The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia's West Australian swing delivered one of the stories of the year on Sunday, the WA Open moves somewhere it has never been, and the fields for the summer's two big men's championships keep filling. Here's the week in Australian golf.
Warren's long road ends in Kalgoorlie
Justin Warren, 31, from Picton in New South Wales, closed with a 67 at Kalgoorlie Golf Course to win the WA PGA Championship at 11 under, two shots clear. It was his first win on tour after 11 top-10 finishes, and it came at the end of a hard few years. In 2021 he missed a putt from under two feet in a sudden-death playoff that would have earned him his first PGA Tour start. Foot surgery followed, then roughly eight months in a moon boot, and he slipped to 1,625th in the world before rebuilding on a medical exemption. (Golf Australia; EssentiallySports)
Next up: the WA Open heads south
The second leg of the WA swing is the 102nd WA Open, played from 15 to 18 October at Secret Harbour Golf Links, about an hour south of Perth. It's the first time the championship has been staged in the City of Rockingham, on a Graham Marsh links-style layout that is open to the public, so anyone tempted by what they see on the weekend can book a round. The tour then moves to South Australia for the Players Series event the following week. (Australian Golf Digest; 2026–27 schedule)
Australians abroad
At the PGA Tour's Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama Country Club, Adam Scott sat one shot off the lead after a third-round 65 but closed with a 72, including a double bogey on the 13th, and finished tied 13th at 11 under. Min Woo Lee's closing 66 lifted him into a share of ninth. American Michael Brennan won at 16 under. (Newcastle Herald / AAP)
On the PGA Tour Champions in Florida, three Australians went into the final day with a chance. Michael Wright briefly led outright at 18 under before a double bogey on the last left him alone in third; Mathew Goggin, who started the day with a one-shot lead, and Rod Pampling both finished tied fourth. Vaughn Taylor beat Alex Cejka on the second playoff hole. (Golf Australia)
The summer fields keep growing
Sahith Theegala has committed to the Capital.com Australian Open at Kingston Heath from 3 to 6 December. It will be his first professional start in Australia, though he won the Master of the Amateurs at Victoria Golf Club in 2020. He joins a field that already includes Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Cam Smith, Lucas Herbert and Joaquin Niemann. (Golf Australia)
The week before, the Australian PGA Championship goes to The Lakes in Sydney from 26 to 29 November, and defending champion David Puig has confirmed he'll be back. No one has successfully defended the Joe Kirkwood Cup since Cam Smith went back-to-back in 2017–18. (Golf Australia)
An LPGA squeeze on the Women's Australian Open
The LPGA's 2027 schedule, released last week, has five events in March, the month the Women's Australian Open is slated for Royal Adelaide. That puts the availability of LPGA-carded Australians, including defending champion Hannah Green, Minjee Lee and Grace Kim, in doubt. Golf Australia hasn't confirmed its dates yet and is still in discussions about whether those players can make the trip. (Golf Australia; The Golf News Net)
Course news: Queens Park, Geelong
Queens Park Golf Club in Highton is in line for about $2 million of private investment under a new 21-year lease between the City of Greater Geelong and operator Clublinks. Plans include an expanded driving range with TrackMan, four padel courts, a redeveloped clubhouse and 20 new GPS carts, with construction expected through 2027 and completion planned for 2028, subject to approvals. The council keeps ownership of the site. (Australasian Leisure Management)
LIV and the DP World Tour
The DP World Tour says players who sign with LIV Golf for 2027 won't be able to hold its membership, ending the conditional releases that let some players compete on both. Both tours have November deadlines for players to declare. It's a decision that will be watched closely by the Australians who have played on LIV. (Golf Australia)