Golf Australia has today confirmed a partnership with the DP World Tour and the PGA TOUR to continue to elevate the men’s Capital.com Australian Open.
Covering 2027, 2028 and 2029, the new agreement will enable the national championship to again be co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, continuing the tournament’s momentum following a significant period of growth.
It also marks the first time the PGA TOUR has formally partnered with Golf Australia, with the agreement set to ensure the Capital.com Australian Open will receive a significant boost in prize money, a distinct window in the global golf calendar and optimise the opportunity to attract the world’s best players. More details on these developments will be shared at the 2026 Capital.com Australian Open.
Back-to-back Masters champion Rory McIlroy will return to the 2026 Capital.com Australian Open which will again headline the start of the DP World Tour season alongside the BMW Australian PGA Championship, along with providing the highlight of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australia’s summer of golf schedule.
Together with the landmark partnership with Capital.com and the recent confirmation that the redeveloped North Adelaide Golf Course will host three men’s Capital.com Australian Opens from 2028-2034, the renewed co-sanctioning agreement and PGA TOUR partnership is another important step in Golf Australia’s broader strategy to elevate the championship.
“The Australian Open has a proud history going back to 1904 and is recognised globally as one of the great national championships of world golf,” Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland said.
“Our ambition is clear. We want the men’s Capital.com Australian Open to be recognised among the top 10 most prestigious golf tournaments globally, and everything we are doing for the event flows from that ambition.
“Getting the Australian Open right is about securing the total mix. That means world-class venues, strong host-state partnerships, commercial partners, sanctioning partners, broadcast reach, a great fan experience and the ability to attract strong international fields.
“This agreement with the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour and the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia strengthens the global relevance of the championship and gives us another important platform to keep growing the event year-on-year.
“Together with our partnerships with Victoria, South Australia, Capital.com, our host venues and our other commercial partners, this puts us in the best possible position to realise our ambition of making the men’s Australian Open one of the world’s great golf events.”
Ben Cowen, Chief Tournament and Operations Officer for the DP World Tour, said: “We are delighted at today’s announcement which confirms that the Capital.com Australian Open will continue to feature on our schedule.
“Since our Tour’s inception over 50 years ago, National Opens have been, and will continue to be, critical for us; the fact we currently sanction 17 in total around the world merely emphasises the point that we are Golf’s Global Tour.
“To have a National Open of the stature of the Capital.com Australian Open amongst that number and to have it commit to us for another three years is great news, and further illustrates the strength of the partnership we enjoy with Golf Australia and the PGA Challenger Tour of Australasia.
“Today’s news also reinforces the Strategic Alliance we enjoy with the PGA TOUR and the opportunity to work with them alongside the Australian organisations to help grow the stature of this tournament globally, is an exciting one.”
With the DP World Tour co-sanctioning the event, PGA TOUR members will have the opportunity to more easily compete, further integrating the tournament into the international golf landscape.
“We are thrilled with this agreement between our Strategic Alliance partners, the DP World Tour and the Capital.com Australian Open,” said Christian Hardy, the PGA TOUR’s Senior Vice President, International. “The Capital.com Australian Open remains one of the most prestigious events in global golf, and our members have long valued the opportunity to compete in Australia. We look forward to continuing to build on this relationship in the years ahead.”
PGA of Australia and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia CEO Gavin Kirkman said the agreement was an important outcome for Australian tournament golf and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia members.
“The Capital.com Australian Open is the shop window for golf in Australia. If it’s strong, it elevates the entire Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and golf in this country.
“Golf Australia deserves great recognition for the work they are doing to secure the long-term future of the Australian Open, elevating it to one of the world’s premier international events. The combination of strong commercial support, world-class venues, host-state partnerships, and co-sanctioning alignment puts the Australian Open in a stronger position than ever to keep growing.”
“Played immediately after the BMW Australian PGA Championship in Sydney, we’re thrilled to be working alongside the DP World Tour as our co-sanction partner for our two biggest weeks on the Australian golf calendar, bringing together some of the world’s best golfers to compete for two of the oldest and revered trophies in world golf,” he said.
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