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For the first time in over a decade, Rory McIlroy is playing tournament golf Down Under.
The Masters champion has signed a two-year deal to tee it up in the Australian Open, starting at Royal Melbourne from December 4-7.
And after months of negotiations, McIlroy’s commitment to also play when the historic event returns to Kingston Heath in 2026 is a gigantic coup for tournament organisers.
“I’m proud to be committing to the Australian Open for the next two years, especially with it being played on the world-class Melbourne Sandbelt, somewhere I’ve always wanted to play professionally,” McIlroy said via a press release.
“The success of the Australian Open is important for the global game, and I’m incredibly confident it will thrive again this year, especially with it being staged in one of the world’s great sporting cities and on two of the finest golf courses in the world over the next two years: The Royal Melbourne Golf Club and Kingston Heath Golf Club.
“Melbourne is known for being one of the world’s great sporting cities and I can’t wait to be part of that atmosphere and soak in everything it has to offer, both on and off the course.”
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The return of McIlroy for the first time since 2014 could prove a seismic moment for this storied tournament.
For many years, the world’s best players have not played in the Australian Open, yet the arrival of a grand slam winner on these shores could well inspire his rivals to make the same journey.
McIlroy, meanwhile, has long been indicating that Australia has been an underutilised market for professional golf.
“The Australian Open, for example, should almost be the fifth major,” he said at last year’s Dubai Desert Classic. “The market down there is huge with potential. They love golf. They love sport. They have been starved of top-level golf. And the courses are so good.”
And The PLAYERS this year, McIlroy doubled down.
“I think we need bigger events in Australia,” he said.
“The Australian Open needs to be put up and held to a higher… the Australian Open was always a very big tournament back in the day. That is one which could be elevated.”
McIlroy’s presence, of course, will certainly do that.
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