By Martin Blake
The Presidents Cup has been watched by millions of people around the world, and Royal Melbourne has won many plaudits as a world class golf course.
None more so than Europe's Ryder Cup captain, Thomas Bjorn.
Currently the Australian Open is only part of the Australasian tour.
Melbourne has not hosted a single Australian Open since 2002 at Victoria Golf Club, with the NSW government doing consecutive deals with Golf Australia to hold the event in Sydney.
Thomas Bjorn has been enjoying the action at Royal Melbourne.Credit: Getty Images
However there is an 'out' in the current contract that means the Open comes to Kingston Heath in 2020, and to Victoria in 2022.
Victoria's golf-loving Premier, Daniel Andrews, was out at Royal Melbourne all this week admiring the action.
Royal ranking
The revered Royal Melbourne was ranked sixth in the world in the most recent Golf Digest list of the world's best courses, but ranking is based only on Dr Alister Mackenzie's west course. The composite course used for tournaments includes six of the best holes from the east course.
Architect and writer Mike Clayton argues that if the ranking was done for the composite course, it could be the best in the world.
It certainly won a vote from Andy Johnson, author and podcaster from the architecture website The Fried Egg this week.
Johnson penned an impassioned plea for a billionaire to come forward and fund an annual tournament at Royal Melbourne. "I don't make a habit of telling people how to spend their money, but we need you to save professional golf from itself. You may be our only hope," Johnson wrote.
He added: "Royal Melbourne might be the greatest tournament venue I've ever seen."
Star-gazing on the greens
Spotted in the crowd today at Royal Melbourne: former Wallaby George Gregan, and NRL superstar Johnathan Thurston. The crowd favourite all week, though, has been Shane Warne, who's a decent golfer himself. Warne shot 71 off the stick at the home of golf, the Old Course at St Andrews, in 2013 during the Dunhill Links tournament.
Tweet of the week:
From Golfweek writer Eamon Lynch: