Wild scenes as LIV Adelaide explodes in low-scoring frenzy amid ...
Planning is already underway to squeeze in even more than the 35,000 people who watched the best field assembled in Australia outside the Presidents Cup shoot the lights out on an record opening day of the LIV Adelaide event at The Grange.
Three of the four Australians including Cam Smith, who was followed by what seemed at least a third of the enormous crowd, were among the 80 per cent of the field who shot under par to combine for the lowest combined LIV score this year.
Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma, who is ranked 545th in the world and hadn’t finished inside the top 40 in five LIV events this season, was a shock leader after almost mirroring the opening round of 10-under shot by 2023 winner Talor Gooch on the opening day.
Kozuma nailed seven birdies and an eagle in his nine-under 63 but his low-score was the rule not the exception with the entire field, which includes 13 major champions, pouring in 263 birdies to finish at a combined 141-under. It was 60 shots better than last year’s opening day.
While some continue to question the depth of quality in the LIV playing ranks, despite signing the likes of Masters champ Jon Rahm, there was no question about the quality of the golf with the staggering birdie tally with the prospect of more to come.
“I think if the wind stays the way it is, and with the rain we got yesterday, I think it definitely sets up the golf course pretty gettable,” said Carlos Ortiz, who shot an opening eight-under 64 to be in second place.
“It’s just one of those golf courses that if you’re in good position you can be a bit aggressive.”
Plans by the ground staff for a typically firm and fast layout were scuppered by early rain on Wednesday and officials’ hopes for a scoring surge were matched by almost the entire field.
Only 10 of the 54 players finished over par, including Australian Lucas Herbert who battled to match his enthusiasm for a maiden LIV Adelaide experience with his golf shooting a one-over 73.
Smith, who was met with a swarm packing an extra grandstand set up on the first tee, took five holes to nail his first birdie and finished with a four-under to be five shots behind Kozuma.
His Ripper GC teammates Matt Jones, who nearly aced the 14th, and Marc Leishman both made birdies on the jam-packed “Watering hole” as they shot rounds of 66 and 67 respectively to put the all-Australian outfit in fifth place on the teams leaderboard.
The Australian quartet had spoken at length before the event about his desperate they were to win, having adjusted their off-curse work in the lead in to be at their best for the mass of local support.
One of four Australian Open winners in the field, Mexican Abraham Ancer nailed one of the shots of the day, holing his second shot from the fourth fairway for a slam dunk eagle to close out his round.
Last year’s total crowd for the three days of competition in Adelaide was just under 77,000, a figure which will be exceeded this year with 70,000 expected over the next two days alone for a three-day total close to 100,000.
That number will be bigger again in 2025 for the event roundly agreed by the LIV players as the “most anticipated” in their season.
By comparison, the four-day Australian Open in Sydney last December attracted more than 110,000 spectators, a 12 per cent rise on the previous year as crowds show their fervour to watch the world’s best players.
LIV LEADERBOARD
9-under Jinichiro Kozuma
8-under Danny Lee, Carlos Ortiz
7-under Peter Uhlein, Mito Pereira, Andy Ogletree, Anirban Lahiri
THE AUSSIES
6- under Matt Jones
5- under Marc Leishman
4- under Cam Smith
1- over Lucas Herbert
