Adelaide has fought off interest from rival Australian cities to remain host of a LIV Golf tournament until at least 2028.
And the South Australian government has unveiled plans to host the tournament beyond that at a city course redeveloped by Greg Norman.
Norman will oversee the design and redevelopment of the current North Adelaide golf course in Adelaide’s central business district.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas says the redevelopment will trigger an agreement with LIV Golf to host a tournament at North Adelaide until 2031.
Over 100,000 fans have attended the current LIV tournament at Adelaide’s Grange Golf Club. (Michael Errey/AAP PHOTOS)
Adelaide’s contract to host a LIV Golf tournament had been due to expire next year, which will be the fourth LIV event in the SA capital.
But amid other Australian cities pitching interest to host, Malinauskas moved to extend the agreement.
LIV Golf’s Adelaide tournament is being held at the Grange Golf Club in Adelaide’s seaside western suburbs – the current tournament, attended by more than 100,000 spectators, concludes on Sunday.
But the event will shift to the redeveloped North Adelaide site, which currently has three public courses – a championship length par-72 course, a shorter par-68 course and a par-3 course.
Malinauskas said the government would fund the redevelopment with exact costs to be determined.
“It’s critical to lock in to 2028,” Malinauskas told reporters on Sunday.
“But beyond that we see another opportunity, we see a big opportunity in North Adelaide.
“Getting LIV Golf into the city unlocks yet more economic potential … we want to make it easy for patrons and guests coming from interstate and overseas by having the golf in the CBD on a world championship, Greg Norman designed golf course.
“We will now have something that is globally unique … to have the world’s best golfers teeing off on one of the world’s best public golf courses in the middle of a metropolitan city.”
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas (L) and LIV chief Scott O’Neil outline their ambitious plans. (Michael Errey/AAP PHOTOS)
LIV Golf chief executive Scott O’Neil committed to the plans.
“One, there’s no place we’d rather be than right here in Adelaide,” O’Neil told reporters.
“Number two, the excitement of partnering once again with Greg Norman, the world’s best golf course designer and Australia’s favourite son, to deliver what we believe will be a world class golf course.”
Norman has spent two days this week says assessing the North Adelaide lay-outs.
“I’m extremely proud of the opportunity that we can breathe a little bit more fresh life into the opportunity here in Adelaide,” Norman told reporters.
“As a golf course designer you very seldom get the opportunity to be involved with a project downtown.
“North Adelaide Golf Club is basically a diamond in the rough and we’re going to unpick it.”
