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The golf community’s attention is currently split between three events that are going on worldwide. There’s the Tiger Woods-hosted Hero World Challenge on the PGA Tour. And then there are the Crown Australian Open 2026 and the Nedbank Golf Challenge in honor of Gary Player on the DP World Tour. While one may think that the Hero World Challenge might take center stage because of Woods’ association, Rory McIlroy thinks otherwise.

To him, none of the other two events has the same potential as the Australian Open 2026. Mesmerized by the hype around the event in Melbourne, he assessed that the country shows promise for more large-scale events.

“That scene on the first tee was amazing. Then, walking up the last and everyone is still here. I’ve always said it, but that’s the potential this country has to have these really, really big events,” Rory McIlroy told Evin Priest of the Australian Golf Digest.

“The other two events happening in other places of the world have nothing like the atmosphere this tournament has. It has so much potential and it’s great to see so many people come out and support the tournament.”

For Rory McIlroy, even Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge doesn’t stand on the same level as the Crown Australian Open because of one simple reason: the fans. As The Guardian reported, fans are skipping school and work to catch a glimpse of the Northern Irishman. The organizers felt the full impact as over 2,000 fans were waiting outside the Royal Melbourne at 6.30 am. And most of them headed straight to the 10th hole, where McIlroy was all set to tee. All the support from fans made Rory McIlroy feel like it was a Sunday back‑nine, not a routine Friday.

“It’s incredible,” McIlroy said of the atmosphere. “I said to Adam [Scott] walking up the first [hole] it didn’t feel like a Friday afternoon round, it felt like we were going out it the final group on Sunday.”

While both Thursday and Friday were good, the weekend might be even better. McIlroy has made the cut and is grouped with two other crowd favorites, Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott. Thanks to this, the organizers have already managed to sell all the weekend tickets. This means that it will be a full house over the weekend, too. In fact, some media agencies estimate that he could play this weekend in front of around 25,000 fans.

By contrast, Albany’s Hero World Challenge, although worth $5 million, is effectively an off‑season exhibition. The invitation-only event is played in a controlled, high‑end environment. And as for the Nedbank Golf Challenge, it is not a national Open. Although it attracts a lot of passionate fans, the environment is nowhere near as close to as it is at the Royal Melbourne for the Australian Open.

The Nedbank Golf Challenge doesn’t enjoy a star-studded field. The only two golfers in the top 50 OWGR rankings playing in the event are Viktor Hovland and Marco Penge.

However, the Hero World Challenge is full of them. Except for Jordan Spieth, the other 19 participants of the event are in the top 50. It also includes the World No. 1, Scottie Scheffler, alongside other popular athletes like Akshay Bhatia, Justin Rose, Sepp Straka, Keegan Bradley, Robert MacIntyre, and others. To top that, the event is hosted by none other than Tiger Woods. But Rory McIlroy still prefers the Australian Open.

While McIlroy enjoys the atmosphere at the Royal Melbourne, it was all about to end as the Irishman barely made the cut.

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Rory McIlroy’s late birdie burst at the Australian Open

This is Rory McIlroy’s first start in Australia since 2014. And to top it, he has already committed to be back next year, when it moves to Kingston Heath. This means that he is invested in the Australian market. He has previously talked up the Sandbelt as worthy of “fifth‑major” status and framed the Open’s success as important for the global game. This makes his decision to be in Melbourne instead of Albany or Sun City a deliberate statement.

But it wasn’t smooth sailing for the career Grand Slam winner from the very beginning. He finished the first round with a one-over 72. This included five birdies and six bogeys. Starting on Day 2, he had only one birdie on hole 5 in the front nine, and things were looking difficult for him. However, the champion held his nerves and made three birdies on the back nine. With a bogey in the mix, he finished the second round with three under par. This had put him at a score of two under 140.

With the cut being at par, Rory McIlroy was safe in the end. His choice to stand with Australia’s national Open reinforces his belief that the sport’s biggest moments should make the game more global. His commitment to return next season signals that this week is only the beginning of a deeper connection with a tournament he clearly values.