{"id":326179,"date":"2025-12-04T01:45:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T01:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/326179\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T01:45:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T01:45:17","slug":"can-australia-have-golfs-fifth-major-again-at-royal-melbourne-history-rory-mcilroy-comments-pga-tour-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/326179\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Australia have golf\u2019s fifth major again at Royal Melbourne? History, Rory McIlroy comments, PGA Tour schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australian Open<\/a> week kicked off on Monday with a 30-second piece of art to send shivers down every golf fan\u2019s spine.<\/p>\n

The setting sun shimmers over Royal Melbourne\u2019s breathtaking undulations. The fairways are pristine. The bunkering is exquisite. The images simply iconic. <\/p>\n

All this while a band performs a dramatic cover of Bitter Sweet Symphony, with drums pounding and violins stirring.<\/p>\n

Watch the 2025 Australian Open LIVE on Kayo Sports 4-7 Dec | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Think US Open TV previews at Shinnecock Hills and Oakmont, or even the Masters at Augusta National. <\/p>\n

This event simply has major written all over it, too. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

AUS OPEN LIVE: Worth the wait! Rory stuns in epic return; Masters champ\u2019s opening hole horror show<\/a><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Except, it doesn\u2019t. Never has. Not literally anyway. <\/p>\n

The reality of the Australian Open is that, for the better part of half a century, it has been drastically underappreciated by golf\u2019s US elite. <\/p>\n

The Australian Open\u2019s heyday saw legends from home and abroad eager to duke it out on these shores for the Stonehaven Cup. <\/p>\n

Engraved on the coveted silverware are the names of international golfing royalty in Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, and Australian heroes Peter Thomson and Greg Norman. <\/p>\n

In 1971, Nicklaus walked off the 18th green at Royal Hobart with a third Australian Open won and \u2014 in total admiration for the event \u2014 crowned it as the world\u2019s \u2018fifth major\u2019.<\/p>\n

With fields as strong as they were, and the courses among the world\u2019s best, it\u2019s little wonder it was so highly revered.<\/p>\n

But today, lip service on how great Australian courses are, and how nice the country is, is about all we have come to expect from the world\u2019s top players not from Down Under. <\/p>\n

MORE AUSTRALIAN OPEN<\/p>\n

RM FEATURE: The world is obsessed with this \u2018special\u2019 Aussie treasure… which terrifies legends <\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018I THINK ABOUT IT A LOT\u2019: Legends re-live iconic duel as Rory opens up on Aussie \u2018crossroads\u2019 moment<\/a><\/p>\n

TEE TIMES: Rory joins Aussie superstars in blockbuster group as Aus Open tee times revealed <\/a><\/p>\n

Rory McIlroy could be the catalyst to take the Australian Open back to its glory days.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

As for putting their money where their mouth is with an actual appearance? <\/p>\n

Coming back for the Australian Open has long been a bridge that is, quite literally, too far.<\/p>\n

Nicklaus, Player and Palmer\u2019s involvement was largely tied to an endorsement deal with Dunlop and Slazenger, which held a large portion of the golf equipment market in Australia.<\/p>\n

When that arrangement ended, it was left to Norman to headline the event in the mid-to-late 80s and into the 90s. That trend of Australians being forced to lead the way has continued since, with it becoming less and less appealing for international stars to make the trip, notwithstanding the incentive of a large, government-backed cheque. <\/p>\n

Last year marked something close to a new low for the national Open, which badly suffered from its ill-fated experiment of simultaneously hosting the men\u2019s and women\u2019s events on one course.<\/p>\n

LIV ace Joaquin Niemann was the only high-profile international player on the mens side of the tournament, while not even Adam Scott \u2014 soured by the convoluted format \u2014 could stomach the trip back. <\/p>\n

The Australian Open was undoubtedly wounded, but never lost its pulse. <\/p>\n

Organisers listened to the overwhelming negative feedback, particularly from players, and have acted in emphatic fashion.<\/p>\n

Big names? The chequebook was thrown at securing Rory McIlroy, golf\u2019s biggest drawcard since prime Tiger Woods. The megastar tees it up alongside a returning Scott, other Australian drawcards like Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee, plus the likes of world No.54 Si Woo Kim add to a greater international feel. <\/p>\n

A fitting venue? Royal Melbourne, considered by some as the greatest golf course in the world, is back to host the Australian Open for the first time since 1991. <\/p>\n

The next one? Kingston Heath, which McIlroy says is even better.<\/a><\/p>\n

A return to Royal Melbourne has been seen as pivotal.Source: AAP<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, both the mens and womens events have reverted to the stand-alone tournaments they both deserve. <\/p>\n

