At Adelaide Oval on Sunday attending an AFL match featuring the sport’s most popular team, Collingwood, Americans Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed were beaming. It is little surprise the LIV Golf trio, who share seven major titles between them, were smiling as they were photographed alongside the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas.
The welcome the tour’s 48 golfers have received ahead of the tournament at the Grange Golf Club this week is stark in contrast to the criticism they were subjected to around the globe last year. If Australians had any doubts about the malign influence of sportswashing and its ability to polish the reputation of nations, the inaugural LIV down under event is a counterpoint.
