Finchem, who will step down as Commissioner after 22 years on January 1, added that with the Presidents Cup being played in Melbourne in 2019 it made sense to set up a permanent PGA Tour office here.

“We really developed a wonderful working relationship here in Victoria over the past 20 years,” Finchem said. “I know when we first came with the Presidents Cup in 1998 to Royal Melbourne, it was a terrific start to that.

“To be able to come over and play Kingston Heath now as well adds to that. “But the reception that we've always got here is very, very positive.

“There is no metropolitan area in the planet that is more sports oriented than Melbourne … incredible focus on sports by everyone here. The investments that have been made by Victoria in the venues in all sports here is incredible, and to be part of that mix is, we think, very important for golf and golf on a global stage.” – PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem

Melbourne has impressed the world’s biggest golf tour so much that Finchem wouldn’t completely dismiss any suggestion of the PGA Tour hosting an annual Tour event here, beyond the Presidents Cup and a future World Cup.

“We're always looking at opportunities and the things we can do,” Finchem said. I think in this next period of time, let's say the next four, five years given the fact that we're already scheduled to be here for the Presidents Cup again in '19 and we are looking at playing another World Cup here somewhere in that three to five-, six-year period, we've determined to position staff here in Australia on a full-time basis, actually open an office here.”

He said establishing an office in Melbourne would allow the PGA Tour to work  “more closely with the golf organisations in Australia” to help grow the game here and “actually working with them in terms of perhaps the tournament.”

“One of the things we've perhaps not done as good a job at as we would have liked since '98 is when we have been here with the Presidents Cup or the World Cup, we for whatever reason, because of the enormity of the task of staging these things at the level we try to do, we haven't put enough energy and resources perhaps into how you translate the popularity of those events to the event structure that's already in existence here or maybe add to that,” Finchem said.

“That's one of the key things we would like to focus on going forward. The PGA Tour is organised to generate benefits to players, to help grow charity dollars to communities, but also to grow the game of golf. We take all three of them very seriously.

“So the extent to which we can work with other tours to grow their impact, we would like to take advantage of that, whether it be through our brand or through our capabilities.

“We know from experience that growing the game starts with people getting excited about the great players in the game, like any other sport, and at a young age you show interest and you try to play the game and then you get better.

“We're not just interested in elite player development, we're interested in more people taking the game up, and in today's world there are unique challenges to that that really didn't exist 20 years ago in terms of how people spend their time.

“So we would like to assist in that and here in Australia we'll be in a better position to assist as we turn the corner after this week and get started to prepare for the Presidents Cup coming up.”

American Jimmy Walker is one of a host of players in this World Cup who would come back to Melbourne to play, purely because of the golf courses. PHOTO: Scott Barbour/Getty Images.

Asked if that meant the PGA Tour would extend help to either or both of the Australian Open or PGA Championship, Finchem said the Tour wanted to collaborate with the Australian PGA and Golf Australia.

“It depends on those organisations and what they might want us to help them do,” he said.

“It could be as simple as exchanging ideas; it could be perhaps collectively reaching out to the business community and potential sponsors in a more efficient way, working with what we do with the Presidents Cup at the same time that we're helping these other events.

“So it could take on different forms. I wouldn't try to assume it would necessarily be anything, but I think we would want to make ourselves available.”