Speeches
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Grounds Event for Women’s Australian Open
Rod and I are pleased to join you today to celebrate the Women’s Australian Open here in Adelaide.
I warmly welcome Golf Australia, the WPGA Tour of Australasia, and all who have travelled to our state for this occasion.
The South Australians here today know that golf is well loved in our state.
We have a proud club-membership culture, with almost 40,000 registered golfers, including many of you, no doubt.
We are home to several world-class courses, including Kooyonga, both here and in our regions, and we love watching golf, turning out in large numbers for LIV and, I anticipate, the Women’s Australian Open.
It is a great pleasure for Rod and me to be joint patrons of the Royal Adelaide Golf Club, where we play together regularly.
When we first joined, we were very much beginners. Today, our handicaps still have a way to come down, but our enthusiasm for the game has only grown.
This journey of learning to play golf has revealed to us why so many South Australians love the game: the friendship and community of belonging to a club; the intellectual and physical satisfaction of navigating a course; and the peace, relaxation, exercise and enjoyment of spending several hours out in the open.
I’m very pleased that a significant and growing number of golfers in South Australia and across our country are women.
Sixty percent of new golfers are women, and on average new golfers are 11 years younger than the traditional player base.
To support women’s golf is to invest in the future of the sport.
I am delighted that Adelaide will host the Women’s Australian Open for the next three years, a commitment that speaks to the confidence organisers have placed in our state.
The field of competitors is nothing short of exceptional: Australia currently has four women ranked in the world’s top 50, and all four will play at Kooyonga.
Research consistently shows that visible role models, especially in sports that are historically male-dominated, are one of the strongest drivers, if you’ll excuse the pun, of women and girls taking up a game.
I am pleased that this week, girls and women will have the opportunity to watch elite players, like world number 3 Minjee Lee, in action.
I am also pleased by the attention that this tournament brings to South Australia.
With a $1.7 million prize fund and broadcasting agreements on both free-to-air and streaming services, the Australian Open carries serious commercial weight and puts Adelaide in front of a national and international audience.
I thank Golf Australia, the WPGA Tour of Australasia, and the sponsors and supporters whose generosity and dedication make all of this possible.
For those of you attending tee-off on Thursday, Rod and I look forward to seeing you there.
May the 2026 Women’s Australian Open be a tournament of unforgettable moments, bringing great joy and excitement to the players and spectators alike.