Masters champion McIlroy to headline Australian Open
MELBOURNE - Masters champion Rory McIlroy will play in the Australian Open for the next two years, the world number two said Wednesday, ending a long absence from the tournament.
The Northern Irishman became just the sixth golfer to complete a career grand slam of all four majors with his dramatic play-off win at Augusta last month.
On the eve of the second major of the year, the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, McIlroy announced he will tee up in the Australian Open from December 4-7 this year at the world-renowned Royal Melbourne course.
The 36-year-old will return to Australia in 2026 when the prestigious event moves to the nearby Kingston Heath course.
"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," McIlroy said.
The success of the 121-year-old tournament is "important for the global game", 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."
His appearance will end an 11-year absence from the tournament he won in 2013.
Australian tournament officials are also hopeful of luring home PGA Tour winner Min Woo Lee, as well as major champions Cameron Smith and Adam Scott.
"Rory McIlroy, one of the best to ever play our game, playing on the world-renowned Melbourne Sandbelt, is a mouth-watering proposition for golf fans," Golf Australia chief executive James Sutherland said in a statement.
At the Masters last month, McIlroy ended a majors win drought stretching back to 2014.
Augusta National had been the only major missing from McIlroy's collection, having claimed the US Open in 2011, the Open Championship in 2014 and the PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
‘Quiet demeanour' of Temba Bavuma won't cut it in WTC final, says former Proteas player
BIG TARGETS Former Proteas player Alviro Petersen predicts that Kagiso Rabada (left) and Temba Bavuma (centre) will be targeted by Australian sledging in the World Test Championship final at Lord's. Picture: BackpagePix The change of format could serve him well though, but only if he is able to ignore the Aussie 'verbals', believed Petersen. The 30-year-old Rabada is the leader of the Proteas attack, but did struggle for form in the Indian Premier League ( IPL ). Rabada, of course, was banned for a month in April for testing positive for banned recreational substance cocaine. Though he's served his ban and has since returned to playing, that's the perfect topic for the Aussies, who are known for their sledging, to exploit. According to former Proteas opener Alviro Petersen , Kagiso Rabada and Temba Bavuma will be the two main targets of the Australians in the war of words, before and during, the World Test Championship final starting at Lord's, in London, next week. Rabada Under Fire from Aussies Ahead of Final "They're going to jump on it. I mean, you've already seen former players jumping on it. They're going to jump on it like a wildfire, and leading up to that Test match final, they're going to absolutely drill it and nail it into South Africa to say, you've got to try to keep this under wraps,' Petersen told "This is already the thing I see coming through from the Australians - 'you try to keep this under wraps. How on earth would you have done that? It should have been a three-month ban, you're protecting certain okes.' Those sorts of things will come up, and ideally, what they want is, they want Kagiso Rabada to be impacted by it." Another key figure the Aussies will circle like sharks will be Bavuma, as the skipper of the Proteas. "Forget about his (Bavuma's) technique, forget about what he's done in the last couple of seasons or whatever the case might be, Australia hunt for the head and he's the captain, they're going to come for him. "He needs to be up for it, to be mentally strong for what's going to come. Australia's a tough team to play, especially in finals. So, they're going to come for him. He will need to stand up. That quiet demeanour of Temba Bavuma is unfortunately not going to cut it in the final." @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
TimesLIVE
5 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Piastri says Spanish Grand Prix win was what he needed
Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri said winning Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix was what he needed after losing out to McLaren teammate Lando Norris over the previous two weekends. "It's been a great year and this weekend's been exactly the kind of weekend I was looking for," the Australian said after his fifth win in nine races. "We executed everything we needed to when it counted and that's all you can ask for. The team gave me a great car once again. It's a lot of fun winning races at the moment." The victory, the seventh of the 24-year-old's career, stretched Piastri's lead over second-placed Norris to 10 points after the Briton reduced it to three with his triumph in Monaco last Sunday. Norris also finished second at Imola, the race before Monaco won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Piastri third. The Australian led from pole position in Spain, the top slot on the grid secured by the biggest margin of the year so far, after also topping the practice times at the Circuit de Catalunya. "It's definitely up there," Piastri said when asked whether it was his strongest yet in Formula One. "I don't know if it's the best one, but certainly it's been a strong one. It's pretty hard to complain with the results we've had this weekend. "The effort that's gone in, and analysing some of the things from last week that we could have done better, I think we turned it around very nicely and got back to the form we wanted to be on." Norris, winner of two races this year so far, said he did not feel he had lost anything. "I think Oscar drove a very good race today and had a good day yesterday. I had the pace to go with him but not enough to try and catch up and put him under threat," he said.
The Star
11 hours ago
- The Star
Alviro Petersen warns Proteas: Australia a different kettle of fish in Lord's World Test Championship final
Ryan Rickelton Proteas openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram must prepare accordingly for the Duke ball at Lord's. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix ONE of the biggest questions that the South African batters will need to have answers for in the World Test Championship final is the slope at Lord's. Can the Proteas batters see out the Australian quicks with the slope at the famous London ground? Former Proteas Test opener Alviro Petersen, having played at Lord's, feels that Ryan Rickelton, who will open the batting with Aiden Markram, should have no problems with the slope, given that he plays at the Wanderers, where there is one as well. Petersen highlighted the importance of playing straight in England as an opening batter due to the conditions. 'I think Rickleton will be okay in terms of the slope because he plays at the Wanderers, where there's a slope. That will help him, or at least it will give him some sort of confidence to play on the slope,' Petersen told Independent Media. 'From a technical point of view, it's important, especially in England, that you look to play in the V early on. 'Now, remember if the dismissals are not caught behind, like in South Africa, where guys generally bowl slightly wide outside off-stump because of the bounce and trying to get you to play through the covers and then nick off. 'In England, they're going to bowl quite straighter lines. 'So, you know, that's the reality. Australia are not going to give you a lot of bad deliveries. 'You have to almost hit good deliveries of boundaries or see out good spells. So, that's the reality that they're up against. 'Australia would have done their homework already. 'If Rickleton plays square of the wicket, guys, we're not going to give him anything. 'We're going to protect the square, but also, we're going to protect the straight (boundaries). We're going to ask him to do different things now.' While the whole world critiqued South Africa's journey to the final at Lord's for not facing Australia and England in the cycle, Petersen believes that the Proteas deserve all the credit. However, the former Test opener warned that the Australian bowling attack will be a lot more difficult to contend with. 'We have to give them credit... they've played off the back foot. They came back and won games. Those are important things. You can take that confidence into the World Test Championship final,' said Petersen. 'However, Australia will be a different kettle of fish. Australia play differently. They might not give you a lot of opportunities like other teams would. 'But that's the reality, that South Africa have won those games. 'Whether you play against minor teams or teams that people think are minor, it's still Test cricket, and they've won those games. 'So, I think they can use that confidence and take it into the World Test Championship final. But it's not going to be easy.'
