LIV Golf has committed to staging one of its events on next year’s 14-stop series in Australia, with The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide set to play host to the country’s debut LIV Golf event from April 21-23.
Reigning Open champion Smith, along with Marc Leishman and Matt Jones will be the headline home-grown stars taking part in the event, alongside the Saudi-backed tour’s other leading names, including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Patrick Reed and Louis Oosthuizen.
“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 LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman. “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 several hosted major professional events during its history, including the West Lakes Classic, where Norman claimed his first professional victory in 1976. A host site for the South Australian Open and multiple PGA events, the club has also staged the Australian Amateur and Australian Interstate Team Series, as well as the 2019 and 2016 Women’s Australian Open.
“The Grange Golf Club is excited to host the world’s best golfers at our course,” said club president Nicolle Rantanen Reynolds. “It is recognition of our excellent facilities and our ability to host world-class golf tournaments. We are looking forward to working with LIV Golf and the SA Government to deliver an outstanding event.”
South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas said: “Securing the first Australian LIV Golf tournament is an exciting coup for South Australia,” said “As Premier, I am determined to lure more major events to South Australia, which means more visitors, more economic activity and more jobs. This is exactly what our economy needs as we emerge from the pandemic, in particular our hospitality sector which has done it tough over the past couple of years. LIV Golf will bring some of the world’s best golf players to SA for an event the likes of which our country has never seen before.”
The full schedule for the 2023 LIV Golf Series has yet to be announced, but the Centurion Club in Hertfordshire will once again host the tour’s UK stop.
