One of the highlights of the 2023 LIV Golf League season was undoubtedly its first visit to Australia with its Adelaide tournament.
The event had just about everything, from drama on the course to wild scenes off it, with a general sense that the circuit had reached lift-off.
Given its success, it was no surprise when a return visit to The Grange Golf Club for 2024 was announced within weeks of the season ending, and another incident-packed three days is expected when it gets underway later this week.
Before all that, though, here are some of the moments you may have forgotten from the 2023 edition.
The Sell-Out Crowds
Before the event, Australia had been a part of the world largely starved of top-class golf in recent years. So, would there be an appetite among the general public for the best LIV Golf had to offer?
The answer was an emphatic "yes," with around 77,000 tickets sold, and sure enough, from the word go the action played out before enormous and exuberant crowds reminiscent of even the infamous WM Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour.
Chase Koepka’s Ace
Of course, it’s OK having a big audience, but the product needs to be right too.
Pre-tournament, LIV Golf played its part by making the 12th a party hole – dubbed “the Watering Hole,” and with the beers flowing, it wasn’t long until the players stepped up, most notably when Smash GC’s Chase Koepka hit a hole-in-one to send the crowd into raptures.
Talor Gooch’s Back-To-Back 62s
Before the tournament, Talor Gooch was still looking for his maiden LIV Golf win, but he got off to an excellent start with a 10-under 62 in his first round to lead by four.
Incredibly, the American then repeated the trick in the second round to make all but certain of victory. He could even afford a one-over 73 in the final round and still win by three over Anirban Lahiri.
That was the catalyst for an incredible season for Gooch, who eventually claimed three wins and the individual title.
Bryson DeChambeau’s Epic Driving Range Session
Bryson DeChambeau is hardly the shy and retiring type and his extroverted personality was on full display at a boisterous driving range session.
That included the American taking a shot left-handed (with a right-handed driver), whipping the crowd into a frenzy before stopping just before hitting his shot and pretending to catch a ball in his hat! He wasn't done there, either...
Players Do 'Shoeys'
While on the range for that session, DeChambeau also embraced a time-honored Australian tradition – drinking beer from a shoe, or a “shoey” as it’s known, much to the delight of the crowd.
He wasn’t the only one to indulge in that ritual, either. Peter Uihlein got in on the act, and Gooch obliged while on stage after his win.
Local hero, Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith, wasn't about to be left out, either. He was coaxed on stage to chug a "shoey" by renowned DJ Fisher during a set!
Can’t recall a MORE EPIC MOMENT for a GOLFER from 2023 than…⛳️Cameron Smith RIPPIN’ a SHOEY 🍺👟on stage in front of a couple HUNDRED THOUSAND raging Australian 🇦🇺 GOLF FANS 😳LIV at Adelaide 2024 is coming 🤣✌️@rippergc_ @GrangeGolf pic.twitter.com/5fa554hCdiApril 19, 2024
Glowing Praise From Players
After the event, it was not surprising that players were full of praise for what they had just been involved in.
Marc Leishman said the tournament “had a real Major feel,” while Uihlein said “the sky’s the limit” for the circuit, pointing out it had only been its 12th event.
They were far from the only players to heap praise on the tournament. Dustin Johnson described it as “incredible” while Patrick Reed said: “That was a lot of fun. That was amazing. The crowds were electric.”
Johnson and Reed’s 4 Aces GC teammate also took nothing but positives from the experience, saying: “I had a blast. It was an unbelievable event. That many people out here screaming and having fun, you could just see how this LIV thing is just really exploding.”
Disgruntled Members
While the players and fans clearly had the time of their lives, reaction to LIV Golf’s maiden Australian event wasn’t entirely glowing.
Disgruntled Grange Golf Club members slated damage to its two courses, with the Adelaide Advertiser writing on social media that The Grange would be “out of action for six months.”
However, the club’s general manager Barry Linke confirmed the following month that both courses were back in play and the club was working to "remedy the minimal damage to the course."
Voted World’s Best Golf Event
Even though not everyone was pleased to see LIV Golf ride into town, its impact didn’t go unnoticed elsewhere and in October, it was named the World’s Best Golf Event Of The Year 2023 at the World Golf Awards.
The 2024 LIV Golf Adelaide event gets underway on Friday 26 April.
