Victoria Secures Capital.com Australian Open Hosting Rights

Golf Australia has delivered a significant commercial victory for the domestic game, securing a multi-year hosting agreement with the Victorian Government and Visit Victoria that locks in the future of the men’s Capital.com Australian Open through to the end of the decade.

Under the terms of the strategic partnership, Victoria will play host to the national championship in 2027, 2029, and 2030, adding to the previously locked-in 2026 tournament. The decision heavily leverages the global commercial appeal of the world-renowned Melbourne Sandbelt corridor to underpin the long-term financial viability and broadcast footprint of the nation’s premier golf asset.

Industry Comments on the Partnership

For Golf Australia CEO, James Sutherland, the institutional backing from the state government serves as the ultimate stabiliser for the tournament’s ambitious growth program.

“We thank the Victorian Government and Visit Victoria for their continued partnership and confidence as we work together to grow the Capital.com Australian Open into one of the world’s great golf tournaments.”

“Kingston Heath will provide another outstanding stage this year, and Peninsula Kingswood is a magnificent venue and a brilliant addition to the Australian Open story.

“With two outstanding golf courses and the ability to create a composite championship layout, Peninsula Kingswood gives us the chance to present something new, exciting and worthy of our national Open,” Sutherland said.

PGA of Australia and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia CEO, Gavin Kirkman, emphasised that this long-term structural certainty is an absolute game-changer for tour economics, sponsorship retention, and athletic development.

“Golf Australia deserves enormous recognition for the work it has done to secure greater long-term certainty for the men’s Australian Open.”

“It strengthens the platform for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, helps build stronger fields, creates more value around our biggest events and gives our players the chance to compete on world-class courses against world-class opposition.

“The Australian Open headlines our summer of golf through the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, sitting alongside the BMW Australian PGA Championship as an important focal point for golf fans,” Kirkman said.

From a European perspective, the December tournament will do double duty, feeding directly into the early portion of the DP World Tour’s 2027 international schedule.

The alignment is further validated by the American establishment, with PGA TOUR SVP of International, Christian Hardy, confirming that the tournament is vital to their broader Asia-Pacific footprint.

“We are proud to support Golf Australia, the DP World Tour and the Capital.com Australian Open, and to continue our longstanding commitment to the region.” 

“Australia’s passionate and knowledgeable fans, world-class venues and rich competitive history make it a key part of the global game, and our members value the opportunity to compete on the Melbourne Sandbelt and the unique challenge those courses provide.

“With the Presidents Cup returning to Victoria in 2028 at Kingston Heath Golf Club, we look forward to building on that momentum,” Hardy said.

Industry Implication on the Partnership

The announcement caps off an extraordinarily lucrative week for Golf Australia, closely following a landmark formal tri-party agreement with the DP World Tour and the US PGA TOUR covering 2027 to 2029. This alignment ensures the historic tournament gains an enhanced prize pool, a highly coveted and distinct window in the global golf calendar, and co-sanctioning status with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.

Commercially, the multi-year Victorian commitment creates a highly reliable pipeline for corporate partnerships, local tourism injection, and international broadcast rights. The 2026 iteration at Kingston Heath Golf Club (3–6 December) is already projected to draw tens of thousands of interstate and international visitors, bolstered by the high-profile return of back-to-back Masters champion Rory McIlroy.

In 2027, the tournament will pivot to a fresh commercial venue in Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club, marking the first time the south-east Sandbelt facility will host a major national event. Boasting two courses rated in the nation’s top 20, the tournament will utilise a bespoke composite layout engineered to elevate digital and linear broadcast product for global audiences.

The strategic calendar sequencing also sees Peninsula Kingswood host the innovative Players Series Victoria in January 2027, serving as a vital operational and promotional runway ahead of the marquee Open later that year.

With sanctioning, venue corridors, and government backing now firmly integrated, professional golf in Australia has established its most formidable economic foundation in decades.

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