LIV wants to stay in Australia long term and South Australia wants to keep hosting

As other states circle and LIV’s own future remains up in the air, there was a clear message coming out of Adelaide ahead of this week’s blockbuster event.

Greg Norman’s fingerprints remain all over the LIV Adelaide event despite moving on as chief executive as South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas remained adamant he’d do everything he could to prevent it being “pinched” by other states.

Five-time major champion and LIV star Brooks Koepka declared the Saudi-backed league was “part of the golf ecosystem now” after moves from two major championships to create new exemptions for LIV players, making a long-term Australian presence crucial.

The four-year deal brokered by Australian legend Norman and Malinauskas is in its third year, and new LIV chief executive Scott O’Neil said he had every intention of remaining in Adelaide “for a very long time” amid widespread interest not just from other Australian states but other countries to get on the LIV schedule.

“Our intention is to be back in Adelaide. That’s our intention,” O’Neil said on Wednesday.

Adelaide has given us some amazing shots over the past two years 🔥

Take a look back at the Top Shots 🏌️‍♂️#LIVGolfAdelaidepic.twitter.com/WL9RaOtLLK

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) February 11, 2025

“We have had interest, as you might imagine, given the success of this event. The key elements and ingredients, and you don’t have to look too far … you have a world-class golf course, you have a place where our players are comfortable, you have extraordinary restaurants, the hospitality is great, the people are great.

“I hope that we’re here for a very long time.”

O’Neil suggested ongoing talks with LIV backers the Saudi Public Investment Fund and PGA Tour over an agreement that could shape the sport’s landscape would be an “accelerant” for his tour and they were ploughing forward.

For his part, Malinauskas conceded that keeping the event in Adelaide was no gimme given other, bigger economies poached big events from South Australia before, including the Formula 1 Grand Prix, which now lives in Melbourne.

“Part of our frustration is South Australia has a history of going first on an event, building it up to be something magnificent and then other jurisdictions come to try to pinch it off of us,” he said.

“We’re going to earn the right. I can’t look Scott in the eye and say, ‘Look, you have to bring LIV back to Adelaide just because we’ve had it before’.

“We’re not resting on our laurels.”

O’Neil said it was a “gift” to have Norman still involved as a LIV board member and he remained a constant source of information about the Adelaide event.

“I spent quite a bit of time with him in my 30-day lead-up to this role and every day since engaging, asking questions and learning, and I hope that he is part of LIV forever,” he said.

HOLE-IN-ONE FOR CHASE KOEPKA! 🚨#LIVGolfpic.twitter.com/hFyd1qLopw

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) April 23, 2023

Koepka, who has an everlasting reminder of the Adelaide event through his brother, Chase, who made an unforgettable hole-in-one at the par three “watering hole” in 2023, said LIV was only getting bigger, highlighted by decisions from both the US Open and British Open to open their doors to LIV players through exemptions.

“This is the first step of many I think we’re looking to take,” he said.

“They’re looking at LIV Golf as part of the golf ecosystem now. With that is a huge, huge step forward for us.

“Hopefully, we have a player that’s not exempt that’s up there ready to go and gets in another major because all it does is just add value to this league.”

Originally published as LIV wants to stay in Australia long term and South Australia wants to keep hosting