And there are some serious stakes involved with, for the first time ever, a Masters invite on the line, plus three spots at next year\u2019s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. <\/p>\n

Make no mistake, this year\u2019s event is marks the first meaningful step back towards the Australian Open\u2019s glory days. <\/p>\n

Could it ever be seen as the \u2018fifth major\u2019 again?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it can move in that direction,\u201d Adam Scott told foxsports.com.au this week at Royal Melbourne. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a thirst for international golf at the moment and we\u2019re lucky to have a guy at the top of the game like Rory, who\u2019s a really international player and believes in that, and he\u2019s carrying a lot of that weight on his shoulders. His support is huge. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the venues to handle it. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if there were more big names queuing up to come next year after what they see this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018SHOULD BE A FIFTH MAJOR\u2019 <\/p>\n

The days leading into this year\u2019s event have made it clear that the Australian Open, particularly one staged at Royal Melbourne, commands respect worldwide. <\/p>\n

PGA Tour insider Dan Rapaport thrust this year\u2019s event into the US golf news cycle this week when he declared the Australian Open as the game\u2019s \u201csleeping giant\u201d.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, he lamented that more superstars aren\u2019t joining McIlory in the trip to the Melbourne sandbelt.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the best golf courses on Earth. It\u2019s a historic event in an amazing golf area… and just three of the top 50 players in the world are teeing it up,\u201d he wrote. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs change continues across tours, the Australian Open is a sleeping giant that must be elevated in world golf.\u201d<\/p>\n

Golf YouTube star Rick Shiels also spotlighted the event, writing: \u201cRory McIlroy has arrived at Royal Melbourne, one of few places in the running for best golf course on earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cJack, Arnie, Player, Watson, and Norman all won the Australian Open. Can Rory help bring this historic event back to its deserved stature?\u201d <\/p>\n

As far as starting points go, the arrival of McIlroy at Royal Melbourne is about as good as it gets. <\/p>\n

Granted he\u2019s being paid an undisclosed \u2014 yet, surely, sizeable \u2014 appearance fee to play, but this is McIlory walking the walk. <\/p>\n

The talking came last year when McIlroy spoke about the potential for the US stranglehold on world golf to be broken up with more international events. <\/p>\n

In his wide-ranging chat, he dropped a suggestion that no Australian fan has been able to forget. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Australian Open, for example, should almost be the fifth major,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe market down there is huge with potential. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey love golf. They love sport. They have been starved of top-level golf. And the courses are so good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cameron Smith and Adam Scott are among the big names back.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, he doubled down on his love for Australia, saying: \u201cIt feels like this country is kind of starved of top level golf. <\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you\u2019ve had Presidents Cup and you\u2019ve had a lot of good players still come through, but maybe on a consistent basis, a market like this with amazing fans and the history that it does have probably deserves more of a consistency of big players and big tournaments.\u201d<\/p>\n

McIlroy isn\u2019t alone in spruiking the immense potential of the Australian Open.<\/p>\n

Both Scott and Smith on Tuesday paid credit where it was due, praising the decision to listen to players by reverting to a stand-alone tournament at a revered venue. <\/p>\n

In turn, they believe that the buzz about the Australian Open is back among players. <\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s talking about the Aussie Open again, which is what we wanted,\u201d Smith said <\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted it back at Royal Melbourne, and we wanted it to be an event where international stars come down and compete and make it the event that it once was, so I think we\u2019re on the right track.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a tournament that I desperately want to win, and then you get the course vibe with it as well. It\u2019d be a pretty special thing to win an Aussie Open around Royal Melbourne for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott said that Golf Australia deserved credit for trying something different with its mixed format, but also deserved recognition for scrapping it. <\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully this is a sign of things to come to the Aussie Open and living up to the history that it already has,\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n

Of the tournament, he added: \u201cIt probably is more appealing, certainly for international players, to come down to play. <\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, Rory is on board, and he\u2019s coming off the back of an incredible year, so that\u2019s very timely for the event, and coming to this venue is creating a lot of hype as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly outside Australia, it\u2019s been a talking point on tour most of the year, and you\u2019ll see some players who have obviously asked for invites and are coming down to play.\u201d <\/p>\n

Arnold Palmer tees off in the Australian Open in 1966.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n

THE US ISSUE <\/p>\n

With McIlroy committing, the Australian Open has suddenly exploded. <\/p>\n

General admission tickets for the weekend are sold out, with 100,000 people expected to attend across all four days. <\/p>\n

Tournament director Antonia Beggs told Front Office Sports that \u201ceverything that was last year has probably multiplied by about 5 or 10 times.\u201d<\/p>\n

