The PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open is known for its par-3 16th stadium hole, “The Coliseum.” The Zurich Classic of New Orleans has featured first tee walk-up music for its two-man teams in the past (though this year will be a little different with a DJ instead).
When the LIV Golf League returns to action Friday at the Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, South Australia, it will be borrowing both ideas from their competitors across the professional golf aisle.
As the upstart circuit likes to say, imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
LIV Golf’s party hole – named the Watering Hole – will feature a handful of bars around the stadium build-out at the Grange’s par-3 12th hole, as well as a live DJ. Players will also have walk-out songs when they step on the tee.
“I’m excited to see the hole. Listen, I’m always loved playing Phoenix. I always thought having like an amphitheater type crowd around a hole has always been pretty special, and I guess I’ve had some success at Phoenix, too. Who knows, maybe this week,” said Brooks Koepka, who ironically chose Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares” for his song, an apt description of his runner-up week at the Masters earlier this month.
Aerial views of the Watering Hole… hole 12 at The Grange.
This will be fun
: Instagram / stuartlkerr#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/GmPDF4wwKC
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) April 18, 2023
“I just love it. I love when the fans get a little rowdy. They’re screaming, they’re booing you when you hit a bad shot and cheering you on when you hit a good one. It’s going to make that hole exciting,” Koepka continued. “I think it should bring a different atmosphere, which will be cool, and like (Dustin Johnson) said, it’ll be most fans we’ve had so far, so it’s exciting.”
LIV officials have capped tickets in the past, but that won’t be the case this week. The upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and financially backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is expecting 60,000 fans on site in Adelaide. The league loves to tout its “Golf But Louder” slogan, and its first event in Australia will be the prime example of how LIV wants its tournaments to look.
“I think, yeah, the atmosphere is going to be great,” added Johnson, who hasn’t picked a song just yet. “I mean, with the amount of fans that will be out every day, I think it’s going to be an awesome atmosphere, and as golfers we love playing in front of as many people as come out and watch. The more people, the better.”
LIV Golf is holding just its fourth event of the new season and 12th overall since shaking up the pro golf scene last summer. After dominating headlines for most of 2022, the momentum has stalled in 2023 due to a quiet offseason and mediocre list of new signings, not to mention the pair of recent legal blows in both the United Kingdom and United States.
That said, three LIV players finished in the top six at the Masters, and if the Phoenix Open is any indication, the Watering Hole and atmosphere in Adelaide should be fun for the Aussie fans and those who watch.
This week, LIV has a chance to gain some, not all, of that momentum back.
