LIV Golf’s debut in Australia featured plenty of elements that its officials will have been delighted with. They included a sell-out crowd and scenes reminiscent of the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open after Chase Koepka’s ace at Adelaide’s ‘watering hole’.
There was also a masterful performance from Talor Gooch during the first two rounds which helped him secure his maiden LIV Golf Title. The tournament received a big seal of approval from the players, too, including the man who replaced Gooch on 4 Aces GC for the 2023 season, Peter Uihlein.
The American helped the reigning team champions to their first win of the season after finishing seventh in the individual event, and he was keen to point out how quickly LIV Golf had delivered a tournament that offered so much.
He said: “It's 12 events, that's the reality. We've done 12 events, and you get this kind of atmosphere on your 12th one? Think about when this is like your 40th or 50th, how much bigger and how much more this will grow. I think people lose sight of that a little bit. This is literally the 12th event. The sky's the limit.”
Uihlein’s 4 Aces GC teammates were similarly enthusiastic about the future. Pat Perez predicted bigger things for LIV Golf. He said: “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.”
He also explained that the Grange Golf Club event should serve as a blueprint for future tournaments. He continued: “I think when we go more worldwide, you're going to see this kind of stuff. I think that's what we should stay with, myself. But that's me.”
4 Aces GC captain Dustin Johnson agreed, saying: “I thought this is what it would get to. Obviously, this week and then hopefully we'll continue this for more events because this was incredible.”
The remaining member of the team, Patrick Reed, said he thought LIV Golf Adelaide encapsulated what the circuit is all about. He said: “That was a lot of fun. That was amazing. The crowds were electric. I could see big picture how it was supposed to get to and what it was supposed to be as a product, and to see how the fans are, it was insane. It was everything I like."
It wasn’t just members of the winning team who see a bright future for LIV, either. Ripper GC player Marc Leishman said the tournament 'had a real major feel' while his captain Cameron Smith said it could help inspire the next generation to take up the game. He explained: "This is part of the reason why we play, we want to play in front of big crowds that get excited and put golf clubs in the hands of kids that one day want to be out here. It's a massive step in the right direction for us."
LIV Golf’s biggest rival, the PGA Tour, has attempted to counter its threat with more high-profile tournaments of its own. Following designated events including the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and RBC Heritage, plenty of the focus had been on the more established Tour in recent weeks. Following LIV Golf Adelaide, players and management alike will be confident it can wrestle back much of that attention as the season continues.
