Inside golf's big coup: Why Rory McIlroy is coming to play the Australian Open
Golf Australia had heard the Northern Irishman mention the courses in the odd interview and now had a person on their team, event organiser Antonia Beggs, who had worked on the European Tour for more than a decade. Beggs was connected to McIlroy through relationships established during that time.
She set up conversations between golfing officials – who had already decided to revert to a men's only tournament in 2025 after flirting with a dual-gender format for three years – and McIlroy's people, including his manager Sean O'Flaherty.
With McIlroy not using his Masters win to change the course of the negotiations and the sandbelt courses remaining the major appeal, the main cog to lock into place was the Victorian government, and more particularly, its use of the major events budget.
Contrary to Sutherland's initial fear, McIlroy's Masters win was actually a boon.
'Fortunately, nothing changed when he won the Masters. It just became an even more compelling proposition,' Sutherland said.
The win got the political wheels grinding more quickly as Premier Jacinta Allan knew there was no time to dither if the state wanted to secure the event and arguably the most popular golfer in the world at the top of his game.
Nor did a potential bid from NSW to steal the event materialise. A Destination NSW spokesperson said there was no official bid lodged for Sydney to host.
Victorian Sports Minister Steven Dimopoulos was happy to spruik the $1.3 billion golf tourism brings to the Victorian economy, but claimed commercial-in-confidence to keep the cost to taxpayers a secret.
A spokesperson for the premier's office refused to comment on any of the machinations when contacted.
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While no one would divulge what the offer was, one golf source said it was less than the $3 million Tiger Woods had received to appear in the Australian Masters in 2009.
Whatever the cost, the sense from Golf Australia was that McIlroy's price was more than reasonable. His attraction to playing at the sandbelt was a deciding factor in luring him here and therefore ensuring Victoria would host the tournament for the next two years.
'He has for a long time expressed a desire to come here and play tournament golf on the sandbelt,' Sutherland said.
McIlroy backed up Sutherland's comments.
'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,' he said.
'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.'
Sutherland is confident Australian stars such as Adam Scott, Cam Davis, Jason Day and Min Woo Lee, who play on the PGA Tour in the US, will be motivated by McIlroy's presence. LIV stars Cam Smith, Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman and the emerging Elvis Smylie are likely to play too.
Golf Australia expects 100,000 people to attend – ticket sales in the first two hours blew away targets, already exceeding 50 per cent of the total ticket sales for last year's tournament.
The governing body is also in the throes of securing a naming rights sponsor.
Golf Australia have their man and McIlroy gets to have a hit on the courses he has long looked at with envy.
Though it will be his first competition on the sandbelt course, McIlroy has competed in the Australian Open before. He won the Stonehaven Cup in 2013 in a thrilling duel with Adam Scott at Royal Sydney and returned to try and defend it in 2014.
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The Advertiser
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Lions roar back in style against flat Magpies
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