The rough was not as thick as last year and the fairways wider, but the Kooyonga course would still provide a stern test in the Jacob's Creek Open Championship starting today in Adelaide, players predicted.

Australian tour veteran Peter O'Malley said the course could be more forgiving than last year when fellow New South Welshman Gavin Coles had his maiden tour win by two strokes with a four-round total of nine under par.

"The fairways are wider this year, the rough isn't as severe, but there is still plenty of it if you hit it wide enough," O'Malley said.

"Last year the rough was thick right on the edge of the fairway, this year there is an intermediate cut, I think the course is set up pretty good.

"The greens are quite firm and have a good pace, it is going to be a good test."

Young United States golfer, Bryce Molder, runner-up to Coles last year on seven-under-par, backed that view, but said the course was still very punishing on wayward shots.

"It's a tough golf course no matter what," Molder said.

"There are so many demanding shots that you can hit an okay shot and get away with it, but you don't get away with it and then be able to hit a miraculous shot and get a birdie.

"If you mishit a shot you're really just struggling for par, that doesn't mean it's unfair, that means you've just got to hit great shots over and over to make birdies.

"There's only five or six holes that you walk into thinking 'attack, birdie, this is a hole we've got to take advantage of.'

"I wouldn't see someone shooting four, five or six-under or anything lower consistently throughout the week."

But Peter Senior, who shot an incredible 11-under-par round of 60 in Tuesday's pro-am, the lowest score ever at Kooyonga, said consistent low scoring on the course was possible, depending on weather conditions.

"Predicting golf scores is just something that you can't do, it depends on the weather and if it gets windy then scores won't be as good, but the way the greens are, they're soft, the course is very accessible so you're probably looking at around 20-under (for the tournament) if the weather's any good," he said.

There are 73 players entered from the American second-tier Nationwide Tour, which is co-sanctioning the event with the Australasian PGA Tour.

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