As Cam Smith and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, among others, compete for a win at the Royal Melbourne Course, the winner’s $225K check is not really the only attention-grabber. There is also a coveted Stonehaven Cup that the field is eyeing at the DP World Tour’s Crown Australian Open. The trophy has defined Australian golf for nearly a century. But what’s interesting is that it didn’t even exist for the first 25 years of the championship. What followed was an interesting story of a man in Canberra, whose love for golf gave this National Open its identity.

The Governor-General who gave the Australian Open its trophy

When the Australian Open initially began in 1904, winners had nothing to show off as a bragging right. It does sound unthinkable, especially if one considers the trophy’s current status. Yet, for a quarter of a century, golfers walked away with a few green notes. This did not sit well with a certain someone.

John Lawrence Baird was the Governor-General of Australia from 1925 to 1930. Baird, for most of his life, was known by his inherited title: Baron Sonehaven. He belonged to a wealthy Scottish lineage, and his love for golf was well-known. In golf circles, he was known as a “golf tragic.” So, for that same love, he took the matter of a ‘no-trophy’ into his own hands.

He had the power of the king’s representative, through which he ordered the commissioning of a trophy in 1930. As that was the aristocratic era, the trophy inevitably got its name. The same year, the Stonehaven Cup finally made its debut at the Metropolitan Golf Club. The first golfer to get his name etched into the surface of the cup was Frank Eyre, a New South Welshman.

From thereon, the players’ names didn’t risk fading into the record books.

A trophy that became synonymous with greatness

Since Frank Eyre’s engraving, the Stonehaven Cup has become a living archive. For once, it might get difficult to find a great figure in golf who didn’t get their hands on it. From Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Arnold Palmer, of golf’s golden age, to Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, and Jordan Spieth in the modern era, the list is decorated.

One of the cup’s fun trivia is that it never leaves its home, which is the Australian Golf Museum in Victoria. Once a player wins the event, their name is engraved on the cup’s surface, and then it is sent back to the museum. The winner, for his part, receives a replica, but that too is just for a year. Unlike many modern-day trophies, which have been interchanged or redesigned, this Stonehaven Cup is the exact piece that was held by Frank Eyre in 1930.

Still, such is the symbolism of the Cup that players not just from Australia but also from other countries fly over to win the game. McIlroy, who has already won the event once, is back in Australia for a second chance, even as he struggles on the course.

“It hasn’t been a secret that I’ve wanted to come back,” he said ahead of his opening round. “With amazing fans and the history that it [the tournament] does have…[it] probably deserves more.”

And then, of course, for Aussies, the win is equivalent to a patriotic accolade. “I’m here to win the Stonehaven Cup, and I’ve put myself in a good spot to do that,” says Cam Smith, who’s eyeing his first win here.