LIV Golf announces Adelaide event as part of inaugural £344m league season
LIV Golf’s inaugural league season will visit Adelaide in April, organisers of the big-money circuit have announced.
The Grange Golf Club in the capital city of South Australia is set to feature early in LIV Golf’s expanded 14-date schedule for 2023, which will run from February to September.
Open champion Cameron Smith is one of several Australians on the Saudi-backed circuit, along with Marc Leishman and Matt Jones.
“Passion for sport is at the core of Australian culture, and LIV Golf is proud to bring its global league to a country deserving of the world’s top competition,” said LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman.
“This is an opportunity to grow the game with generations of Australians while connecting them with star players like Cameron Smith who are building a new platform for golf around the globe.
“There is massive potential for Australia to play a bigger role in this great sport, and I couldn’t be more excited to showcase Adelaide for our league’s debut year.”
The move represents an increase in LIV Golf’s geographic footprint, after visiting the US, UK, Thailand and Saudi Arabia in its launch season this year.
Having debuted as a series of invitational tournaments, the league format will take on greater prominence in 2023, with 12 four-man franchises fielding consistent line-ups at each event.
Other destinations are still be announced, with Valderrama in Spain rumoured to be on the calendar in a move that would see LIV Golf visit mainland Europe for the first time.
Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka are set to be among the captains vying for a share of $405m (£344m) in prize money.
Johnson’s 4 Aces won the team title in this year’s invitational series, while he scooped the individual champion’s prize, taking his winnings to $35m.