LIV Golf Adelaide: The Tournament That Found Its Audience (And Then Some)

I’ve been covering professional golf for 35 years, and I’ve learned that the most telling indicator of a tournament’s viability isn’t what the suits in the boardroom say—it’s what the fans do with their wallets and their time. By that measure, LIV Golf Adelaide has done something remarkable: it’s become genuinely unmissable in a market that was starved for elite golf.

When LIV Golf first touched down in Adelaide in April 2023, there was legitimate curiosity but also understandable skepticism. Australia had hosted majors and big tournaments before, sure, but top-tier professional golf had become increasingly rare in recent years. What happened next caught everyone’s attention. The event drew 77,076 fans over three days. That’s not just respectable—that’s the kind of number that makes tour executives lean forward in their chairs.

When Lightning Strikes Twice (and Then Three Times)

But here’s what struck me most: it didn’t fade. In 2024, the event grew to over 94,000 attendees. Then in 2025, when the event shifted to February, it exploded to 102,483 fans across three days. I’ve covered 15 Masters tournaments, walked the grounds at Augusta National when the azaleas were at their peak, and I’m telling you—those Adelaide numbers are genuinely impressive.

What we’re witnessing is something tour operators dream about but rarely achieve: a tournament that’s become culturally embedded in its market almost immediately. The Ripper GC contingent showing up in force, the energy around the party holes, the sheer enthusiasm—these aren’t things you can manufacture with a fat purse. You either have them or you don’t.

“To say it was a success is an understatement, with an official attendance of 77,076 over its three days of action, demonstrating that LIV Golf had clearly tapped into a market generally starved of top-level golf in recent years.”

I think what’s happened here is that LIV Golf found something the traditional tour sometimes takes for granted: a genuine market inefficiency. Australia loves sport. Australians love golf. They hadn’t had regular access to the world’s best players in their own backyard. Close that gap, bring the star power, and stage it properly—which they have—and you get what we’re seeing.

The Format Innovation Nobody Talks About

Here’s what really interests me from an operational standpoint: the 2026 edition is moving to a four-day format with 72 holes of strokeplay, expanding from the three-day model that’s worked so well. That’s a calculated risk, and I respect it. The source material suggests attendances could reach around 140,000 if it maintains its trajectory.

Having spent years as a caddie and watching how tournaments are actually run, I know that expanding a format isn’t simple. You’re gambling that the event’s momentum can absorb a change in structure. But LIV Golf Adelaide has earned enough goodwill—and demonstrated enough market demand—that I think they can pull it off. The fans aren’t coming for the format; they’re coming for the spectacle and the golf.

“Once again, it was named the World’s Best Golf Event of the Year, so how could it be topped in 2025? With an even bigger attendance, of course.”

The Bigger Picture

What strikes me most about this story isn’t really about LIV Golf’s vindication, though that’s certainly part of it. It’s about what Adelaide reveals about professional golf’s future geography. For decades, the sport’s elite circuit has been dominated by a few established markets: the United States, Europe, and Japan. Southeast Asia has been knocking on the door. But Australia? It had largely been left out in the cold.

The PGA Tour has the Players Championship and tradition on its side. The European Tour has its historic portfolio. But neither had adequately served Australian golf fans with consistent, world-class competition at home. LIV Golf essentially said, “We see that gap,” and moved decisively to fill it. That’s not luck. That’s identifying market dynamics that others missed.

In my experience covering professional golf, the tournaments that stick around are the ones that create genuine community investment. A deal through 2031 doesn’t happen unless both sides believe in the partnership. The fact that LIV Golf committed to Adelaide for six more years tells you everything about how seriously they’re taking this event’s success.

“That’s been reflected in LIV Golf’s commitment to staging the event, with an announcement at the 2025 edition that a deal had been struck to keep it in Adelaide until 2031.”

The Balanced View

Now, I’m not here to declare victory for LIV Golf globally. The circuit still faces real challenges in becoming a mainstream alternative to the traditional tour structure. Golfers still want majors. Networks still prefer established broadcast windows. The golf media—myself included—had legitimate questions when the league started that haven’t all been answered.

But Adelaide? Adelaide is something different. It’s a case study in what happens when you identify an underserved market, invest properly, and stage a genuinely entertaining event. The back-to-back 62s from Talor Gooch, Chase Koepka’s ace, the spontaneous energy of Australian golf fans finally getting their moment—these moments matter. They sell tickets. They build loyalty.

Four years into LIV Golf’s existence, Adelaide stands as its clearest success story. And if the 2026 edition approaches 140,000 attendees across four days, it won’t just be the biggest event on the LIV circuit by attendance—it’ll be one of the most impressive regular golf tournaments anywhere, anywhere at all.