Rory McIlroy is playing in the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne this week, as he continues to fulfil his global schedule.
McIlroy is the biggest global star in the game right now, certainly amongst active players, and by the time the Australian Open is finished, he would have played on four different continents since the end of the PGA Tour season in August (Asia, Australia, Europe and North America).
The 36-year-old Northern Irishman has made it very clear that he plans to play more of an international schedule moving forward.
McIlroy tasted victory at the Australian Open back in 2013 at Royal Sydney.
Now he will be hoping to cap off what has been a bucket-list year by chalking up his second win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
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He won three times on the PGA Tour including his memorable Masters win which saw him complete the career Grand Slam in the process.
McIlroy just missed out on winning the DP World Tour Championship last month as well, but he did record his seventh Race To Dubai order of merit title.
2026 has all the makings of a fantastic year for McIlroy, and indeed the PGA Tour.
However, the PGA Tour still need to make some big improvements, and Brian Rolapp and co. should be keeping a very close eye on the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.
PGA Tour must take note after Rory McIlroy practice footage emerges in Australia
McIlroy heads up a stellar field at the Australian Open this week.
And the crowds at Royal Melbourne are clearly already very excited that the Northern Irishman is playing this week.
The sheer amount of attention that McIlroy garners all round the world should mean the PGA Tour have a very easy decision to make.
If Brian Rolapp and co. really want to help grow the game and improve the product they have on offer, perhaps one or two more international tournaments need to be added to the schedule.
While the PGA Tour do host regular events outside of the mainland United States, the Baycurrent Classic is the only event held east of Bermuda.
The crowds out in Australia getting so excited about watching McIlroy during practice rounds means that holding an event out there should be a no-brainer for the PGA Tour.
Just take a look at the appreciation these fans at Royal Melbourne showed McIlroy on Monday…
Rolapp has made it clear that he is not afraid to make big changes.
He will honor golf’s traditions without being overly bound by them, and some kind of elevated event in Australia moving forward would carry huge appeal globally.
PGA Tour hosting an event in Australia should be a no-brainer
There is a real danger that the current PGA Tour schedule will become stale before not too long.
Justin Thomas has already complained about the lack of events in the North East of the United States.
However, one step further could be required, if the PGA Tour are to fully fulfil their potential as a global brand.
The atmosphere at certain PGA Tour events has become stale, especially some of the elevated tournament weeks.
That quite clearly has to change if the PGA Tour are to continue to attract young fans to their product.
And with a shortened PGA Tour schedule apparently in the pipeline, there may well be more opportunity to add an Australian event into the mix.
The fans out in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, or wherever in Australia the PGA Tour decides to host an event, would ensure that it goes down as a resounding success.
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