Record-breaking fortnight of drama as millions tune in to summer of golf

Media Release:

A fortnight of pure sporting theatre has propelled Australian golf and the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia to new heights, with extraordinary broadcast audiences and streaming records across the 2025 BMW Australian PGA Championship and the Crown Australian Open.

Millions of fans in Australia and around the globe were drawn in by the drama, storylines and world-class performances that defined this remarkable two weeks of the summer of golf which marks the mid-point of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the start of the global DP World Tour season.

From David Puig’s commanding Sunday charge at Royal Queensland and Daniel Gale’s BMW winning hole-in-one, to Cameron Smith’s heart-stopping putt on the 72nd hole and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen’s 1-in-a-100 up and down to win the Stonehaven Cup at Royal Melbourne, fans were treated to non-stop action on two iconic Australian courses.

9Network reaches more households than ever before 
Across eight days of play on Channel 9 and 9Now the 2025 tournaments reached over 4 million Australians with 2.8 million for the Crown Australian Open (up 48% year-on-year) and a reach of 1.8 million for the BMW Australian PGA Championships (up 21% year-on-year). 

The Crown Australian Open Golf Day 4 registered a Total TV Reach Audience of 1.4 million (up 17% year-on-year) on Channel 9, a Total TV National Average Audience of 267,000 (up 26% year-on-year) and a Broadcast Video On Demand Audience on 9Now of 31,000 (up 158% year-on-year).

Channel 9's live and free coverage of the BMW Australian PGA Championship recorded a reach of 1 million and a Total TV year-on-year increase of 20% (Linear and streaming on 9Now) for the final day of play, as Spain’s David Puig was crowned champion.

Kayo Sports and Foxtel deliver all-time streaming highs
The Foxtel Group recorded its highest Australian golf audiences ever, with each tournament becoming the most watched in their history on Kayo Sports, Foxtel, Foxtel Go and Foxtel Now.

The 2025 Crown Australian Open was the most viewed of all time across Kayo Sports, Foxtel, Foxtel Go and Foxtel Now with 206 million minutes viewed, up 31% year-on-year. The 2025 BMW Australian PGA Championship was also the most viewed PGA Championship ever with 127 million minutes viewed, up 71% year-on-year.

Kayo Sports streaming of the 2025-2026 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season so far is up 47% compared to last season.

Global digital reach and engagement
Across both weeks, Australian golf was showcased on a global stage, with players, fans, and influencers flocking to social media to share what they were witnessing. Clips of the action spread rapidly across platforms, reinforcing Australia’s reputation as a premier golf destination.

Impact across just the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, PGA of Australia, Golf Australia and AusOpenGolf channels, included: 56.2m views on over 1,200 pieces of content by 36.9m people driving 886,000 engagements. 

GOLF.com.au also saw significant growth during the fortnight following its launch in early October. Now the one-stop-shop for golf in Australia and the home for the GA Handicap, finding places to play and all things professional golf, GOLF.com.au had more than 3.39 million page views and 609,000 unique visitors in the two weeks of the event. Engaging with a diverse suite of existing products, along with more than 70 pieces of editorial content., coverage ranged from live blogs and breaking news to player profiles, long-form features and expert analysis.

Quotes attributable to:

James Sutherland, CEO, Golf Australia
“These results highlight how our majors have stepped into a new tier of prominence, events that captivate the world while inspiring Australians to play more golf than ever before. The combination of elite fields, world class golf courses and passionate crowds shows just how much the Australian public values golf and our major tournaments. 

“From Rory’s banana-peel moment to the unforgettable closing scenes at Royal Melbourne, this summer reminded everyone why golf is so popular. We’re grateful to Nine, the Foxtel Group and the PGA of Australia for bringing these moments into millions of homes, and we look forward to taking this energy into the women’s Australian Open in March.”

Gavin Kirkman, CEO, PGA of Australia and the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia
“The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia is thriving, and this year’s BMW Australian PGA Championship showed that our events can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in the world. The atmosphere at Royal Queensland, the depth of the field, and the quality of the coverage were world class.  
 
“To see continued year-on-year growth across broadcast, streaming and social media proves there is enormous appetite for our players, our tournaments, and our Tour.  
 
“Leading into the Crown Australian Open, these two major events lift the profile of our Tour and our sport, and we can’t wait to continue that momentum at the VIC PGA this week at Moonah Links, a former home of the Australian Open and a popular tour stop. 
 
“We must also thank our co-sanctioning partner DP World Tour for again kicking their season off in Australia and partnering with us to broadcast Australian professional golf to more than 180 countries around the world.”

Marissa Banu-Lawrence, Head of Content Acquisitions, Foxtel Group
“Golf is one of the most popular sports across our schedule and we are proud of the role we have played in showcasing the very best of the sport on Kayo SPORTS and Foxtel to grow fan engagement and participation. Congratulations to PGA of Australia and Golf Australia on these incredible results.”

Brent Williams, Director of Sport, Nine
“Congratulations to our partners at the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia, plus the world class fields led by our home-grown superstars and Rory McIlroy for providing eight captivating days of golf across two memorable tournaments.

“This, plus the promotion of these iconic sporting events driven by all of Nine's assets helped deliver considerable year-on-year audience growth. We look forward to that momentum continuing for the women's Australian Open in March.”

The Summer of Golf momentum continues this week, with the Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links (11–14 December), the next stop on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia. The only place to watch the Victorian PGA Championship (11–14 December) live is Fox Sports, available on Kayo SPORTS and FOXTEL

And there are more majors to look forward to this season, with the women’s Australian Open returning to Adelaide from 12–15 March 2026 at Kooyonga Golf Club, followed by the WPGA Championship of Australia at Sanctuary Cove’s Palms Course from 19–22 March 2026.

 

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