Rory McIlroy tipped to make surprise tournament return

Rory McIlroy last week confirmed his place in this summer’s Genesis Scottish Open, and he could soon add another national championship to his 2025 schedule.

The Northern Irishman, who won the Masters last month to complete the career grand slam, is being tipped to return to a hugely popular event that he is a previous winner of.

While it’s unconfirmed, former pro Mark Allen reckons McIlroy will tee it up in the DP World Tour’s Australian Open.

McIlroy won the event in 2013, beating Adam Scott by one stroke at Royal Sydney, before returning to defend his title the following year.

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“As we speak here right now, it’s going to happen,” Allen told the Talk Birdie To Me podcast.

The Australian continued: “But we all know in the sporting world that things can change.”

It comes after he had conversations with Ross Stevenson, a well-linked radio presenter in Melbourne, with speculation that the event will be staged at Royal Melbourne.

An expected date for the Australian Open would be towards the end of November, following the PGA Tour season and the Ryder Cup.

That would leave McIlroy free to play in a tournament he has previously said should ‘almost be the fifth major’.

“The market down there is huge with potential,” he told Golf Digest last January. “They love golf. They love sport.

“They have been starved of top-level golf. And the courses are so good.”

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Meanwhile, this year’s Australian Open will abandon its dual-gender format, which saw the men’s and women’s events contested on the same course at the same time.

Cam Smith lashed out at the setup last year and insisted running it as a stand-alone event would attract bigger names.

“I feel like we have to put on a really good tournament and the players will come,” he said. “I think that is why we have seen a lack of talent and a lack of high-ranked golfers for the last two years.

“I know I am not the only one who feels this way and it has definitely been the talk of the town with the Australian professionals.

“Hopefully we can work as a team and really sort this event out because it would be a shame to see the Australian Open be lost.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.