The 2025 Australian Open is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated tournaments in recent memory. The event will be headlined by the arrival of this year’s Masters champion Rory McIlroy, who returns to Australia for the first time since 2014, marking a landmark moment for the event co-sanctioned by Australia’s Challenger PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
Here’s everything you need to know about who’s playing and how to watch all the matches at Royal Melbourne.
When is 2025? Australian Open?
The 2025 Australian Open will be held from Thursday, December 4 to Sunday, December 7, with practice days on Monday and Tuesday and the official championship pro-am on Wednesday.
Where is the Australian Open held?
This year’s championship will be played at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club for the first time since 1991, using the iconic composite course, which consists of holes on the West and East Courses, both of which are ranked in the top 10 in Australia. Royal Melbourne also hosted the Presidents Cup in 1998, 2011 and 2019.
Does it always play here?
Won’t. The Australian Open rotates between host venues and is traditionally held between major cities. Last year, the Open was held at Kingston Heath, which will be the venue again in 2026.
where can i watch Australia Australian Open?
The 2025 Australian Open will be broadcast in Australia on Channel 9, Fox Sports and Kayo.
tee time
first round
Tee 1:
6:45 AM: Tim Hart, Jack Carter, Jack Yule
6:55 AM: James Conran, Blake Proverbs, Adri Arnaus
7:05 AM: Matthew Baldwin, Davis Bryant, Alexander Simpson
7:15 AM: Rafael Campos, Richard Green, Curtis Luck
8:25 AM: Ben Henkel, William Bruyeres, Gregorio De Leo
8:35 AM: Sadom Kaewkanjana, Andres German Gallegos
8:45 AM: Siddharth Nadimpalli, Andrew Evans, Blake Phillips
11:45 AM: Anthony Quayle, Carl Willips, Jason Scrivener
11:55 AM: Jose Luis Ballester, Matt McCarty, Roman Langesque
12:05 pm: Ryan Fox, Si Woo Kim, Joaquin Niemann
12:15pm: Lucas Herbert, Daniel Hillier, David Puig
12:25 pm: Cam Davis, Abraham Ancer, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
12:35 pm: Matt Jones, Ryo Hsatsune
12:45 pm: Rafa Cabrera Bello, Jye Halls, Kazuma Kobori
12:55 PM: Carlos Ortiz, Bernd Weisberg, Wade Ormsby
1:05 PM: Jack Buchanan, Tom Valliant, Maximillian Steinlechner
1:15pm: Lachlan Barker, Matthew Griffin, Stefano Mazzoli
1:25 p.m.: Benjamin Flatt Smith, Dylan Gardner, Rocco Repetto Taylor
1:35 PM: Jack Munro, Robin Williams, Ryan Can Velzen
1:45 PM: Tapio Pulkkanen, Nathan Barbieri, Jason Norris
Tee No. 10:
6:45 a.m.: Matias Sanchez, Austin Bautisa, Jeffguan
6:55 a.m.: Alex Fitzpatrick, Geoff Ogilvy, Ryan Peake
7:05 a.m.: Adam Scott, Min-woo Lee, Rory McIlroy
7:15 a.m.: Cam Smith, Danny Willett, Elvis Smiley
7:25 a.m.: Joel Gilbach, Marc Leishman, Ugo Cousso
7:35 AM: Charlie Hoffman, Harrison Crow, Sebastian Munoz
7:45 a.m.: Nick Voke, Caleb Surrat, Andrew Martin
7:55 AM: Jordan Gumberg, Jake Thompson, Andrew Johnston
8:05 AM: Quim Vidal, Josh Geary, Connor McKinney
8:15 a.m.: James Marchesani, Quinnton Croker, Hunter Logan
8:25 AM: Jasper Stubbs, Andreas Halvorsen, Filippo Celli
8:35 a.m.: Chris Malec, Will Flormi, Jay Mackenzie
8:45 AM: Andrew Campbell, Yannik Paul, Fabrizio Zanotti
11:45 AM: Jack Senior, Jake McLeod, Aaron Cockerill
11:55 AM: Christopher Wood, Kaito Sato, Renato Parlatore
12:05pm: Brad Kennedy, Sean Crocker, Brendan Jones
12:15 pm: Nicholas Colsaerts, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Jediah Morgan
12:25pm: Sebastian Garcia, Sam Bairstow, Cameron John
12:35pm: David Law, Kerry Mountcastle, Ben Eccles
12:45pm: Greg Chalmers, Harry Takis, Ricardo Gouveia
12:55pm: Peter Lonard, Stephen Allan, Stephen Leaney
1:05 PM: Daniel Gale, Shubhankar Sharma, Tobias Jonsson
1:15pm: Simon Hawkes, Clement Charmarson, Daniel Rodriguez
1:25pm: James Morrison, Cameron Adam, Phoenix Campbell
1:35 PM: Michael Hollick, Clement Sordet, Jimmy Cheng
1:45 p.m.: Brady Watt, Ollie Marsh, Lincoln Tighe
When is the final round of the Australian Open?
