Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott have both made an interesting comparison between Royal Melbourne and Augusta National.
McIlroy, Scott, and Min Woo Lee will be playing together in the marquee group for the first two rounds of the Australian Open.
The event has even more significance this year because Royal Melbourne is arguably the best golf course in the country.
And it must be special for the reigning Masters champion to compare it to Augusta after playing just nine holes.
Rory McIlroy compares Royal Melbourne greens to Augusta National
Rory McIlroy has played in the Australian Open four times already, winning in 2013, but never at Royal Melbourne.
This year’s venue is often ranked as one of the top golf courses in the world, which was part of the appeal to McIlroy.
Speaking to Fox Sports Australia before the Australian Open, he highlighted the key similarity between Royal Melbourne and Augusta National.
“I think the golf here in the sand belt and in Melbourne is some of the best in the world,” McIlroy said. “I’ve only played Kingston Heath and Huntingdale, really, so to get the chance to play the front nine at Royal Melbourne today was a real treat.
The Golfing Gazette’s Australian Open predictions
Jordan Harris: Daniel Hillier has been knocking on the door for some time on the DP World Tour, agonisingly falling short of earning a PGA Tour card for 2026. The Kiwi has a fantastic chance of securing the biggest victory of his career to date. 🏌️♂️
James Shearman: Rory McIlroy was only a few strokes away from winning the Abu Dhabi Championship and the DP World Tour Championship last month, so he’s still in excellent form. Also, he will not face the same competition as in the UAE, so a similar performance will probably be enough for victory in Australia. 💰️
Peter Lynch: Rory McIlroy should be well rested and fully recovered after a busy spell, and he’s definitely got the game to outclass the rest of the field this week. ⛳️
Charlie Walker: No need to overthink this one! Rory McIlroy has been threatening to pick up yet another impressive win in recent months, and this time around, I expect him to be the class of the field and win another Australian Open. 🏆️
“I’ve watched plenty of tournaments here over the years, and it’s amazing. It really is. It’s such an iconic golf course, and I can’t wait to get started this week.
“I think the greens are very undulating. You can get some very interesting hole positions. Some of the greens are not too dissimilar to Augusta National. And then the bunkering and visuals as well. It’s such a different style of golf here than around the rest of the world.
“Hopefully, as the weather continues to get better as the week goes on, we can get some first and fast conditions over the weekend, which I think everyone wants.”
Adam Scott makes the same Augusta National comparison as Rory McIlroy
2009 Australian Open champion Adam Scott agrees with McIlroy that Royal Melbourne is similar to Augusta National.
He explained how both golf courses require players to be more strategic than most courses on the professional golf circuit.
The Sandbelt region in Melbourne is home to eight superb golf courses, including Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath.
“I think it really just gives you a lot of options to play shots,” Scott commented. “You risk a lot if you’re aggressive and want to fire near the pin. You can play conservatively and leave yourself a challenging putt.
“You really have to manage your game very well, a little bit like Augusta. The golf courses have the same designer (Dr. Alister MacKenzie).
“It’s a little bit like links as well. There’s a lot more strategy involved on the Sandbelt than we usually play week in and week out in the Tour.”
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