Max Homa watched the Australian Open from afar as Cam Smith fell agonizingly short of a famous win on home soil, and the PGA Tour star has made his feelings about the event clear
Max Homa wants to play in next year’s Australian Open(Image: Raj Mehta/Getty Images)
Max Homa has pledged to play in next year’s Australian Open after the six-time PGA Tour winner was left feeling jealous of the players involved at Royal Melbourne.
The course is one of the best on the planet, and a star-studded field headlined by Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Cam Smith delivered a captivating tournament in front of huge crowds Down Under.
Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who will join the PGA Tour in January, took the title, beating LIV Golf star Smith by one shot at 15-under-par after a heart-wrenching mistake from the Aussie on the 72nd hole in his homeland.
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The Australian Open was once viewed as one of the biggest tournaments in the sport, with the list of winners including McIlroy, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer. The event is also spoiled for choice when it comes to venues, with Australia’s sandbelt boasting some of the very best courses around.
The tournament’s significance has waned in recent years, though, with fewer and fewer players making the long journey down under to compete for the prestigious Stonehaven Cup.
A misguided move to a mixed-gender format did not help its standing, but with a return to a traditional format and Masters champion McIlroy playing the event for the first time in 10 years, more eyeballs have been on the action at Royal Melbourne.
Rory McIlroy’s return contributed to a big week for the Australian Open(Image: Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
Homa, 35, was among the viewers, and he took to Instagram to show his desire to compete in Australia in 2026. He wrote: “Instagram has got me feeling like I need to play Australia next year. Looks heavenly.”
McIlroy, the 2013 winner of the Stonehaven Cup, finished in a tie for 14th place, eight shots off the pace, but he relished the experience of being back in Australia.
The world No. 2, who has committed to play next year’s event at Kingston Heath in Melbourne, said: “I’ve been excited to come back down here for a while, it’s been over 10 years since I played in the Australian Open,” McIlroy said after his final round.
“This is a golf tournament that has got so much potential, and I think it showed a little bit of that this week. There’s still a ways to go. I would love to have a few more players come down and play.”
Smith’s capitulation on the final hole was a deflating blow for a passionate home crowd, but it was not all bad news for the Aussies. By finishing in fifth place, 2013 Masters champion and former world No. 1 Scott qualified for next year’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in England.
Si Woo Kim, of South Korea, and South Africa’s Michael Hollick also earned invitations to Birkdale after finishing in third and fourth place, respectively.
