Golf Australia has agreed a three-year partnership with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour to elevate the status of the men’s Australian Open tournament.
Covering 2027, 2028, and 2029, the new agreement will enable the national championship to be again co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
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It also marks the first time the PGA Tour has formally partnered with Golf Australia.
The agreement is set to ensure the 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.”
The Australian Open, the country’s flagship golf tournament, will again headline the start of the DP World Tour season alongside the Australian PGA Championship.
Online trading platform Capital.com was recently named as the title sponsor of the Australian Open under a multi-year deal, while the North Adelaide Golf Course was confirmed as the host venue for three editions from 2028 to 2034.
For international stakeholders, the agreement leverages the existing Strategic Alliance between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, streamlining the qualification process so PGA Tour members can easily compete.
This year’s Australian Open will take place between December 4 and 7.
Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland said: “Our ambition is clear. We want the men’s 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.”
Meanwhile, the PGA Tour has announced that the 2026 Rocket Classic in Detroit will be the last edition of the event.
The final tournament will take place at Detroit Golf Club on July 30.
Tournament director Mark Hollis announced on Tuesday: “After nearly 13 years as a PGA Tour title sponsor, including eight years in Detroit, 2026 will mark the final Rocket Classic.
“We are incredibly proud of what this tournament has meant to the city, from creating unforgettable moments for fans to raising more than $10 million for local organizations.”
Rocket Mortgage, the Detroit-based mortgage lender, brought the PGA Tour back to Michigan in 2019, replacing the Quicken Loans National that had been run by the Tiger Woods Foundation in the Washington, DC area.
This gave the state a PGA Tour stop for the first time since the 2009 Buick Open at Warwick Hills.
The PGA Tour is moving to a new model for 2028 with two tracks of tournaments, including one with elevated events that will have larger purses for the better players.
The Rocket Classic has struggled to attract a field of top players as it has moved around on the calendar, often squeezed between majors or after the majors and before the FedEx Cup playoffs.
