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The April 21-23 tournament at The Grange will be one of 14
events on LIV Golf League's 2023 schedule and will give fans a
chance to see reigning British Open champion Cameron Smith and
fellow Australians Marc Leishman and Matt Jones in action.
"This is an opportunity to grow the game with generations of
Australians while connecting them with star players like Cameron
Smith," LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman said in a news release.
"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 was the site of former world number one Norman's
first professional victory in 1976 and, among other events,
hosted the Women's Australian Open in 2019 and 2016.
Consistent with the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Series, which
launched in June, LIV Golf League will feature simultaneous team
and individual play, with golfers competing for an unprecedented
$405 million in prize purses.
The full 2023 league schedule, to be released in coming weeks,
will run from February to September and will not compete with
golf's four majors, international team events or heritage
events.
The Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf series has lured players with
the promise of guaranteed, big-money paydays and a reduced
schedule, while the U.S.-based PGA Tour has suspended members
who opted to join the rival circuit.
Among the more high-profile players to join LIV are World Golf
Hall of Fame member Phil Mickelson, twice major champion Dustin
Johnson and 2020 U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau.
Critics say LIV Golf, which is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's
Public Investment Fund, amounts to blatant "sportswashing" by a
nation trying to improve its reputation tarnished by a history
of human rights abuses.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Bradley
Perrett)
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