Paul McGinley Proposes Major Exemptions For Winner Of Historic National Open

Paul McGinley has called for the winner of the Australian Open to be given a spot in all four men's Majors going forward.

The tournament is one of golf's most historic but has struggled in recent years to lure big-name stars into its field due to its awkward spot in the golfing calendar and it's lower prize fund compared to the biggest events in the sport. 

However, as calls for golf to make its schedule more global grow stronger, the tournament has become somewhat of a poster boy for a worldwide tour that could grow the game whilst bringing the best players back together. 

LIV star Joaquin Niemann won the tournament in 2023, with his victory a key decision in Augusta National extending an invite to the Chilean for the 2024 Masters.

McGinley has now called for the pathway to be formalised and even suggested the winner of other historic national opens should also be given exemptions into the sport's biggest events.

“It’s an amazing tournament and I loved every moment I played in Australia,” the Irishman said on Golf Channel, per Golf Digest Australia.

“The Australian Open gets huge crowds, they have a huge appetite for it, and what golf courses they have down there.

“Why not make the winner of the Australian Open exempt to all four Majors and not just the Masters? Pick a tournament in Asia, maybe the Japan Open, and one in Europe. The French Open comes to mind because it is the oldest title in the world. And maybe down in South America. 

"Talk about growing the game? That would take the world’s best players to those places.”

Such calls have previously been echoed by fellow countryman Padraig Harrington, who suggested the winner of the BMW PGA Championship, the South African Open, the Australian Open and the Japan Open should all be granted exemptions into the Majors. 

Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, believes that the tournament should be somewhat of a "fifth Major" for the sport in a newly conceived global tour.  

"The market down there is huge with potential. They love golf. They love sport. They have been starved of top-level golf. And the courses are so good," he said, speaking back at the Dubai Invitational in January.

“The South African Open is another I’d have in the mix. Then you have places like Singapore and Hong Kong and Japan. What a market Japan represents. That would be another opportunity.”