[Photo: Gary Lisbon]
As weather-disrupted as many have been, the recent editions of the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland – and indeed in South-East Queensland – have given Australia’s professional championship a much-loved home.
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That might change from next year, however, when Royal Queensland will relinquish hosting rights for at least the next few years.
Preparations for the 2032 Olympic Games, of which “RQ” is the host venue, will begin next year. Several design tweaks plus the returfing of the entire property will take place gradually and last approximately four years, ensuring the Australian PGA Championship needs to move in the short term.
But where?
While state-government interests have traditionally kept certain Australian tournaments in their aligned states, there is no contractual obligation for the PGA Championship to remain in Brisbane or Queensland beyond this year.
A Code Sports report published last week suggested the New South Wales Government is seeking to host the event, given that the Australian Open will be domiciled in Melbourne until at least 2026. Having no golf tournaments of significance in Sydney (even the NSW Open is played in regional areas) seems like an odd set of circumstances, so Chris Minns’ government making a play for the PGA makes sense. Having the eyeballs of Australian golf on Sydney for a week might even increase pressure on correcting the Moore Park debacle.
Yesterday, after the conclusion of his third round, Adam Scott placed another option on the table. The dual Australian PGA champion suggested that Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club might be an ideal option.
Emphasising that he has “no say” in potential venue discussions, Scott did suggest The Pines course would fit the bill.
“I have a soft spot for Sanctuary Cove, having had a home there for quite a few years, and my parents are still living there,” Scott said. “The Pines course [pictured] is up to it, but there are [other] golf courses that are up to it. And then the logistics of a tournament is a whole other story.”
There’s some logical synergy in choosing Sanctuary Cove. The Australian WPGA Championship will be contested across the club’s Palms course in March, so staging both PGA championships at opposite ends of the year on the twin layouts feels like a good fit.
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Late November is a tricky time for tournament golf in Queensland. The traditional storm season has wreaked havoc with the schedule of play on numerous occasions and even forced tournaments to be shortened. A break away from the region might also be what the championship needs.
Also on the horizon is a potential window for more Australian tournaments to be held in January and February, should the PGA Tour’s foreshadowed late-February start to future seasons take root. The late November/early December timeframe has become ‘ours’ by leftovers or default. The PGA Tour’s mooted change could open up another window.
An announcement on the 2026 Australian PGA Championship venue isn’t expected until next year.