Reigning Open Champion Cam Smith and former World No. 1 and double major winning Dustin Johnson have thrown their support behind calls for back-to-back LIV Golf events in Australia.
The sold-out crowd scenes at The Grange club in suburban Adelaide already has rival state New South Wales looking to cash-in on the clear popularity and already enormous success of what we’ve witnessed in the City of Churches.
New South Wales (NSW) Golf has already formally declared their interest in Sydney, the capital of Australia’s largest populated city, as looking to welcome such a move while Smith, born in Queensland to the north, also sounded excited with the notion of the Sunshine State maybe being chosen as one of a possible future LIV double-header venues ‘Down Under’.
Michael Medway, Chairman of NSW Golf said back-to-back LIV Golf events are “the future of golf” in Australia even though men’s pro tournament golf in Australia is strongly aligned with the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. We saw that again last year with the DP World Tour again sanctioning the Australian PGA Championship and then for a first time ‘jumping in bed’ with Golf Australia to co-sanctioned the Australian Open.
“The format of golf in Australia needs to learn from the success of the LIV event in Adelaide, and consider change with spectators in mind as a key pillar in the national strategy,” said Medway speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald.
“We would welcome a LIV event in New South Wales.”
Though Medway’s comments come with the noticeable of the big two leaders in Australian golf – Golf Australia’s CEO, James Sutherland and PGA of Australia counterpart Gavin Kirkman – who were overseas on ‘business trips’ and missing from last week’s inaugural LIV event in Australia.
Nevertheless, it’s understood the question of hosting back-to-back LIV events would make sense given the long-haul travel involved for players, and in this regard it’s understood it has been mentioned to the players competing this week.
Sydney is a long-time host of big-time Australian men’s golf including the Australian Open, won in 2009 by Adam Scott, 2013 by Rory McIlroy and then Jordan Spieth (2014 & 2016), Aussie Matt Jones (2015 & 2019), Abraham Ancer (2018) and with each win on four different championship Sydney courses.
Indeed, Sydney played host to 14 straight Australian Opens from 2006 to 2019 and when Covid saw the event not played for two years, before returning late last year to Melbourne, with Poland’s Adrian Meronk creating history not only becoming the first Pole to win the event but a first as being co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour.
Johnson, who has been stranger to visiting Australia, was asked about the possibility of back-to-back LIV Golf events this week in Adelaide, revealing what seems to be a subject well in the pipeline.
“I think that’s in the works,” said DJ.
“It would be nice to play back-to-back weeks down here with the fans and all the excitement. I’d love to.”
And Smith, who eventually shared third place, also gave the thumbs-up to such a move.
“I think it would be unreal up there,” Smith said. “If we can squeeze two in, it’s my home state, so it would be kind of a personal preference.”
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