Awesome Autumn is here, and the golf is glorious

According to the American golf media, and the PGA TOUR, the golf season is over, that is because the world does not exist outside of the United States. Of course, that is a load of nonsense, and the golf we have coming up over the next three months is utterly spectacular including the National Opens of Ireland, France, Spain, Japan, Hong Kong, and Australia, and Premier tournaments in England, Scotland, Japan, South Africa and the Middle East, as well as the conclusion to the 75th season of the LPGA.

SHANK will be covering 21 tournaments over the next three months, with remote coverage of 19 and on-site coverage of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and St Andrews Links Collegiate. This week sees the incredible stretch of golf begin with the 70th edition of the Irish Open, played at the K Club, with Ireland just 1 of 15 countries across 5 continents which will feature.

4-7 September AMGEN Irish Open

6-7 September Walker Cup

11-14 September BMW PGA Championship

18-21 September FedEx Open de France

22-28 September Ryder Cup

27 September to 5 October ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

9-12 October Open de Espana

9-12 October International Series Cambodia

13-15 October ST ANDREWS LINKS COLLEGIATE

16-19 October Japan Open Golf Championship

16-19 October DP World India Championship

23-26 October International Series Philippines

30-2 November LINK Hong Kong Open

6-9 November Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters

6-9 November Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

13-16 November Dunlop Phoenix Tournament

13-16 November DP World Tour Championship

19-22 November PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers

20-23 November CME Group Tour Championship

4-7 December Australian Open

4-7 December Nedbank Golf Challenge

The inclusion of the Japan Open and Open de Espana on the Open Qualifying Series, and the offering of an invitation to The Masters, has made these already prestigious national Opens even more significant. The Spanish Open was the very first event under the auspices of the modern European Tour, some 53 years ago, and its history is well documented, with Seve making it his final victory 30 years ago. Ballesteros won his national title on 3 occasions.

The Japan Open Golf Championship was first played in 1927, and remarkably it was also won twice by Seve Ballesteros, in 1977 and 1978. Other notable winners include Japan's big three of Jumbo Ozaki, Tommy Nakajima and Isao Aoki, but the Japan Open has mainly remained a domestic event, somewhat overshadowed by the bigger global events like the Dunlop Phoenix and the Taiheiyo Masters. The championship is staged at many of Japan's toughest golf courses, with the winning score often being around or even over par for the week. Adam Scott is a regular participant in the championship.

We tip from Autumn to winter with the first week of December seeing Rory McIlroy and Joaquin Niemann battling with a global field at Royal Melbourne for the Stonehaven Cup in the Australian Open, and golf's original "silly season" event, the Nedbank Golf Challenge kicking off the 2026 DP World Tour season in spectacular fashion.

SHANK Media, Written by Matt Hooper