The women’s Australian Open is returning to its former home with Adelaide’s Kooyonga Golf Club to play host to the stand-alone tournament from March 12-15, 2026.
Friday’s announcement means there will be no women’s Australian Open played in 2025 as it shifts to the tail end of the Australian summer after Golf Australia’s decision to do away with the three-year experiment to play the men’s and women’s events together.
Unlike when Adelaide hosted the tournament before the Covid-19 pandemic, the women’s Australian Open will not be an LPGA-sanctioned event but the WPGA Tour of Australasia will co-sanction with the Ladies European Tour.
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The women’s Australian Open rotated between Kooyonga, Royal Adelaide and The Grange from 2016 to 2020, and the tournament is locked in to be played in South Australia for at least three years.
The South Australian government has staged the LIV Adelaide event the last three years, with this year’s tournament held in February, and will do so until 2031, with the women’s Australian Open expanding its golfing footprint.
“We are extremely excited by this partnership with the South Australian Government, who are showing a clear commitment to women’s golf in Australia,” Sutherland said.
“Securing the state of South Australia as the host of this historic and highly regarded event for the next three years is a significant win for players and fans, who will no doubt be treated to a terrific event.
“Kooyonga will provide the perfect stage to showcase the incredible talent set to feature in the field, including our top players who compete overseas on the game’s biggest stage, the rising local talent from the WPGA Tour of Australasia and the international contingent from the Ladies European Tour.”
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said: “South Australia is ready to take the women’s Australian Open to new heights.
“Securing this championship for at least the next three years will drive global attention, deliver world-class fan and player experiences and encourage more people, especially girls and women, to enjoy a health pursuit.
“This is a hugely exciting time for our state, which is already seeing the massive benefits of hosting major sporting events like LIV Golf Adelaide and their power to share South Australia on the global stage.
“We are investing in North Adelaide Golf Course as the new host venue for LIV Golf Adelaide and the women’s Australian, along with other major tournaments.”
The last three editions of the tournament have been played in early December, and have been widely ridiculed by the country’s top female golfers.
LPGA superstars Minjee Lee and Hannah Green were unable to play a practice round before last year’s tournament in Melbourne as the final round of the LPGA season finale took place on the Monday morning Australian time, and then they had a Thursday tee time.
Playing on the same course at the same time as the men, albeit in different group, was ridiculed for not shining the spotlight on the women’s field as on the final day at Kingston Heath, the women’s groups went off far earlier than the men, clearing the path for the afternoon television coverage to be dominated by the male groups.
Champion Jiyai Shin even holed-out for eagle at the fourth hole of the final round, but you had to be there to see it as the lead women’s group were sent out before the broadcast had began.
The tight turnaround also prevented high profile internationals from coming out to Australia, despite the tournament being well-supported by Australia’s LPGA contingent.
Nevertheless, a local has not won the women’s Australian Open since the great Karrie Webb won her fifth national open in 2014.
Karen Lunn, CEO of the WPGA of Australia, said off the back of Minjee Lee’s Women’s PGA Championship victory earlier in the week and the strong results of Australians on women’s golf’s leading tour that there is a good chance of the more than a decade long drought being broken.
“Adelaide has a proven track record in hosting headline events including previous Australian Opens, and we look forward to showcasing all it has to offer which includes some of Australia’s finest golf courses. We are grateful to the South Australian Government for providing us with a platform that allows us to showcase our best Australian players with those from across the globe,” Lunn said.
“The current number of Aussie players teeing it up, and contending, on both the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour each week continues to show that we punch above our weight on the international stage and that women’s golf has arguably never been stronger in Australia.
“I am certain our players will be determined to break the Aussie drought in 2026 and lift the Patricia Bridges Bowl.”
CEO of the Ladies European Tour, Alexandra Armas, added: “We are thrilled the Australian Open will be returning to the LET schedule for 2026.
“Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide will be a great venue, and our players are excited to be competing for the Patricia Bridges Bowl.
“Thank you to the WPGA Tour of Australasia and Golf Australia for all their hard work, and for the South Australian Government for their commitment to the women’s game.”
