Following a remarkable and historic 2025 season capped by a Masters victory, Rory McIlroy is now turning his attention to advocating for the future of the Australian Open. The world No. 2,fresh off a tie for 14th at Royal Melbourne,has publicly called for a scheduling overhaul to attract a stronger international field to the tournament,a cornerstone of the golf calendar dating back to 1904. McIlroy’s comments come as he prepares for the Optum Golf Channel Games and a potential bid for the BBC Sports Personality of the year award.
Rory McIlroy didn’t just compete at the Crown Australian Open this week — he issued a clear challenge to tournament officials before heading home.
The five-time major champion, who considers the Australian Open a cornerstone of global golf, believes the event deserves a stronger field of competitors. After a week at Royal Melbourne that saw mixed results, McIlroy is calling for a significant overhaul of the tournament’s scheduling to attract more top players.
Simply put, the tournament’s timing is hindering its potential, despite consistently selling out crowds.
McIlroy, 36, hadn’t played the prestigious Australian Open since 2014, but his return – and his victory here in 2013 – underscores how highly he values the championship.
After closing with consecutive birdies, including a long-range putt on the 18th to finish at 7-under-par and tied for 14th, the World No. 2 didn’t hold back when discussing what needs to happen to restore the event’s prominence on the world stage.
“I’ve been excited to come back down here for a while, it’s been over 10 years since I played in the Australian Open,” McIlroy told reporters.
“This is a golf tournament that has got so much potential and I think it showed a little bit of that this week. There’s still a ways to go.
“I would love to have a few more players come down and play. But it’s hard. There’s three tournaments going on in the schedule this week. There needs to be conversations had with people much more important than me that set the schedules and do all that sort of stuff. Hopefully the Australian Open can find a date that accommodates everyone and everyone can at least have the option to come down and play.”
Those words will undoubtedly be resonating with DP World Tour and Australian Open officials.
WHAT A PUTT TO FINISH ON! 😍
Rory McIlroy finishes his week with another birdie at the 18th and a final score of seven under 👏#AusOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/6abEZClXfK
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) December 7, 2025
A world-class event… deserving of a world-class field
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The Australian Open is one of the oldest national opens in golf, dating back to 1904.
McIlroy has consistently stated it belongs among the best global events outside of the major championships.
However, its current place on the calendar creates a conflict with other international tournaments, making it difficult to assemble the caliber of field its history demands.
This week, it competed with the prestigious Nedbank Golf Challenge honoring Gary Player, also on the DP World Tour, and Tiger Woods’ 20-man Hero World Challenge featuring many of the PGA Tour’s top players in The Bahamas.
WHAT A PUTT! 🤯
The moment Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen claimed his first DP World Tour title at Royal Melbourne 🏆#AusOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/DH3L2mwvVC
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) December 7, 2025
Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen ultimately claimed the Australian Open title, securing his first DP World Tour victory. He finished at 15-under par, one stroke ahead of local favorite Cameron Smith, who three-putted the 18th hole and missed a playoff.
Neergaard-Petersen’s breakthrough win comes on the heels of earning his PGA Tour card for 2026 through the DP World Tour Rankings, and also secures his spot in The Masters in April for the first time.
While a deserving champion emerged, McIlroy believes the Australian Open has the potential to be even greater with stronger support from global tours.
Rory McIlroy
“I’m looking forward to a little break”
McIlroy’s remarkable 2025 competitive season has come to a close.
This year has been the best of McIlroy’s career, highlighted by winning The Masters to complete the career grand slam in April.
In 2025, McIlroy also:
- captured his first victory at Pebble Beach
- won a second Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass
- lifted his second Irish Open at The K Club
- claimed a fourth consecutive Race to Dubai title and seventh overall, closing in on Colin Montgomerie’s all-time record
- and delivered 3.5 crucial points for Europe in their historic Ryder Cup away win at Bethpage, the first since Medinah 2012
After months of travel and high-stakes golf, McIlroy is now looking forward to some downtime.
“I’m looking forward to a little break,” admitted McIlroy, who is already thinking about relaxing.
“I played a pretty heavy schedule post the summer, with the Irish Open, then the Ryder Cup and then I’ve been globetrotting all over the last couple of months.
“I’m excited to have a little bit of downtime, finally reflect on everything, maybe watch a few of the tournaments back. I’ve not really let myself do that too much.
“Looking forward to the Christmas break and put the feet up, a few glasses of wine and think back on about what an unbelievable year it’s been.”
Rory McIlroy
What’s next for Rory McIlroy?
McIlroy isn’t entirely stepping away just yet. He’ll compete in the Optum Golf Channel Games on December 17 before traveling to Salford, England, for a potential piece of history: the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
Only two golfers — Dai Rees and Sir Nick Faldo — have won SPOTY in its 70-year history.
McIlroy is currently the bookmakers’ slight favorite, with Chloe Kelly and Lando Norris as his closest challengers.
A golf victory at the BBC awards would certainly cap off an incredible season…
