Graeme McDowell’s big issue ahead of hopeful individual and team victory could be wading his way successfully through the ‘Watering Hole’ at his week’s LIV Golf Adelaide event in Australia.
McDowell shares the lead by two shots with England’s Richard Bland and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger in the team format heading to the second round on The Grange course in Adelaide.
The South Australian capital is hosting a first LIV event and it’s already turning into the biggest international sporting event to arrive in the City of Churches, since the 1985 and the first hosting of the Australian F1 Grand Prix.
McDowell and Wiesberger each signed for five-under 67s and added to ‘Blandy’s’ 66, it presented the trio with a 16-under tally to be leading by two shots in glorious autumn weather.
The Adelaide event has long been sold out with international sports starved South Australians flocking to the course, and savouring the odd beverage.
The biggest hit is unquestionably ‘The Watering Hole’, a refreshment stand at the 12th hole at The Grange, and as McDowell found out, it’s not the quietest place over the 18 holes to meet the locals.
“It was a great day with the fans boisterous, kind of exactly what I expected”, he said.
“Blandy and I both have played down here in Australia a few times before, and the fans are great. They tell you what they think, and it’s a great atmosphere.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect on the 12th but then by the time we got to the Watering Hole after they’d been pretty well watered, it was a lot of fun.
“I just wish the hole was about 20 yards shorter because trying to stand up with a 7-iron in there today, I’d rather be hitting 9-iron with that amount of noise and that amount of fun going on.
“It’s a great hole. This is what LIV is all about. It’s golf, and it is very loud this week. It’s good fun”.
American Talor Gooch produced a career and course record low of a 10-under 62 to lead by four shots in the individual format.
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