By Gavin Kirkman – CEO, PGA of Australia and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia
PROFESSIONAL golf is in the middle of its most significant structural shift in decades. While much of the commentary has focused on what is changing in the United States, the implications and opportunities for golf in Australasia are significant.
The PGA TOUR’s announcement of a two-tiered Championship and Challenger Series structure from 2028, with a condensed season running from February to August and a dedicated international window beyond that, represents a fundamental reshaping of the global golf calendar.
For professional golf in this region, it creates a remarkable opportunity.
What I can say with confidence is that Australia is not watching from the sidelines. We are at the table where decisions are being shaped, advocating for our tour, our players and our fans.
At Royal Birkdale during The Open Championship, I sat down with PGA TOUR and DP World Tour leadership to discuss what this new structure means for our region. Those conversations will continue at the Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club in September.
Through the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s Strategic Alliance with the DP World Tour and Golf Australia’s recently announced PGA TOUR partnership for the Capital.com Australian Open, we have a stronger voice in global scheduling discussions than at any point in recent memory.
The strength of our fans, the growth of our tour and the success of our players are influencing the decisions being made now that will define the landscape for years to come.
PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman, with Challenger CEO Nick Hamilton at the announcement of the five-year extension of Challenger’s partnership with the PGA Tour of Australasia.
The new world order for golf
The DP World Tour is still working through what its season structure will look like under this new framework. Pathway details between the various tiers are still being finalised. The broader professional golf landscape also remains fluid, with uncertainty around LIV Golf adding another layer of complexity.
But the direction is clear.
The international window creates a defined period in which the world’s best players will be available and incentivised to compete outside the United States. For a region that has always had to work hard to attract international fields during our summer, that is a meaningful shift.
It also means there is likely to be greater player availability for our events, both at the elite level through the BMW Australian PGA Championship and Capital.com Australian Open, and across the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia schedule more broadly.
What gives me real confidence is the stability we have built locally.
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia has long-term certainty through the support of our five-year title partner, Challenger. The BMW Australian PGA Championship is returning to The Lakes in Sydney through a partnership with the NSW Government that recognises the demand for major golf events and the benefits they deliver to the visitor economy.
We have strong, long-term commercial partners who believe in the growth of the game and a schedule that is already attracting attention from international players and tours looking for opportunities in our part of the world.
That foundation is exactly what we need to take advantage of a shifting global landscape.
Growing the tour
Our events are growing across attendance, broadcast reach, commercial value and player demand.
This season alone, we have seen record entry numbers across our schedule, with fields oversubscribed at multiple events. The appetite among players to compete in Australia and the region is as strong as I have seen it.
We are also seeing growing interest from international tours in co-sanctioning opportunities.
Our partnership with the Japan Golf Tour Organisation continues to deliver, and we are in active discussions about expanding collaborative events across Southeast Asia and the broader region.
Co-sanctioning is a model that works. It shares resources, strengthens fields and creates events that are greater than the sum of their parts.
The pathway
One of the things I am most proud of is the role our tour plays in developing the next generation of world-class players.
Ryan Fox’s Open Championship victory at Royal Birkdale, after winning our Order of Merit in 2019, is the ultimate proof of what this pathway can produce.
Our reigning Order of Merit champion, Travis Smyth, will play a full DP World Tour schedule next season, with opportunities to continue progressing in the sport.
As the global structure evolves, ensuring players from our tour have clear and accessible routes to the highest levels of the game remains a core priority.
The new structure will make reaching the very top more competitive, with smaller fields, higher stakes, promotion and relegation. But it also creates clarity. Players will know what they are aiming for, and they will know the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia is a genuine platform to get there.
Looking ahead
We have momentum. We have stability. We have partnerships at every level, from government and commercial partners to international tours, and we have a seat at the table as the global game reshapes itself.
The next two to three years will be defining. Not everything will be settled overnight. But the direction is set, the foundations are strong and we are well positioned to ensure professional golf in this country continues to punch above its weight on the world stage.
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