Melbourne steals Australian Open golf from Sydney

EXCLUSIVE: MELBOURNE has hijacked Australia’s most prestigious golf tournament from ­Sydney, dealing an embarrassing blow to the NSW ­government.

US golfer Jordan Spieth posing with the Stonehaven Cup after winning the 2016 Australian Open in Sydney. Picture: AFP/ Peter Parks

MELBOURNE has hijacked Australia’s most prestigious golf tournament from ­Sydney, dealing an embarrassing blow to the NSW ­government.

The Australian Open will return to Melbourne in 2020 and 2022 in a deal to be announced today that will bring some of the world’s best golfers to Victoria’s famed sandbelt courses.

It will be the first time in 15 years that Australia’s leading tournament will be played outside NSW in a move expected to attract thousands of visitors to Victoria.

Global stars such as Jordan Speith, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy and Aussies Jason Day and Adam Scott will be targeted for the event.

RUSSELL GOULD: AUSTRALIAN OPEN RETURNING TO MELBOURNE IN 2020 AND 2022 ISN’T ENOUGH

US golfer Jordan Spieth posing with the Stonehaven Cup after winning the 2016 Australian Open in Sydney. Picture: AFP/ Peter Parks

The deal will bring some of the world’s best golfers, including Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, to Victoria’s famed sandbelt courses. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Australia’s Jason Day will be targeted for the event. Picture: AFP/ Sam Greenwood

In a blow to NSW’s events credibility, the Andrews Government secured two “release years’’ from its long-term Open contract to ramp up golf tourism in Victoria and muscle in on the sport.

Sports Minister John Eren said the deal would attract domestic and international visitors and make Melbourne’s sandbelt a bucket list destination for golfers around the world.

“Victorian golf fans have a lot to look forward to as we bring the Emirates Australian Open back to Melbourne after 15 years,’’ he said.

“Thousands of travellers will be making their way to Victoria to see the world’s best in action and we’ll be showcasing what we do best to millions more on television.”

Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Metropolitan and Victoria golf clubs loom as frontrunners to host the Open’s return to Victoria, though a venue is yet to be confirmed.

Aussie Adam Scott will be targeted for the event. Picture: AP/Julio Cortez

Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt said it was “exciting’’ to see the national tournament return to Australia’s sporting capital.

“We know that the golf clubs and golfers of Victoria will be delighted to have the Emirates Australian Open played on Victorian soil again,’’ he said.

“These events will be played on two of our country’s greatest courses and we are expecting them to be wonderful championships.”

The coup will heap pressure on the NSW government, which signed an eight-year contract for the Open last year but now loses two years of the deal to Victoria.

Its contract ends in 2023 and Victoria will be in prime position to pounce on its own long-term deal.

More than 300,000 Victorians play golf at more than 350 courses and the government estimates the sport supports 6900 jobs and contributes $849 million to the state’s economy.

This year’s Open will be played at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney from November 23-26 with Speith and Day the headline acts.

Today’s announcement follows confirmation last week the Presidents Cup would return to Melbourne on December 9-15 in 2019.

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