Cam Smith of Ripper GC tees off on the 12th hole during day two of Liv Golf Adelaide at The Grange Golf Course. Photo / Getty Images
Cam Smith of Ripper GC tees off on the 12th hole during day two of Liv Golf Adelaide at The Grange Golf Course. Photo / Getty Images
It was a sure sign that LIV Golf had arrived.
Hundreds of plastic cups lay around the 12th hole at Adelaide’s Grange Golf Club last year as the packed crowd was in raptures following Chase Koepka’s hole-in-one, the first ace in LIV history.
Australians embraced the tournament and while Augusta may seem a world away, Adelaide should appear attainable for Kiwi golf fans to get a glimpse at some of the world’s best later this month.
The likes of major winners Brooks Koepka, Cam Smith, Dustin Johnson, Bryson Dechambeau, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson return to LIV Adelaide later this month along with LIV newcomer and recent world number one Jon Rahm in the most anticipated golf tournaments in Australasia in 2024.
LIV Adelaide was a huge success in 2023, rated among the players as the best tournament of the year, and proves to be even more popular with more tickets sold in the first 48 hours they went on sale than what was sold for the entire event last year.
Capacity has been increased by 50 percent with around 30,000 expected to attend each day across the three rounds. With 41 percent of attendees inter-state or overseas fans LIV Adelaide executive tournament director Nick Haslam says the event has filled a hole for golf fans on both sides of the Tasman.
“Australians love their golf, it’s the second biggest participation sport in the country and they’ve been starved of the best golfers, a bit like Kiwis. For the best golfers in the world to come here is a real treat. The public responded with their attendance and enthusiasm for the product.”
“It’s pretty accessible for New Zealanders to get here. It’s just a product that lends itself to people who might not necessarily be traditional golf fans because there’s a lot more to the day than just the golf. But even if you are a golfer, given the quality of the field, it’s worth the trip,” he told the Herald.
A general view as the gallery look on at the 12th hole during day two of LIV Golf Adelaide at The Grange Golf Course. Photo / Getty Images
LIV’s controversial Saudi backers and the way it disrupted professional golf could have made it a tough sell, but the events have pulled in the fans - due to a long list of stars, the shotgun starts and the added entertainment outside of the fairways and greens including concerts on site after the golfers have put away their clubs after each round.
Played at the famed Grange Golf Club, the par three 12th dubbed the ‘Watering Hole’, provided the highlight at LIV Adelaide last year as 4,500 fans witnessed Chase Koepka’s hole-in-one. The 2023 event was won by American Talor Gooch, who won two other tournaments last year, with the Dustin Johnson-led 4Aces GC taking out the team event. Kiwi Danny Lee had a strong showing on day one last year and will be looking for a first top 10 of the season when he arrives in Adelaide.
With 2023 Masters champion Rahm added to the league, along with Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton and DP World Tour champion Adrian Meronk, popularity for the event grew and the scheduling suits Aussies and Kiwis, taking place a day after Anzac Day and on the back of the US Masters, which features 13 LIV Golf players.
The latest innovation for fans is the Flight Deck, inspired by Formula One’s pit lane walk, which brings patrons in hospitality areas closer to the players during warm-ups.
“We’ve done a lot to improve the capacity. There was no further capacity last year, so we’ve built a whole lot of extra viewing platforms. We’ve got a double-decker driving range, one of the first times that has happened in world golf,” Haslam says.
“All of the hospitality structures on the Watering Hole have increased by about 30 percent and we’ve also increased the viewing capacity for the general public. The Grange is a flat course so in order to increase the capacity we’ve needed to make sure we get people off the ground so as many people as possible can see the action on the fairways.
Tickets are still on sale for Friday and Sunday with Saturday sold out. Haslam is confident they’ve got the right mix where the capacity has been increased but won’t still it appear over-crowded for attendees.
“We’ve sold out on Saturday because we don’t want to go above that [30,000 fans]. It is a fine line. We’ve worked with contractors and suppliers who’ve worked in major events around Australia and the LIV Golf team want to make sure it’s very comfortable for the patrons who are here. We’ve felt that’s about the right number.”
