Why Australia Deserves To Have A Big Part In Golf's New Global Future

Whatever the new world of men's pro golf looks like, most people would agree that a more global view needs to be taken - and few would argue that Australia needs to be top of the list for expansion.

The bumper crowds and electric atmosphere at the Grange Golf Club for LIV Golf Adelaide has proven what most of us already know - Australians love their sport and love their golf.

LIV Golf Adelaide was named the World's Best Golf Event at the World Golf Awards in 2023 and 2024 as a result of not only the number of fans attending but their passion for the sport and the atmosphere they generated.

But it's not a new thing as Australia has a long and rich history in the game of golf and some of the best courses in the world - those factors combined with such a vibrant fanbase means there really should be a big tournament or two staged Down Under in golf's new future.

US President Tump's intervention could speed up a PGA Tour-PIF deal being concluded, with Rory McIlroy one of those leading the call for a world tour format for the top players on the planet moving forward.

Australian fans have already shown they'll come out in droves to see the best golfers in the world - throw in McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler to Bryson DeChambeau and of course home hopes Cameron Smith and Adam Scott and you could have an all-time event.

The southern hemisphere climate lends itself to events being staged in November, December and January, typically the offseason in pro golf so scheduling shouldn't be too much of a problem either.

The size of the country and depth of quality of courses also means there could be something of an 'Australian Swing' if you revamped the Australian PGA, Australian Open and added a LIV Golf team event into the mix.

Rich history of golf in Australia

In truth it shouldn't have taken LIV Golf to open people's eyes to the potential of Australia, but thanks to Aussie Greg Norman's commitment to his home country the secret is now out that his homeland is a golfing hotbed.

Norman may be the most famous Aussie golfer but the list of greats is long - with none greater than five-time Open champion Peter Thomson, who won three Claret Jugs in a row, four in five years and added a fifth seven years later.

You have Major champions Ian Baker-Finch, Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Steve Elkington and Geoff Ogilvy in the men's ranks, with Karrie Webb a seven-time Major champion, three-time Major winner Jan Stephenson and recently Minjee Lee with two Majors under her belt in the women's game.

The Australian Amateur Championship is the second-oldest men's event of its kind in the world, while the Australian Open dates back to 1904 and the Australian PGA Championship was established in 1929.

Both have some illustrious names on the trophies too - Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Hale Irwin and Sam Torrance all won the PGA, while Jack Nicklaus was a six-time Australian Open champion.

Player also won the Australian Open seven times while Arnold Palmer, Gene Sarazen, Bobby Locke and Tom Watson won the title in the early years before Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy added their names to the list in more recent times.

The point is, this is not breaking new ground or developing a new territory for golf, more like bringing back some famous old tournaments that in their day attracted Major-like fields. It should really be a no-brainer.

What would an Australian swing look like?

OK, so we're deep into the hypotheticals now but all indications are that talks are progressing and Jay Monahan has indicated that he, President Trump and even PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan have the same sort of idea about what a 'one tour' golfing future looks like.

The PGA Tour have been accused of being too America-first before, and that was part of the reason for Norman being at the forefront of LIV Golf's emergence, so you'd think that this one tour idea would have some sort of global theme to it.

Again, things don't look too complicated logistically - the DP World Tour already co-sanctions the Australian Open and PGA tournaments so there's plenty of infrastructure already in place.

Schedule-wise, those events taking place in November-December would be the sweetspot if the PGA Tour calendar looks similar to what it does right now - but of course things can change quickly.

If LIV Golf continues, as those in charge insist it will, then with a golfing harmony it would not be too hard to stage that as part of a three or four-week swing Down Under, with the PGA, Australian Open and LIV Golf team event all being held around the country.

Alternatively, a global schedule could look something like starting in the Middle East, heading to Australia and then moving straight to the West Coast Swing on the PGA Tour in February.

Schedules can be moved and changed about - but the main premise is that top-level golf needs to return to Oz in some form.

The glorious courses of the Australian sandbelt are some of the best in the world, but they're not the only ones - the tournaments are already in place and the fans are some of the best around. All we need now are the players.