ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — The Women’s Australian Open will make its return as a stand-alone tournament in 2026, officially ending Golf Australia's attempts at playing both men's and women's events at the same time.
After sharing the tournament with the men in a mixed and alternate-tees format from 2022 to 2024, the women's event to be co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour will move from December to March 12-15 at Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide.
Golf Australia said Friday that Adelaide, the South Australian state capital, will host the tournament for the next three years.
While the 2026 LPGA Tour schedule has not been announced, the U.S.-based circuit typically plays co-sanctioned events in Asia in February and March. That could result in greater opportunities for international players to travel to Australia from the Asia region, including recently-crowned Women’s PGA champion Minjee Lee, Australia's top women's player.
Last month, Golf Australia announced that Rory McIlroy will headline the men’s Australian Open this year at Royal Melbourne from Dec. 4-7. This year's Masters champion is also contracted to play at nearby Kingston Heath, another Melbourne sandbelt course, in 2026.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, waves as he is announced at the first tee during the first round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Minjee Lee kisses the trophy after winning the Women's PGA Championship golf tournament Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.
A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.
Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.
For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.
The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”
Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.
Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)
