94000+ Crowd, Greg Norman’s PGA Tour Jibe, & More: Major Takeaways From LIV Golf Adelaide Explored

The energy was electric at the Grange Golf Club this weekend. LIV Golf Adelaide’s roaring return to the Australian greens saw fans flock to witness the breakaway league’s unique team sport concept. The event has come to an enchanting end, and it has left an indelible mark.

Interestingly enough, the Australia-based event saw an all-Australian team, Ripper GC, emerge victorious in its team events, which featured a never-seen-before playoff against an all-South African team, Stinger GC. Additionally, Brendan Steele of HyFlyers GC registered his maiden individual title worth $4 million, all thanks to his one-stroke lead over runner-up Louis Oosthuizen. All things considered, what are some key moments worth remembering from this unforgettable event?

1. When LIV Golfers and Greg Norman subtly took jibes at the PGA Tour

The Adelaide-based event had started to ignite sparks long before its initiation. From reports surrounding the confusion concerning its venue (which had faced the wrath of the event in the preceding year) to even Jon Rahm‘s controversial comments about bringing golf to Australia, It was then almost ritualistic to see some snide remarks against the Saudi-backed giant’s long-time foe, the PGA Tour.

Almost predictably, then, the victorious team consisting of Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, and Matt Jones, along with Greg Norman, were seen taking jibes at the league’s golf world counterpart. Talking about the importance of LIV Golf’s team component, Smith, the Ripper GC captain, said, “It’s such a different way to think about golf. Usually in golf, if we were playing on the tour and Leishy was up on the leaderboard, I’d be barracking for him, but for it to actually mean something and do something for the guy you’re leaning on is a cool feeling.”

Adding his words of wisdom to the same tune, Leishman said, “I think it shows that LIV Golf is just a different product. It’s something that can embrace four blokes, eight blokes, including our caddies… I think that goes to show that it’s certainly going somewhere and a force to be reckoned with.”

Greg Norman was not far behind in adding salt to the Tour’s injuries. He highlighted how his product faced a lot of discrimination, but now that it has reached its epoch, former critics wish to partake in its success, indirectly pointing at the PGA Tour’s former disregard for the 54-hole, no-cut, breakaway league that bolstered off its team events.

2. LIV Golf’s first-ever historic team playoff

The GC, redesigned by LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman, also saw the league’s first-ever team playoff. While Sunday saw the all-Australian team shoot a combined 20-under, Stinger GC gave them an insanely difficult competition by scoring a 24-under and taking away the lead Smith’s team had been cherishing all along. The historic competition between the teams was so intense that they reached the best-ever team score in the league’s history so far.

Quick Fact: The Australia-based event with all-Australian team winners featured an all-Australian concert line-up consisting of big names like Tones and I, Fisher, and even Flight Facilities!

What unfolded next was the first playoff the league has ever seen. A second playoff hole resulted in a storybook win for the Australian team on their home soil. After making the impossible come true after 28 tournaments since the league’s initiation, Smith said, “This is an unreal, a dream come true. We wanted it so much. We’ve been talking about it all year. I don’t know how to describe it; it’s just so good.” Surely, two and a half seasons in, Norman’s dream is turning into all he envisioned.

3. Adelaide set a new benchmark in terms of spectator numbers

The league’s second venture in Australia saw an influx of some of the highest spectators witnessed to date at its events, with the first round pulling 35,000 spectators. In total, almost 94,000 fans were present at the Grange Golf Club, situated on the foothills of the Dublin Mountains, across three days. The picturesque location, coupled with the presence of some of the world’s finest players, saw more than 40% of tickets bought by outsiders.

Additionally, the event consisted of a global audience from more than 30 different countries descending on the premier sporting venue to witness history being made in front of their eyes. All this is because the Greg Norman-led enterprise’s biggest rival, the PGA Tour, has been witnessing worsening viewership numbers over the years. 

When asked about his experience this week, the Victor team’s captain added, “This week has far exceeded my vision for what was ahead. I think I always knew internally that Australia would really embrace LIV with the culture, with the music, with the entertainment, with everything that goes on around it. I always felt like this was the place where it was going to make it big, and how it’s been the last couple of years has been just insane.”

It remains to be seen whether the PIF-backed league’s next event, the LIV Golf Singapore, will exceed the set expectations in the first week of May and receive a higher audience turnout than Adelaide or not.