Rory McIlroy rekindles Australian Open’s glory days
Rory McIlroy – in action during today’s pro-am – image Golf Australia
Not since 2009 has there been so much hype about a 72-hole golf tournament in Australia, and it is no coincidence that the man who is responsible for nearly all of that hype at this week’s Australian Open, Rory McIlroy, could well be compared to the great Tiger Woods, who won the Australian Masters at nearby Kingston Heath 16 years ago with thousands of Australian golf fans from all over the country in attendance
Woods arrived in Australia with the enticement of a $3 million incentive for turning up, courtesy of the Victorian Government, but the man who was the game’s most dominant player then and the greatest player of the last 40 years and perhaps even longer, repaid the faith that was placed in him by winning by two shots over Greg Chalmers.
The crowds that week at The Heath and the money they injected into the local economy more than covered the cost of Wood’s involvement, and this week Rory McIlroy appears to be having a similar impact, given that so much of the event has been sold out long in advance.
One of only six players in the history of the game to have won golf’s Grand Slam, (all four majors) when he secured his fourth different major at this year’s Masters, McIlroy might be the world’s number two mathematically, but many would suggest (with the greatest of respect to Scottie Scheffler) he is the current greatest in the game and if he was to take home a second Australian Open title he might add further strength to that argument.
McIlroy first claimed Australian golf’s greatest prize when he gazumped Adam Scott at the 72-hole of the 2013 Australian Open, creating a two-shot swing with his birdie as Scott bogeyed from behind the green.
McIlroy winning the 2013 Australian Open at Royal Sydney
McIlroy has won four events in 2025, including his historic victory at Augusta National and indicated the form has continued late into the year with a 3rd place finish in Abu Dhabi and a runner-up finish at the DP World Tour Championship at his last start.
McIlroy faced a packed media assembly following his pro-am play today.
“Yeah, it’s been a very warm welcome and obviously delighted to be here. First time playing in Australia in quite a while, so I’ve been excited to come back. It hasn’t been a secret that I’ve wanted it to come back as well.
“I think just with obviously the wonderful golf courses that we’re playing the next couple of years, also the change in the format, going back to the traditional Australian Open has probably helped that too. But yeah, just really excited to be back.”
McIlroy has played here previously in his amateur days and did win this event in Sydney
“I think Australia has been a very big part of my golfing life and my golfing journey, going all the way back to playing the Australian Open as an amateur back in 2005 and 2006. And then I just think the quality of the golf down here, the quality of the players that have come from here.
“I mentioned it last night, but you look at an event like LIV Adelaide and the people that come out to that event and how excited they are that some of the top players in the world are down here playing, it just feels like this country is starved of top-level golf. Obviously, you’ve had Presidents Cups come down here and you’ve had a lot of good players still come through, but maybe just not on a consistent basis. And I think 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.”
McIlroy was asked his thoughts on just where this event should sit in the golfing landscape.
“If you look at the world of golf right now, there are three pretty big tournaments going on in the same week. You’ve got the Tiger’s event in the Bahamas, you’ve got the Nedbank in South Africa, and obviously you’ve got here.
“I mean Sun City used to be, the million-dollar event, it’s probably lost a little bit of what it had. I’d say this tournament has lost a little bit of what it had back in the say 30, 40 years ago, and I’d say even Tiger’s event is probably the same way. So I think because there’s so much golf and there’s so many tournaments, the eyeballs are divided and the interest in every one of those tournaments this week is probably not as high as it should be.
“So I think this tournament in particular, because of the history, because of the tradition, deserves to be a standalone tournament, a week on its own, and hopefully one day they could put together a schedule where the biggest and best tournaments in the world and the oldest and the ones with the most heritage can be elevated and stand on their own.”
When asked how he rates Royal Melbourne by world standards, McIlroy was very candid.
“I don’t want the membership to take this (the wrong way), but it’s probably not the best course in Melbourne. I think that’s my opinion, but certainly in the top 10 in the world. So it’s like there’s so much great golf in this country and especially in this area. But yeah, I guess I didn’t know what to… I watched this on tv, I didn’t anticipate how many blind tee shots there were going to be, and it takes a little bit to figure out. It’s certainly not straightforward.
“I think as well, it probably plays better in the southerly wind rather than a northerly wind. Some of the shorter holes are down wind and it plays a little funky then, but if you get the southerly wind, then it gets back into the wind, then they play really good. So it’s probably not a fair reflection on the golf course playing it in this wind. It would be good to play it in a few other directions, but it’s obviously an amazing golf course I’ve come here to go out and compete on this week.
Not that McIlroy will necessarily have things all his own way this week, several of the European players showed last week they have a real opportunity to contend again. Not to mention, most of Australia’s best (except Jason Day) are here to tackle not only one of the game’s greats but one of Australia’s greatest layouts and arguably one of the leading courses in the world.
Throw in the ever-improving New Zealander Daniel Hiller and his fellow countryman Ryan Fox and Australasian golf fans will have a great week either at Royal Melbourne or watching from afar, although many have made the pilgrimage.
Min Woo Lee played well enough last week in Brisbane to be considered a good chance to win what may be the first of several Australian Open titles. His win in Houston this year, his first on the PGA Tour, took him to another level, and as Australia’s now leading world-ranked player, he is clearly a great local hope.
Adam Scott has not won in 2025 and, in fact, has recorded only one top ten in tournament golf, but he continues to play well all the same, and did so at Royal Queensland last week. The 45-year-old won this event in 2009 and was runner-up in 2013, 2015, and 2022.
Scott has experienced success on the sandbelt, twice winning the Australian Masters, including his win at Royal Melbourne in 2013. He also finished runner-up to Ernie Els in the Johnnie Walker Classic at Royal Melbourne very early in his career (2004).
Marc Leishman won on the LIV Golf Tour this season and showed last week in Brisbane that his game is in good enough shape to do well again. Being a Victorian, golf courses in this region of Melbourne are familiar to him, and there is no reason why he can’t at least contend for the title despite little in the way of success in the event to date, other than a 3rd place last year.
Cam Smith is somewhat of a mystery at present. Smith has missed the cut in his last seven non-LIV Golf events and hardly inspires the confidence he has brought to this event in more recent years, although, even then, he missed the third-round cut in 2022, was 17th in 2023 and was 39th last year. Smith has played the sandbelt well in the past, having won his Australian Amateur title at nearby Commonwealth Golf Club in 2013, but his current form and underlying confidence must be in question.
There is little doubt, now that the Australian Open has regained its singular focus after a few years trying to please everyone by becoming just too inclusive, that it has a chance to return to some of its glory days and the involvement of one of the most watchable golfers in the history of the game in Rory McIlroy has already proven a success in that regard and is likely to even more by week’s end.
