The Minns Labor Government continues to turbocharge the state's visitor economy, announcing today that it has partnered with the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) of Australia to secure the historic return of the Australian PGA Championship to NSW for the first time since 1998.
The 2026 BMW Australian PGA Championship will tee off from 26-29 November at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney, which last hosted the tournament in 1987, becoming the latest major international sporting event to find a home in NSW.
The Lakes Golf Club has a proud history of hosting Australian golf majors, including the 1964 Australian Open won by the legendary Jack Nicklaus and most recently the 2023 Australian Open, demonstrating its capability to deliver a major international golf tournament.
This year's Australian PGA Championship promises to be another outstanding display of golf that will not only attract the world's best golfers, but also golf fans from across the nation and around the globe, highlighting Sydney's reputation as one of the world's great stages for major international sporting events and providing a significant boost to the NSW visitor economy.
Hosting the Australian PGA Championship in Sydney is estimated will attract around 15,000 visitors to the city, injecting more than $10 million into the state's visitor economy. This adds to a growing list of 35 major sporting events secured for NSW in 2026 that are projected to attract around 295,000 visitors and inject more than $285 million into the NSW visitor economy.
Sports tourism is booming, with the World Economic Forum recently highlighting it as the fastest-growing segment of the global tourism industry.
In 2025, sports tourism accounted for 10 per cent of global travel expenditure, with revenues growing at a compound annual rate of 28 per cent since 2020, above the 22 per cent growth seen across all tourism.
The Australian PGA Championship joins an unrivalled list of major sporting events for NSW in 2026, including Men's and Women's State of Origin, Tottenham versus Chelsea in the Sydney Super Cup, NRL & NRLW Grand Finals, Bledisloe Cup, Bathurst 1000, Rugby League World Cup, and TCS Sydney Marathon World Major, showcasing NSW as the nation's home of major sporting event experiences.
Minister for Sport and Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said:
"The Minns Labor Government is thrilled to be partnering with the PGA of Australia to bring the nation's most prestigious golf tournament back to Sydney for the first time in almost three decades.
"We can't wait to welcome some of the best golfers on the planet for the Australian PGA Championship in November at The Lakes, one of our country's most iconic golf courses.
"This is a fantastic coup for our local golf-loving community. But most importantly it will provide a significant boost to the NSW visitor economy, attracting thousands of visiting fans, players and officials.
CEO of the PGA of Australia and the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Gavin Kirkman said:
"We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with the NSW Government in bringing the BMW Australian PGA Championship back to Sydney.
"The city is synonymous with world-class sporting events and we are thrilled that we are able to return to The Lakes Golf Club. The venue has a rich history in hosting Challenger
PGA Tour of Australasia events, so we know we are in for a warm welcome in November."