This falls in line with the 2019 Presidents Cup in which rowdy galleries witnessed a Tiger Woods masterclass in a thrilling 16-14 US triumph. <\/p>\n

The Internationals may have lost, but fans did not leave Royal Melbourne that weekend feeling defeated. <\/p>\n

Furthermore, the course \u2014 15,000 kilometres from PGA HQ in Florida \u2014 heaved and did not even remotely look out of place as the centre of the golfing world, even if for just one week. <\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t about the appetite of fans, or the quality of venue. It never has been.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about the players. <\/p>\n

And in a new golfing landscape, in which the emergence of LIV Golf has exploded prize pots on either side of the game\u2019s great US-international divide, neutral markets like Australia are left with only a knife at a gun fight. <\/p>\n

There are many reasons why a trip to Australia in December is unpalatable for most of the world\u2019s best golfers, and most of them are commercial.<\/p>\n

Between January and September every year, both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf offer players wealth that would\u2019ve went beyond their wildest dreams when they first turned pro. <\/p>\n

Adding in a trip to the other side of the world for a relative pittance \u2014 the Australian Open prize pot is A$2 million compared to A$30m for a PGA Tour signature event \u2014 is simply not needed financially. <\/p>\n

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler spoke for many earlier this year when he explained that there are no hard feelings towards playing golf outside of the US, but it just isn\u2019t a priority. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think the greatest competition we have right now in the game of golf is the PGA Tour and playing in the States,\u201d Scheffler said. <\/p>\n

Adam Scott v Rory McIlroy in 2013 | 03:00<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m starting a young family, and travelling across the world to play golf would be great, but at the end of the day, that\u2019s not my priority nor my responsibility.\u201d <\/p>\n

And fair enough. <\/p>\n

Making the Australian Open\u2019s battle for strong fields even steeper is the fact that, despite taking place in December, it still faces fierce competition from rival events.<\/p>\n

In fact, this week has been described by Dylan Dethier of Golf.com<\/a> as \u201cthe strangest week of the pro golf schedule\u201d.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because conflicting with the Australian Open is Tiger Woods\u2019 tournament in the Bahamas featuring Scheffler, the Hero World Challenge, and South Africa\u2019s Nedbank Golf Challenge, which features Viktor Hovland and offers a prize pool worth more than four times what\u2019s on offer in Melbourne. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does all of this mean?\u201d wrote Dethier. \u201cMostly it\u2019s a reminder that there are more competing interests than ever from across the globe for these guys\u2019 time and talents. <\/p>\n

\u201cSure, we\u2019re in a PGA Tour off-season lull, but there\u2019s more of everything else than ever.\u201d <\/p>\n

Greg Norman with his third Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.Source: Herald Sun<\/p>\n

CAN THE DOMINOES FALL FOR AUSTRALIA? <\/p>\n

So, is there a world in which the Australian Open\u2019s resurgence can take it all the way back to its place as world golf\u2019s unofficial fifth major? <\/p>\n

Granted, such a lofty standing still feels an age away from here, but the rapidly shifting landscape of golf and the massive power shift towards players offer a plausible route that didn\u2019t exist four years ago. <\/p>\n

Before LIV Golf arrived, the PGA Tour schedule was exploding. In fact, it didn\u2019t even end with a wraparound schedule pushing players towards playing more golf, more often, in America. <\/p>\n

Now, with players presented with an alternative to the US circuit, there suddenly exists the potential for the opposite \u2014 less golf, for more money, and in other places should players desire. <\/p>\n

New PGA Tour chief Brian Rolapp used his first public address to make a statement that hinted towards fewer events and a simplified schedule. <\/p>\n

US star Harris English last week hinted that a new schedule may not start until more than a month later, after the Superbowl. <\/p>\n

\u201c(Rolapp is) seeing the PGA Tour in a different light,\u201d English said. \u201cSometimes change is good. <\/p>\n

\u201cI get that they want all the best players playing together more often, and the talk of the Tour potentially starting after the Super Bowl I think is a pretty good thing because we can\u2019t really compete with football. So we\u2019ll see where it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why is this important for the Australian Open? <\/p>\n

A wider PGA Tour off-season would, in theory, allow more calendar space for the biggest international tournaments to find their spots without conflict.<\/p>\n

Granted doing so would require collaboration between competing organisations, but given the DP World Tour co-sanctions both the Australian Open and the Nedbank Challenge, it\u2019s not out of the realm of possibility that a compromise is struck.<\/p>\n

That leaves Woods\u2019 Hero, which \u2014 being an invitational and not an official Tour event \u2014 does not technically need to hold a rigid place in the schedule. With Woods being a golfing behemoth in and of himself, should he fancy a new slot, it would be so. <\/p>\n

