While Rory McIlroy may not have put himself in contention to win the Australian Open for a second time this past week, he certainly appears to have no regrets about his decision to go and play at Royal Melbourne.
It proved to be a turbulent week for Rory McIlroy on the golf course. His challenge for the Australian Open title was over before it ever really began, with the Northern Irishman making six bogeys in his first round.
However, McIlroy was able to battle through and finish inside the top 20. And it would definitely appear that the 36-year-old would reflect on his trip Down Under as being a real success.
Which tournament would you like to see become the fifth major championship?
The Australian Open, for example, should almost be the fifth major. The market down there is huge with potential.
Rory McIlroy
In fact, McIlroy is far from the only PGA Tour star who believes that they were vindicated for making the long journey down to Australia.
What Matt McCarty told Rory McIlroy about Royal Melbourne and PGA Tour courses
McIlroy played alongside Stefano Mazzoli and Matt McCarty during the final round in Melbourne.
It proved to be a particularly successful final day for McCarty, with the American’s round of 67 lifting him into the top 10.
And speaking to FOX Sports, McIlroy shared the claim the youngster made about Royal Melbourne and the golf courses that are often played on the PGA Tour.
“So yeah, just absolutely, it’s been incredible and even Matt McCarty and I were talking about it out there and I said, ‘oh, what brought you down here?’ He said, the golf course, said ‘I really wanted to play a tournament at Royal Melbourne’,” he said.
“And he said, I mean, you compare this to a majority of PGA Tour events, this is so much better.
“So I think everyone really appreciated the atmosphere that they played in this week, and hopefully it’ll be the same next year at Kingston Heath and hopefully the tournament sort of grows from here and sort of gets back to the stature that it deserves.”
More PGA Tour players will surely follow Rory McIlroy’s lead and now play the 2026 Australian Open
Whether you like LIV Golf or not, you cannot deny how wise they have been to play a number of events around the world each year.
McIlroy himself lauded the Adelaide event ahead of this week’s Australian Open. He suggested that they have done an ‘incredible’ job with the tournament.
The PGA Tour would be wise to compare the scenes in Australia this week with what they see at a number of their events.
The Hero World Challenge certainly has a much stronger field when you look at the world rankings. And yet, the Australian Open had the feel of a major in many respects.
In Royal Melbourne, it certainly had a stage worthy of hosting one of the sport’s biggest events.
If the PGA Tour is going to switch to a schedule of fewer than 25 events, then they should absolutely look to build up partnerships with the best tournaments around the globe – similar to what they already have with the Scottish Open – and encourage their players to visit the Sandbelt during the off-season.
It looks highly likely that more PGA Tour players will follow McIlroy and McCarty’s lead next year.
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