The Australian Open – the country’s most prestigious golfing tournament – will return to Melbourne, cementing Victoria’s title as the major events and sporting capital thanks to the Allan Labor Government.
Acting Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Ros Spence today announced that the Australian Open will be co-hosted at Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Clubs from Thursday, 28 November to Sunday, 1 December 2024.
The Australian Open is the most prestigious golf tournament in the Australasian region, and over its storied history has been won by some of the most famous names in the sport including Jack Nicklaus, Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Karrie Webb, Laura Davies and Nelly Korda.
Supported by the Labor Government, the 2024 Australian Open will see some of the world’s best golfers return to take part in the tournament’s innovative format that showcases elite men, women and all abilities golf in the same tournament, over two courses.
This epic event will showcase the Sandbelt on the global stage, with more than 520 million people from across the globe tuning in to last year’s broadcast event, helping to promote Victoria to the world.
The tournament is backing Victoria’s unrivalled major events calendar and reinforces our leadership position in major events and golf tourism – cemented when the Presidents Cup comes to Kingston Heath in 2028.
The Australian Open golf tournament joins a long list of premier events held in Victoria – the major events capital of Australia – including the Australian Open tennis, Formula 1 Grand Prix, MotoGP, AFL Grand Final, Spring Racing Carnival and the Boxing Day Test.
The Australian Open will flow on from Victoria’s stellar calendar of sporting and cultural events this winter, including Wallabies vs Wales, the RISING festival and NGV’s Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition, Pharaohand Australian Diamonds netball Tests that will be played in Bendigo and Melbourne later this year.
Victoria’s jam-packed calendar of major events injected a record $39.3 billion into the state’s economy during the year ending March 2024 – boosting local jobs, businesses and attracting thousands of visitors to Melbourne.
For more information about the 2024 Australian Open visit golf.org.au/ausopen.
As stated by Acting Minister for Tourism Sport and Major Events Ros Spence
“We’re proud to bring some of the world’s best golfing talent and fans back to Melbourne for the 2024 Australian Open – boosting businesses, jobs and our state’s economy.”
As stated by Member for Bentleigh Nick Staikos
“We’re excited to welcome this event and thousands of fans to the Sandbelt – showcasing our beautiful region and supporting our local businesses and jobs.”
As stated by Visit Victoria CEO Brendan McClements
“Golf is a major driver of activity in our sector with its capacity to drive year-round visitation, delivering approximately $1 billion with golfers from around the world wanting to experience Melbourne’s Sandbelt courses. Victoria is pleased to welcome the 2024 Australian Open and we look forward to seeing the tournament contribute to our visitor economy.”
As stated by Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland
“The Victorian Government has been a tremendous supporter of golf, after working with us to bring the inaugural men’s and women’s Australian Open to Melbourne, we can’t wait for the event to return to Melbourne’s Sandbelt.”