|-
| [[2015 Australian Goldfields Open|2015]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=396|title=Australian Goldfields Open (2015)|publisher=Snooker.org|access-date=6 April 2015}}</ref>
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[John Higgins]]
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Martin Gould]]
| style="text-align: center" | 9–8
| [[Snooker season 2015/2016|2015/16]]
|}

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=n}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Australia|Cue sports}}
*[[Cue sports in Australia]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Australian Goldfields Open}}
{{snooker tournaments}}

[[Category:Australian Goldfields Open| ]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1979]]
[[Category:1979 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Snooker ranking tournaments]]
[[Category:Snooker competitions in Australia]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2015]]
[[Category:2015 disestablishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Defunct snooker competitions]]
[[Category:Defunct sports competitions in Australia]]