The WA Open will head to the City of Rockingham for the first time in its history when Secret Harbour Golf Links hosts the championship in October.
The 102nd staging of the historic state open will take place from October 15-18 and will once again form part of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia schedule.
Owned by TenGolf Group and located just a pitching wedge away from the Indian Ocean, the Graham Marsh-designed layout at Secret Harbour was built on undulating natural dunes to offer a true links golf experience.
It is routinely considered to be amongst Australia’s best public access golf courses, ranking 69th and 76th place respectively in Inside Golf and Golf Australia Magazine’s latest top 100 public course listings.
In announcing Secret Harbour as WA Open host for 2026, Arron Minchin, Chief Executive for GolfWA, said its accessibility is part of the appeal.
“Providing opportunities for more people to play golf in all its formats is central to what we do at GolfWA. We’re grateful to TenGolf for hosting this year’s championship and very excited to be staging our premier event at a truly public facility,” he said.
“Secret Harbour is an outstanding golf course, and the fact that anyone can book a tee time here is a great example of how accessible the game of golf really can be.”
Kim Felton, Tour Development Manager for the PGA of Australia and a three-time WA Open champion himself, added that the venue ticks all the boxes tour members would be looking for.
“As a first-time host of a Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia event, Secret Harbour will present a fantastic championship test,” he said.
“There are several risk-and-reward holes that will make for extremely exciting golf, and when the wind gets up, it will challenge even the very best of our Australasian professionals.”
City of Rockingham Mayor Lorna Buchan welcomed the announcement, saying: “The City of Rockingham is delighted to welcome golfers, officials and visitors to the region, and looks forward to showcasing our renowned coastal lifestyle and local hospitality.”
Ben Sweeney, General Manager of Secret Harbour Golf Links, added: “Secret Harbour is a really great course in a stunning location right near the waterfront. Hosting the WA Open is a great opportunity to showcase just how good our course is to a national audience.”
From left, Kim Felton, Ben Sweeney, Mayor Lorna Buchan and Arron Minchin
First staged in 1913, the WA Open has a star-studded roll of honour, with past winners including Major champions Gary Player (1956), Greg Norman (1986), Kel Nagle (1950, 1951, 1952) and Ian Baker-Finch (1984).
Other past champions include PGA Tour winner Ryan Fox, LIV Golf star Elvis Smylie (2024), plus WA golfing icons Terry Gale, Stephen Leaney, Graham Marsh and Brett Rumford also have their names on the historic trophy.
South Africa’s Oliver Bekker is the defending champion after topping a high-quality field at Mount Lawley GC that included Aussie LIV Golf superstar Marc Leishman.
The WA Open is the second leg of the PGA Tour of Australasia’s early-season ‘WA swing’, coming a week after the WA PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie.
Players will compete for a total prize fund of at least $450,000 at the two events, which form part of the build-up to the Australian ‘Summer of Golf’, highlighted by the Australian PGA Championship and men’s Australian Open in November and December.
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