Organisers didn’t have to wait long to feel the full impact of Rory McIlroy’s appearance at the Australian Open on Thursday. Two thousand fans were waiting outside at Royal Melbourne at 6.30am, eager to get to the 10th tee for the Northern Irishman’s first swing at Australia’s premier tournament in a decade.
Agitation was building. Time was ticking. Scanning all those barcodes might take half an hour or more. And so on a warm and windy workday in Australia’s biggest city, the gates were flung open. Rory mania had begun.
Following the headline group of McIlroy, Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee was a crowd that was four deep around the greens. A mother and daughter, speaking Korean, snuck in front of the mass of men in polos to see the Masters champion record his second bogey – cue the gasps – in the first three holes.
A mother called with some urgency to one son, “Where’s Benji?” having lost the other. The pair had been taken out of school, “just for the morning,” given it was a “special” day. As McIlroy sank his bogey putt, they were among half the crowd who vacated for the next tee, unconcerned that Scott’s par putt was still to come.
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Golf Australia officials look back fondly at the 2011 Australian Open at Royal Sydney featuring Tiger Woods and its crowd of 100,000. Those with longer memories recall the days when Jack Nicklaus came and won the Stonehaven Cup six times in the 1960s and 1970s, when Australia’s fairways were held in the highest regard.
Those officials hope this year’s edition will return the Australian Open to its former standing. They expect the crowd record from 2011 to be exceeded at Royal Melbourne. Tickets are exhausted for the weekend at a course that was bursting with about 35,000 fans for the final day of the Presidents Cup in 2019.
McIlroy spoke before his round, saying this tournament “deserves” its own place in the calendar due to its history. An appearance fee reportedly as high as $2m might have influenced his choice of words. Yet he seemed genuinely happy to be in Melbourne, even if he admitted he liked the nearby Kingston Heath course more than this one. “It’s probably not the best course in Melbourne,” he said on Wednesday. “That’s my opinion, but certainly in the top 10 in the world.”
Many top international players are resting at the end of a long season. Others are playing the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa or a Woods-hosted tournament in the Bahamas. But there are more in Australia thanks to the Northern Irishman.
The ranking points players earn from each tournament are affected by the calibre of the field, and McIlroy’s commitment this year (and next) make it a worthwhile stop for top 100 players such as Korean Si Woo Kim, Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, and Kiwi Ryan Fox.
McIlroy, of course, has played the Australian Open before, and was champion in 2013. But he returns in 2025 as perhaps the biggest name in world golf, even if Scottie Scheffler might be its most consistent performer.
His commitment helped Golf Australia secure Crown as its naming rights sponsor and ensures the tournament is seen around the world. The world number two played one hole at five Melbourne golf courses on Monday for social media content. And tram-themed tee markers help the city’s distinctive charms reach a broader audience.
McIlroy’s appeal is aided by the likes of Cameron Smith and Lee, who have helped Australian golf stay relevant to a younger audience. Golf’s ageing participation base is as close as the sport has to an existential threat. So social media-friendly talents like “let him cook” Lee, alongside increasing uptake of social and simulator-based formats, and world-beating Australian women like Minjee Lee, Hannah Green and Grace Kim will help the sport remain relevant in the long-term.
Smith, who played in the group behind McIlroy and finished the day at one under, said he was surprised to see so many people at his early tee time. Lee finished the day on -2, four behind early leader Elvis Smylie, and said it was the biggest crowd he has ever played in front of. “Every fairway, every green was full and there was no blank space in between,” he said. But he acknowledged with a grin most were not there for him.
Rather, it was all about McIlroy (even if he did struggle in his round, ending with a one-over-par 72, seven shots off the leader). Running along a fairway beside McIlroy, one young fan wore his school uniform on Thursday morning, tie swaying in the wind. Another young fan was hanging off a tree, trying to get a precious video, his arm hanging out with iPhone in hand. The volunteer who holds up the “quiet” sign before each shot, a middle-aged woman, snuck a photo of the Masters champ as he approached the 14th tee.
A drone buzzed overhead, under attack from two magpies. Body odour, amplified by the ample nylon, was permeating the busy crowds. One gentleman was already taking a business call to help plan the Christmas party. Another jumped on his phone to shoot off an email. But when McIlroy pulled out his driver, there were no distractions. — Guardian
