Australian PGA Championship targets dual US Open winner for Sydney tournament
Priest of the House
NSW has moved the Australian PGA Championship away from Queensland for the first time in 25 years, setting golf officials’ sights on targeting top 50 stars including two-time US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.
The PGA, which joins the Australian Open among the country’s premier golf events, has not been held in NSW since 1998.
But with former PGA venue Royal Queensland having been selected as the host course for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and then beginning preparations for its renovation, The Lakes Golf Club will stage the November 26-29 event.
“We are returning the BMW Australia PGA Championship to Sydney” [and] “It is an iconic golf course that has hosted many of our major events, including the Australian Open recently,” said PGA Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman. “Sydney needs an international golf tournament.”
The Lakes, a prestigious club minutes from Sydney Airport, will host the PGA thanks to an agreement between the PGA of Australia and the NSW government through Destination NSW.
This imprint understands that the agreement is for one year but there is an option to extend it.
During the Masters at Augusta National in the US last week, talks were held between Australian PGA officials and player representatives for several golfers ranked in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
The biggest fish to fish would be DeChambeau, the big-hitter his team has shown interest in. This will be DeChambeau’s second trip to Australia this year after competing at LIV Golf Adelaide in February.
Australian president PGA and 1991 British Open winner Ian Baker-Finch told Australian media at Augusta: “I would absolutely love to see Bryson DeChambeau play in the BMW Australia PGA.”
“I think he wants to come to Australia. A lot of it is about the economy and the programs for these guys. It’s the end of the year.”
The Challenger PGA Australasian Tour has enjoyed a recent revival highlighted by an increase in prize money for the 2025 PGA, while dual Masters champion Rory McIlroy is halfway through his two-year Australian Open deal. These factors have increased the interest of players and managers abroad.
“This [was] The most promising Masters I’ve been to in a long time is where managers come to us and they’re all top 50 players in the world,” Kirkman said.
“So there’s more interest in Australia than ever before. We still need to work on the economy, but this ensures we don’t make hasty decisions.”
DeChambeau and other international targets would be a bonus, along with the return of PGA champions Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee and Elvis Smylie, as well as domestic stars such as Marc Leishman and Lucas Herbert.
‘Sydney needs an international golf tournament.’
Australian PGA Chief Executive Gavin Kirkman
The PGA’s endorsement, along with the DP World Tour, helps officials’ search for big names.
The Australian PGA kicks off the 2026/2027 season of the predominantly European circuit; This season will be a Ryder Cup season leading up to the 2027 edition at Ireland’s Adare Manor. Some well-known European names can benefit from the European team points offered in Australia.
The Lakes have hosted three Australian PGAs, eight Opens (including co-hosting with The Australian in 2023) and other tournaments. Big names who won titles at The Lakes include Jack Nicklaus (1964 Australian Open), Greg Norman (1980 Australian Open) and Arnold Palmer (1963 Wills Masters).
The almost 100-year-old club has recently been renovated and is keen to become the sole host of the DP World Tour event.
“We have a very caring club, a golf course that has been improved and continues to improve year after year,” Kirkman said.
Business and Tourism Minister Steve Kamper has welcomed a projected “significant” boost to the NSW visitor economy.
“We look forward to hosting some of the best golfers on the planet for the Australian PGA Championship at The Lakes, one of our country’s most iconic golf courses,” Kamper said in a statement.
“Thousands of visiting fans, players and officials will spend locally and at the same time showcase Sydney as one of the world’s best golf destinations, among other things we are doing this in a spectacular way to a wide audience of international golf fans.”
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