McIlroy said that as a result of the conflicts, all three tournaments don\u2019t get the attention they deserve, particularly the Australian Open. <\/p>\n

Smith ‘frustrated’ ahead of Aus Open | 02:33<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this tournament, in particular, because of the history, because of the tradition, deserves to be a stand-alone tournament,\u201d he said. \u201cA week on its own. <\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, one day the powers at be can put together a schedule where the biggest and best tournaments in the world, the oldest and the ones with the most heritage can be elevated and stand on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the Australian Open was to find clearer air, organisers keep luring at least one superstar through a handsome appearance fee, and pathways into the majors continue, then other dominoes could topple. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s a feeling that if it\u2019s good enough for McIlroy, then why not for others? <\/p>\n

\u201cMcIlroy\u2019s appearance, combined with recent developments in the golf world, makes the prospect of restoring Australia\u2019s place in global golf feel much more realistic than it has in years,\u201d Joseph LaMagna of popular podcast Fried Egg Golf <\/a>wrote. <\/p>\n

\u201cReports of a shrinking PGA Tour schedule, along with a recent announcement by Augusta National and the R&A to reward national open winners, should help rebalance a sport increasingly dominated by an American footprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few years from now, we could very well find ourselves back in the familiar position of wishing more top talent would venture to Australia, without any practical solution in sight for bringing that ideal to fruition. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut whatever the future of Australian golf brings, this week marks a clear and significant victory for the sport.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u2014 Additional reporting Dane Heverin <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australian Open week kicked off on Monday with a 30-second piece of art to send shivers down every…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326180,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[5487,183156,6074,183148,2095,183121,183144,49720,64,11537,63,689,183154,183123,183147,29976,6946,183127,181550,62094,183160,3193,183120,64176,183117,183132,36646,25559,2755,183124,14604,755,9262,5505,135098,1745,183153,29459,183157,183142,10919,24416,183161,183151,183133,183141,183139,183155,183129,183158,24415,42328,24846,183122,183126,183118,2041,2067,677,183130,183115,132140,183125,183134,183136,183119,183137,183146,183131,756,113039,10913,183152,183150,29993,183116,183143,140465,16207,1183,18780,85,183135,183149,6953,5493,9244,37088,183145,183159,2614,183138,183140,183162,183128,181255],"class_list":["post-326179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-adam-scott","tag-admission-tickets","tag-africa","tag-amazing-golf-area","tag-america","tag-american-footprint","tag-antonia-beggs","tag-arnold-palmer","tag-au","tag-augusta-national-inc","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-courses","tag-australian-drawcards","tag-australian-fan","tag-australian-golf","tag-australian-golf-fans","tag-australian-heroes","tag-blockbuster-group","tag-brian-rolapp","tag-calendar-space","tag-cameron-smith","tag-course-vibe","tag-dan-rapaport","tag-dominoes-fall","tag-dylan-dethier","tag-emphatic-fashion","tag-familiar-position","tag-florida","tag-front-office-sports","tag-gary-player","tag-golf","tag-golf-course","tag-golf-courses","tag-golf-equipment-market","tag-golf-news","tag-golf-schedule","tag-golf-world","tag-golfing-behemoth","tag-golfing-landscape","tag-golfing-world","tag-greg-norman","tag-gun-fight","tag-handsome-appearance-fee","tag-high-profile-international-player","tag-historic-event","tag-international-events","tag-international-golfing-royalty","tag-international-stars","tag-international-tournaments","tag-jack-nicklaus","tag-jacob-polychronis","tag-joaquin-niemann","tag-joseph-lamagna","tag-mens-side","tag-neutral-markets","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-oceania","tag-off-season-lull","tag-overwhelming-negative-feedback","tag-peter-thomson","tag-plausible-route","tag-players-desire","tag-players-wealth","tag-playing-golf-outside","tag-pretty-special-thing","tag-prize-pool-worth","tag-relative-pittance","tag-rory-mcilroy","tag-rowdy-galleries","tag-royal-birkdale","tag-royal-hobart","tag-royal-melbournegolf","tag-royal-sydney","tag-setting-sun-shimmers","tag-should-be-a-fifth-major","tag-signature-event","tag-sleeping-giant","tag-south-africa","tag-southern-africa","tag-sports","tag-stand-alone-tournament","tag-stand-alone-tournaments","tag-tee-times","tag-tee-times-inc","tag-tiger-woods","tag-tom-watson","tag-top-level-golf","tag-tournament-director","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-violins-stirring","tag-womens-events","tag-world-golf","tag-wraparound-schedule","tag-young-family"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}