The final round will take place on Sunday, December 7, with the final group expected to finish around 5pm, depending on weather and pace of play.
What is the expected weather this week?
It looks like the week ahead is going to be a very Melbourne one, so looking forward to it all. Thursday was the best day, 31 degrees, sunny, perfect weather there. Temperatures will drop to around 23C on Friday but should remain sunny, with a chance of light showers on Saturday before temperatures drop to around 18C on Sunday. Then again…this is Melbourne, so keep a peace of mind about it all.
Why is Rory McIlroy playing in the Australian Open?
The Northern Irishman, ranked second in the world, has committed to play at the Australian Open for the next two years. The five-time Grand Slam champion completed a career Grand Slam this year with a Masters victory, returning for the first time since defending the Stonehaven Cup in 2013 when he went head-to-head with Adam Scott to be crowned champion.
McIlroy, once hailed as golf’s fifth major, said in a statement: “I’m proud to be competing in the Australian Open over the next two years, especially on the world-class Melbourne sand strip where I’ve always wanted to play professionally.
“The success of the Australian Open is hugely important to the global sport and I am very confident that it will thrive again this year, especially over the next two years when it will be held in one of the world’s great sporting cities and two of the best golf courses in the world: Royal Melbourne Golf Club and Kingston Heath Golf Club.
“Melbourne is known as one of the great sporting cities in the world and I can’t wait to be part of this atmosphere and immerse myself in everything it has to offer, both on and off the pitch.”
McIlroy is arguably the best-known player in world golf, and his appearance in Melbourne has generated strong interest in this year’s championship.
How many games has Rory played in Australia?
McIlroy first came to Australia in 2005 as a rookie. At 16, he competed in the annual Australian Masters at Huntingdale, Melbourne, before returning to Australia in 2013 and winning the Royal Sydney Open. He returned to defend his title in 2014, but was unable to match American and two-time champion Jordan Spieth.
What other big-name players are competing at Royal Melbourne?
In addition to McIlroy, the strong line-up includes Australians Adam Scott, Cameron Smith, Min-woo Lee and Marc Leishman, along with a strong international contingent such as LIV stars Joaquin Niemann, Carlos Ortiz, Sebastian Munoz and Josel Buster, as well as leading DP World Tour players Marco Penge, Victor Perez, Jordan Smith, Yannick Paul, Richie Ramsey and Manuel Elvira.
Who has won the most Australian Open titles?
Several of the sport’s greatest players have dominated the event in different eras. The all-time record for the event belongs to Gary Player, who won an incredible seven Australian Open titles in three decades (1958, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1970 and 1974). He is followed by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, who won six times (1964, 1968, 1971, 1975, 1976 and 1978), while the most decorated Australian champion is Greg Norman, who won five times in 16 years (1980, 1985, 1987, 1995 and 1996 years).
Who won the Australian Open last year?
American Ryggs Johnston captured the 2024 Stonehaven Cup title with a 4-under 68 in the final round at Kingston Heath. However, he did not participate in this year’s Melbourne event.
What is the Stonehaven Cup?
The Stonehaven Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the Australian Open Tennis Championships. Although the event was first held in 1904, it did not have an official trophy until 1930. It is named after Baron Stonehaven, Governor-General of Australia from 1925 to 1930 (and a keen golfer).
Australian Open Prize Money
Golf Australia has confirmed that the minimum prize money for the 2025 Australian Open will be A$2 million, with prize money distributed throughout the leaderboard in accordance with Australian PGA Tour regulations.
did you know?
Starting this year, the Australian Open champion will receive an invitation to next year’s Masters as part of a new initiative by the Augusta National Tennis Association that will award Masters berths to the winners of six historic national open tournaments.
“This six opens [are] Chairman Fred Ridley said in a statement earlier this year: “We and the R&A recently recognized these historic world championships in a joint statement. International competition has always been an important part of the Masters. Over the years, the ratio of international players has grown to almost 50/50, possibly even more. Therefore, we feel it is appropriate to continue the tradition and culture we have established at the Masters.”
The qualification changes also include the Scottish Open, South African Open, Spanish Open, Japan Open and Hong Kong Open.
