[Photo: Getty images]
The combination of reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy and a decades-long return to Royal Melbourne are indicating the 2025 Australian Open will be the biggest on record, which Adam Scott hopes returns “the glory years” of the tournament.
When McIlroy, who completed the career grand slam in April at Augusta National, was announced in May as signing on for this year’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne’s Composite course, tournament organiser Golf Australia observed the biggest single day of ticket sales in the event’s 121-year history.
McIlroy will also contest the 2026 Australian Open at Kingston Heath. This year, the Australian Open will return to separate men’s and women’s editions after three years of a controversial mixed format.
Chief executive officer, James Sutherland, said the 2025 tickets had sold well since that record day and all signs were pointing to the biggest crowds ever walking the grounds of the Melbourne Sandbelt icon this December 4-7.
“I would say certainly from what we’ve seen in recent times, I’ve got a little doubt that we’re going to see huge numbers based on ticket sales now,” Sutherland said at Royal Portrush during this week’s Open Championship. “Typically at this time of year [July] we haven’t sold a lot of tickets. We’ve sold a lot of tickets [this time].”
Scott chose to sit out last year’s Australian summer of golf after a long 2024 season in which he had to play large stretches of tournaments to qualify for the US Open and the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship. He will return this year.
He said all the tweaks to the Australian Open for this edition, including taking the Stonehaven Cup to Royal Melbourne for the first time since 1991, made him hopeful it would restore the 121-year-old tournament’s halcyon days of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s when Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Greg Norman were among the champions and regular competitors.
“I think they’ve [Golf Australia and the co-sanctioning partner, DP World Tour] made significant changes and I think it’s going in the right direction,” Scott said. “I think the fact that Rory’s been lured down shows that they’re making good decisions and I hope this is the start of glory years of the Australian Open again.
“That’s not to take away anything from the last whatever years, but it is hard to think that the Aussie Open hasn’t been played at Royal Melbourne since ‘91, so I’m happy that I’m going to sneak one in my career. Let’s hope this is the start of a great run of Aussie summer golf. Again. I think that’d be great for everyone at home.”
Organisers such as the PGA of Australia’s Nick Dastey are optimistic of more Australian, New Zealand and international stars signing on and hinted some of their announcements may be confirmed soon.
Sutherland said other than increased prize purse this year, and the presence of McIlroy, there were growing reasons for big names to tee up at the Australian Open. It has, for several years, offered three spots in the Open Championship as well as world ranking points for LIV players who don’t have regular access to them.
“We’re also optimistic that there are players for various reasons that will want to come out; they’ll see that the event and our summer of golf is getting bigger and better all of the time,” he said. “But I also think that there’s players on LIV category [who have less access to majors, will find the Australian PGA and Open appealing]. Marc Leishman is playing this week and the [category into the Open Championship came from] finishing top three in the 2024 Australian Open, and there’s exemptions there to play in majors that sometimes for players who have slipped down the rankings.”
