A few years after saying Australia could potentially host a US PGA Championship, the PGA of America has confirmed international expansion of the tournament is on the backburner.

Pete Bevacqua, the CEO of the PGA of America who in October 2013 said hosting the tournament at international venues twice a decade was discussed and would be looked into, on Wednesday confirmed the idea has been virtually shelved.

Bevacqua refused to completely rule out the prospect of Australia’s best courses like Royal Melbourne being considered for the fourth major of the year in the future, but with the venues already selected through 2022 and no clear plan to deviate from US-based courses, it looks more and more unlikely.

“Have we talked and done an analysis of an international PGA Championship? Absolutely,” he said.

“We have learned some very interesting lessons from that, both positives and negatives. But I would say for the moment it’s on the back burner.

“It’s certainly not forgotten, it’s something we’ll always consider, always keep on top of mind, but the larger role, and the larger goal of our strategic plan is to make sure that the PGA of America influence and the great relationships we have around the globe are strengthened and increased and are magnified as we move forward.

“Our long-term strategic plan at its fundamental core is to serve our 28,000 members and to grow the game.

“However, a critical piece of that plan is a global footprint for the PGA of America.

“We’re in the process of talking with our officers and our leadership and our Board of Directors of just what that entails.

“We happen to think that the primary focus of our global footprint should be taking the great education and experience of our PGA members and working with our peer organisations around the country and world.”