Adelaide to host first Australian LIV Golf event in 2023

Adelaide has won the race to host the first LIV Golf tournament in Australia, with international stars including Cameron Smith teeing up at The Grange GC in April next year.

The Adelaide course has been chosen by the Greg Norman-led breakaway league to host the three-day tournament from April 21-23 as part of a 14-stop global schedule.

Norman said in a statement there was “massive potential” for Australia to play a role in the Saudi-backed league which also features major winners Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia.

The PGA Tour does not play top-tier tournaments in Australia, with big names only lured by the Presidents Cup which was last contested in Melbourne in 2019.

“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 Norman, LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner.

“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 Grange has hosted major professional events including the West Lakes Classic, where Norman claimed his first professional victory in 1976.

The Victorian government reportedly knocked back an approach from LIV, preferring to side with the PGA in the golfing battleground.

Open Championship winner Smith, fellow LIV rebel Marc Leishman, as well as Adam Scott and Cameron Davis will return home this month for a series of tournaments starting with the Australian PGA in Brisbane.

The event is co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour (formerly European tour) and LIV defectors are allowed to play.