Greg Norman has welcomed the PGA Tour’s landmark partnership with Golf Australia, describing the move as a “big step” that is “long overdue by decades” as Australia’s national championship enters a new era.
The former chief executive of LIV Golf and five-time Australian Open champion made his first public comments after the PGA Tour officially joined forces with Golf Australia and the DP World Tour to help elevate the Australian Open from 2027 onwards.
The historic agreement will see the PGA Tour financially support the championship, deliver a significant increase in prizemoney from 2027 and encourage its members to make the trip Down Under, adding another layer of global prestige to one of golf’s oldest national opens. It also follows the PGA Tour’s seismic announcement this week it will introduce a new two-tiered competition structure from 2028 that will cater for a limited series of elevated international events featuring top-tier players in partnership with the DP World Tour under the existing Strategic Alliance.
Despite LIV Golf having shown strong interest in partnering with the Australian Open in recent months, Norman was quick to congratulate Golf Australia chief executive James Sutherland when news of the deal became official.
“I messaged James Sutherland immediately after I heard about the Australian Open agreement, saying congrats,” Norman told Australian Golf Digest. “It’s a big step and long overdue by decades.”
The announcement comes at a fascinating time in world golf. LIV Golf chief executive Scott O’Neil – the man who replaced Norman at the helm of the Saudi-backed tour in January 2025 – had previously outlined ambitions to work with major national opens around the world, believing they represent some of the sport’s most underutilised assets. Discussions had even taken place around integrating the Australian Open more closely with LIV Golf Adelaide, which has become the league’s flagship event.
Instead, with LIV Golf’s future uncertain given Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will no longer fund the league after 2026, Golf Australia doubled down on its relationship with the DP World Tour while bringing the PGA Tour into the fold for the first time in the championship’s 120-plus-year history.
While Norman stopped short of calling the move a direct response to LIV Golf’s phenomenal success in Australia, he believes the PGA Tour has clearly taken notice of what attracts fans.
“I’m not saying it’s a reaction to LIV,” says Norman. “I would say (PGA Tour CEO) Brian Rolapp has been observant of the key indicators of why massive success is there when a tour brings numerous high-profile and high-quality players. That part is always the heavy lift for tournament organisers in different parts of the world. But, get that right and the end result is fan excitement, support and greater exposure for the game of golf, like we’ve seen at LIV Golf Adelaide and, more recently, LIV Golf South Africa.”
The strengthened alliance is expected to significantly raise the Australian Open’s international profile. The event will remain co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour through at least 2029, while the PGA Tour’s involvement is expected to help boost prizemoney beyond the $2 million purse offered at last year’s championship and encourage more of the world’s best players to compete.
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Rolapp said the PGA Tour will work to develop a calendar that includes a limited series of elevated international events that top players from the tour’s Championship Series will be eligible for during the northern autumn. The tour will work with the DP World Tour as part of the strategic alliance, which expires in 2027, with the tours hoping to extend that.
Apart from the Australian Open, sources say the international events could include the BMW PGA Championship, the Dunhill Links at St Andrews and a handful of other national opens that would be moved to this time period.
While the idea of extending the PGA Tour brand oversees sounds appealing, much of the details need to be worked out. Including what incentive players might have to actually compete in these events. Rolapp, however, sounded optimistic that top players aren’t going to want to shut down for four months.
“We’ve talked a lot to our members about this. They clearly want to play outside of the dates that I’ve outlined here. Different members have different motivations for where they play, when they play, why they play. I think in the [autumn] it’s our responsibility to create compelling opportunities for them to do just that.”
The 2026 Australian Open will return to Kingston Heath Golf Club on Melbourne’s famed Sandbelt, with Rory McIlroy already confirmed to headline the field for a second consecutive year. – Additional reporting by Joel Beall and Evin Priest.
