Royal Melbourne has enjoyed the honor three times.
Now, a famous neighbor will get its turn.
The PGA Tour announced Monday that the 2028 Presidents Cup will be held at Kingston Heath, a celebrated course, less than 20 miles south of Royal Melbourne, in the golf-rich Australian Sandbelt.
Ranked 22nd on GOLF Magazine’s list of Top 100 Courses in the World, Kingston Heath is no stranger to headline competitions. A seven-time host of the Australian Open, it has also staged the Australian Masters and the Women’s Australian Open. In 2016, it welcomed the World Cup of Golf. Gary Player, Greg Norman, Tiger Woods, Karrie Webb and Adam Scott are among the notable champions who have won on the course.
“The Sandbelt region is home to some of the game’s most iconic venues, and Kingston Heath has proven to be a world-class host for a number of golf’s biggest tournaments,” Matt Rapp, PGA Tour senior vice president of championship management said in a statement, noting that the Presidents Cup would “further cement the history and future of this event in the great city of Melbourne.”
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Built in 1925, Kingston Heath was designed by Des Soutar but also bears the imprint of Royal Melbourne architect Alister MacKenzie, who reworked the bunkering as part of his effort, a few years after the course first opened for play. Among its many strengths, Kingston Heath is regarded as a masterpiece of routing, and is revered for the artistry its designers teased from a relatively small and flat site.
The PGA Tour had already designated Australian for the Presidents Cup in 2028 and 2040 but had yet to name the venues. This will be the fourth time the matches will be held in the Sandbelt, with Royal Melbourne having staged the other three.
Included in the official announcement was a video narrated by Adam Scott, who won the 2012 Australian Masters at Kingston Heath. Over imagery of the course, Scott’s voice intones of Kingston Heath: “[it] has withstood the test of the world’s best, but for a global audience, there is yet to be a proper introduction. Come 2028, that will all change.”
First, though, there will be two other Presidents Cups: in 2024, at Royal Montreal, and in 2026, at Medinah.