2023 LIV Golf Adelaide Preview, Picks & Analysis

By: Derek Clements | Mon 17 Apr 2023

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THE LIV Golf League heads to Adelaide in Australia this week for the first of two back-to-back tournaments - next week the destination is Singapore.

The Greg Norman-designed Grange Golf Club is the host course and there is certain to be added interest after the performance of LIV golfers at The Masters.

Phil Mickelson has had a pretty miserable time of it over the past 12 months but he thrilled the patrons at Augusta National with a magnificent final round of 65 that saw him end the week tied for second place behind champion Jon Rahm.

And, of course, Brooks Koepka, now fully fit again after struggling with a knee injury for almost two years, led the tournament after 54 holes before running out of steam on the final day. Koepka won in Orlando the week before The Masters.

He looks to be back to something approaching his very best and will be looking for another victory Down Under.

Brooks Koepka

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

He looks to be back to something approaching his very best and will be looking for another victory Down Under.

When asked whether he believes he can win majors again, Koepka said: “I think I proved it this week, no? To be perfectly honest, I was gutted not to win at Augusta.”

The four-time major champion has endured a multitude of injury problems in recent times and was honest enough to admit during Masters week that his switch to LIV would have been a tougher decision if he had complete confidence in his body.

“Golf is fractured, I guess, from the fan’s perspective,” Koepka said.. “But as far as us, I mean, I think everybody saw it this week. It’s nice to see everybody. There’s no hard feelings pretty much. I think that’s the way everybody should see it.”

Let's reflect on some of Koepka's significant career highlights. In October 2018, he became world number one, a position he held for 47 weeks after winning the 2018 CJ Cup.

He won the US Open in 2017 and 2018, becoming the first golfer in history to hold back-to-back titles in two majors simultaneously. He started his career on the European Challenge Tour and DP World Tour and played college golf at Florida State University.

Koepka claimed his first major at the US Open in 2017 at Erin Hills and successfully defended his title the following year at Shinnecock Hills to become the first man to successfully defend the US Open since Curtis Strange in 1988 and 1989.

He won his third major at the 2018 US PGA Championship at Bellerive, shooting a major-championship-record-tying 264 over 72 holes. His 2018 victories in the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship were the first instance of that double since Tiger Woods in 2000. He won his fourth major at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black.

Koepka represented the USA at the Ryder Cup in 2016, 2018 and 2021.

In the Netflix series Full Swing, Koepka, who was struggling with injury and a lack of fitness, said that he was struggling to compete with the world’s best golfers. He also admitted that he struggled to focus on what his partner was saying to him because he was so obsessed with getting his swing right.

After missing the cut at last year’s Masters he admitted that he tried to break his car window with his fist.

The Course

The Grange is a par 72 measuring just under 6,900 yards, which is short by today’s standards. It was designed by LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman and features narrow tree-lined fairways, plenty of bunkers and waste areas and undulating greens.

Form Guide

Brooks Koepka is the form man, having won last time out on the LIV Golf League as well as finishing joint second at The Masters. Patrick Reed also played well at Augusta - he is a good driver of the ball, and this tight layout should suit his game.