Rory is getting millions to play in Australia. This is why it’s worth it

Portrush, Northern Ireland: The boss of golf’s European Tour has likened Rory McIlroy’s upcoming visit to play the Australian Open to when Tiger Woods flew Down Under to play in Australia’s marquee events more than a decade ago.

Woods won the Australian Masters in 2009 at Kingston Heath – where his scorecard remains mounted on the clubhouse wall – then returned a year later but was unable to hunt down Stuart Appleby at Victoria Golf Club.

Rory-mania was on full show when McIlroy played his final round of the British Open at Royal Portrush on Sunday.Credit: Getty Images

McIlroy, now 36, has not played at the Open since 2014 when he was unable to defend the title he’d won in 2013 by outlasting Adam Scott. Eleven years on, he returns as a five-time major winner, and is being paid upwards of $2 million by the Victorian government, according to two industry sources who wouldn’t comment publicly because of the confidential nature of the contract.

McIlroy finished the British Open at Portrush on Sunday tied for seventh, incredibly his 33rd top-10 finish at a major.

European Tour and Ryder Cup CEO Guy Kinnings – a long-time player manager – will be present when McIlroy tees off at Royal Melbourne’s globally renowned composite course in the first week of December.

“I remember being there when Tiger came down … and Rory; we’ve been incredibly lucky. I’ve lived through an era when we had the biggest athlete on the planet in Tiger, and he transformed the game completely for everyone. I always go, ‘everyone should go and shake him by the hand’. He changed the game completely.

“What Rory has done … and can do, for international golf is massive ... he has that same sort of appeal. People get very excited about Rory also. The great thing about Rory is he’s his own man, and he’s shown that he’s going where he wants to go.”

Australian superstars Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Elvis Smylie are all expected to play the Open alongside McIlroy, with announcements expected in the near future.

“We are all about trying to have events on the tour that have massive history, so you pick up that trophy, it’s got 100 years of history,” Kinnings said.

“Rory coming down to play is fascinating because you’ve got a man who’s just fulfilled his lifelong dream, [becoming the] first ever European grand slam winner, second ever non-American. And where he’s choosing to go is kind of interesting.

McIlroy acknowledges the crowd on the 18th hole on Sunday.Credit: Getty Images

“He’s down there playing the Australian (Open) because he wants to play Royal Melbourne, and I’ve been saying, I think what he did and how he did, it’s kind of been a massive opportunity for international golf.”

Kinnings admits the McIlroy effect will have the DP World Tour considering whether it plays more events in Australia, which could generate an exponential growth in the sport’s popularity Down under.

LIV – the breakaway Saudi-funded tour which has polarised players and fans – has an annual event in Adelaide that has arguably become the most popular four-day event in world golf.

Kinnings knows the appetite from Australian fans is there. He’s hoping McIlory can help tap into it.

“I’m slightly biased because you look at it and you look at the quality of the golf courses, I mean you know how many players [will say], ‘if Rory’s going, I have to play Royal Melbourne, I have to play sand belt, Kingston Heath,’ whatever else.

“The quality of [the] course is fantastic for us. We’re all about big historical events on brilliant courses, great fields.”

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