LIV Golf Adelaide was the upstart circuit’s quintessential event: tens of thousands of starved golf fans, a party hole with a DJ and a team competition that came down to the wire.
By all accounts, LIV’s first stop in Australia was a success. But can they replicate that effort at other events going forward? Players like Crushers GC captain Bryson DeChambeau seem to think so.
“That’s what LIV should be, in its heart and its DNA, I think that’s what it can be every single week, and will be when people start understanding what the real deal is here,” said DeChambeau of last week’s event ahead of LIV Golf Singapore this week at Sentosa Golf Club. “There’s been a lot of controversy and a lot of things going on, but we are here to play golf, and we are here to do the best we possibly can every single week, and it was fun seeing the fans support us.”
The fan support Down Under was strong, there’s no denying that. Adelaide aside, last year’s Team Championship in Miami at Trump National Doral was LIV’s best-attended event. It wasn’t a Donald Trump rally like the event at his Bedminster property last summer, and fans showed up in droves compared to other LIV events. This year, however, the Team Championship has been moved from Miami to Saudi Arabia, where beer showers around a party hole are more than unlikely, they’re illegal.
Even this week’s event in Singapore will be a stark difference to what fans saw in Australia. DeChambeau expects 6,000-7,000 fans per day, which is less than half of Adelaide’s daily turnout.
“I think it’s going to continue to grow and grow exponentially, just the attractiveness of what the product is, sort of creating that festival type atmosphere,” said Cameron Tringale. “That’s what people want. I think the next generation is looking more for a good time, and to be entertained, just as much as they are for quality golf, and you get both of them with LIV.”
Cameron Smith admitted LIV fields aren’t very deep at the Masters, and Phil Mickelson has pointed out that LIV was smart not to just go after great players like Smith and Dustin Johnson, but also the characters in the game like himself, DeChambeau and Patrick Reed.
“Whether you love them or hate them, they’re interesting and people want to watch,” said Mickelson.
“Now a lot of other countries are wanting us to go there, so it was a big step in Adelaide in showcasing what it can be, what LIV Golf can be,” he added. “There’s…
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