55 million: The telling numbers in LIV Golf’s Aussie debut

Innovation

Thousands watch on as Talor Gooch tees off at the 18th hole during the 2023 Liv Golf tournament in Adelaide. Image: Getty

Lining the 12th hole at Adelaide’s Grange Golf Club, thousands of golf-starved diehards cram in against the rope to catch a glimpse of some of the world’s best – but this isn’t your usual game of golf.

There are no calls for quiet, in fact just the opposite. A rock and roll playlist echoes over the loudspeaker as fans, some shirtless, scream and launch their beer cups onto the fairway. US player Chase Koepka and his caddy (seen below) were showered in beer after Koepka hit the only hole in one of the tournament. Making matters even more extreme, he did it on the 12th hole- affectionately known as the ‘party hole’.

Chase Koepka is showered in beer from the crowd after a hole in one during day three. Image: Getty

The publicity of the event can’t be understated – South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas made sure of it. The city of Adelaide, which is often overlooked for global entertainment and sporting events, transformed into one giant LIV Golf promotion, with advertisements even projected onto the city’s skyscrapers. It was easy to see why the 77,000 plus tickets were snapped up so quickly.

“[The tournament] exceeded my expectations the moment those tickets went on sale and they sold out within minutes,” Malinauskas told reporters. “From my perspective, it didn’t take much of a genius to work out that there is an appetite for high-quality golf in Australia. We’ve been yearning for this. LIV provides us the opportunity to enjoy that and experience that.”

The success seen in Adelaide marks the biggest interest of the 12 LIV events played across two seasons to date. There’s no denying Australia loves its sport, but with traditional golf formats often overlooking the country for major tournaments, LIV is looking to fill a gap left open by the PGA and DP World Tour.

By the numbers

23,390 – Units of LIV Golf and team merchandise sold

77,076 – Official crowd attendance

116,978 – 12-ounce beers sold on-site

$4.54 million – The amount the winning team pocketed

$5.93 million – The amount Talor Gooch won for finishing first

55 million – Number of video views on social media across league channels

Undisclosed – How much South Australia invested in the tournament

The financials

LIV has paid not only hefty signing bonuses to all players, but also baseline US$25 million at each of its tournaments, with US$4 million going to individual winners, and a US$5 million payout for the winning team to split.

Even the last placed player will earn a guaranteed US$120,000. The league will also be paying performance bonuses throughout the season. As a comparison, the PGA offers US$54 million in total spread across its 8 tournaments, with not all competitors receiving payment.

Saudi Arabia’s involvement

But while the fans and players made their way to the course, Australian golfing legend and LIV Golf chairman Greg Norman was pressed on the league’s funding and Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.

Asked if he had ever had a conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Norman bluntly answered “no, I have not.”

LIV Golf CEO & Commissioner Greg Norman acknowledges the crowd. Image: Getty

“I’m the chairman and CEO of LIV Golf investments, and that’s where I focus,” he explained. “I’ve build some golf courses in third-world countries, I’ve built golf courses in communist countries. Golf is a force for good.”  

“It goes everywhere with the right platform, because it delivers the right message, from education, to hospitality, to employment, to tourism, everywhere you go, golf is a force for good.”

Questions of “sportswashing” were also shut down by Premier Malinauskas, who said “LIV is not a representative of Saudi Arabia, LIV is a golf tournament.”

“I also accept the fact, with that high degree of competition — particularly when you see a degree of disruption — there will be people that, I think, are motivated, if not incentivised monetarily, to advocate against the competition, using whatever means they have at their disposal.”

LIV Golf Adelaide individual prize money
PositionPlayerScoreEarnings
1Talor Gooch-19$4,000,000 ($A5.93 million)
2Anirban Lahiri-16$2,250,000
T3Cameron Tringale-15$1,000,000
T3Patrick Reed-15$1,000,000
T3Cameron Smith-15$1,000,000
T3Pat Perez-15$1,000,000
T7Peter Uihlein-14$533,333
T7Dean Burmester-14$533,333
T7Charl Schwartzel-14$533,333
10Dustin Johnson-13$415,000
T11Sergio Garcia-12$310,000
T11Phil Mickelson-12$310,000
T11Kevin Na-12$310,000
T11Henrik Stenson-12$310,000
T11Bubba Watson-12$310,000
T11Louis Oosthuizen-12$310,000
T11Jason Kokrak-12$310,000
T11Brooks Koepka-12$310,000
T11Harold Varner III-12$310,000
T11Abraham Ancer-12$310,000
T21Charles Howell III-11$230,000
T21Marc Leishman-11$230,000
T21Sebastián Muñoz-11$230,000
T24Danny Lee-10$207,500
T24Chase Koepka-10$207,500
T26Ian Poulter-9$192,500
T26Brendan Steele-9$192,500
T26Mito Pereira-9$192,500
T26Bryson DeChambeau-9$192,500
T30Bernd Wiesberger-8$177,500
T30Joaquin Niemann-8$177,500
T32Richard Bland-7$162,500
T32Thomas Pieters-7$162,500
T32David Puig-7$162,500
T32James Piot-7$162,500
T36Graeme McDowell-6$147,500
T36Lee Westwood-6$147,500
T36Carlos Ortiz-6$147,500
39Paul Casey-4$142,500
T40Branden Grace-3$138,750
T40Scott Vincent-3$138,750
42Matt Jones-2$135,000
43Jediah Morgan-1$132,500
T44Matthew WolffE$128,750
T44Eugenio ChacarraE$128,750
46Martin Kaymer7$125,000
47Sihwan Kim14$122,500
WDSam HorsfieldN/A$80,000
AlternateLaurie CanterN/A$40,000
How to watch LIV Golf

American broadcaster CW signed the rights to air LIV Golf tournaments in the US, while the Seven Network announced their own deal as the first Australian broadcast partner, to obtain rights for the 2023 LIV Golf season – a momentous move considering the tournament was previously only available on Youtube and the LIV website in 2022 in Australia.

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Head of News & Life
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