FILE PHOTO: Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy celebrates with his green jacket and the trophy after winning The Masters and completing a career grand slam. Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia, U.S., April 13, 2025 REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Masters champion Rory McIlroy will play the next two editions of the Australian Open in a major coup for one of golf's oldest tournaments, which has struggled in recent years to get marquee names to undertake the long journey south.
The Northern Irishman, who completed the career Grand Slam at Augusta last month, will vie for the Stonehaven Cup at Royal Melbourne in early December this year and at nearby Kingston Heath Golf Club in 2026.
"I'm proud to be committing to the Australian Open for the next two years, especially with it being played on the world-class Melbourne Sandbelt, somewhere I've always wanted to play professionally," McIlroy said in a press release.
"The success of the Australian Open is important for the global game, and I'm incredibly confident it will thrive again this year."
The Australian Open was first played in 1904 and counts the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player among its former winners.
McIlroy won a duel with Adam Scott on the final hole at Royal Sydney to win the title in 2013 and is likely to face his fellow former world number one again this year.
A groundbreaking mixed format, where the men's and women's Australian Opens were played simultaneously, was scrapped in February in the wake of complaints from top players.
The initiative, introduced in 2022, was aimed at rebooting the tournament after it was shut down for two years by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Rory McIlroy, one of the best to ever play our game, playing on the world-renowned Melbourne Sandbelt, is a mouth-watering proposition for golf fans," said Golf Australia Chief Executive James Sutherland.
"We are committed to elevating the status of our national championship, and this announcement is a significant step in that direction."
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
