LPGA decision leaves Australian Open out in the cold

An LPGA official claimed she’d never heard louder claps from players after the 2027 schedule was announced in the US overnight.

However, the applause wasn’t coming from Australian players or Golf Australia officials, after five LPGA events were crammed into March; the month slated for the 2027 women’s Australian Open at Kooyonga.

While the PGA Tour has moved to shorten seasons from 2028 and allow national Opens outside the USA, including the men’s Australian Open, to get some clear air to flourish, the LPGA has snubbed the women’s Australian Open.  

It has created a massive headache inside Golf Australia, with the date for next year’s Open at Kooyonga set to coincide with a newly created $4.3m LPGA event in Hawaii.

33 tournaments, endless talent and massive purses. We have it all on the 2027 LPGA Tour schedule! 💥 https://t.co/yLWePKo70n

— LPGA (@LPGA) October 7, 2026

The clash presents immediate questions about the availability of the leading Australian players, including defending champion Hannah Green and fellow major champions Minjee Lee and Grace Kim for the Open.  

It also poses issues for other Australian players who may need the points and money available at the LPGA events, which are worth more than $25m, to maintain their tour status, despite it being so early in the season.

There are also rules which could impact their capacity to come home.

LPGA rules allow for up to eight players to ask for exemptions to play in competing events, four of which are at the discretion of the Commissioner, Craig Kessler.

There are currently eight Australians with full LPGA Tour cards.

The move did not blindside Australian officials, who had some insight into what was happening before the announcement. However, it left them no less disappointed.

Its understood there was little to no consultation about the possibility of leaving a window open for the Australian Open, which is part of the Ladies European Tour schedule.

This year there were only three LPGA Tour events in March, and none on the weekend of the Australian Open, which came after an LPGA event in China.

All the Australians with LPGA cards featured at Kooyonga, with Cassie Porter shooting a stunning final round course-record 10-under to finish second to Green.

However, next year, March will feature LPGA events in Hong Kong, the second of an early season Asian swing following an event in Thailand, then two tournaments in Hawaii and another two back in the USA, leaving no clear air for the Australian Open.   

In 2027, the LPGA Tour will travel to 11 different countries and 13 states across the US, with 33 events in total, including the five majors, and more than $210m in prizemoney on offer.  

Kessler declared the “LPGA ecosystem will move around the world next year, creating more opportunities to rest, recover and ultimately operate more efficiently”.

“With the help of amazing partners, we’ve made meaningful strides in how our athletes move around the world, what venues they play and how much they play for,” he said.  

Cassie Porter closed with a 10-under at the 2026 Australian Open. (Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images)

The LPGA’s chief tour business and operations officer, Ricki Lasky, went even further in declaring how well received it was.  

“I’ve never seen players clap the way they clapped for this schedule,” she said.

“I had a lot of conversations after the meeting. They were thrilled. They appreciated the routing work which we did to make it more efficient for them as they move around the globe.”

That movement, however, won’t include to Australia for any players other than the eight able to get exemptions.

Golf Australia will confirm the date for the Australian Open in the coming weeks, with discussions set to continue about the potential to have any players with LPGA cards attend.