Preview

2023 LIV Golf Adelaide Tips

Event Info

Starts: 21st April 2023
Course: The Grange GC (West)
Par: 72
Length: 6,946 yards
2022 Champion: New Event

Course Info

Course used since: 2023
Premium on: Approach play

Significant Info To Be Aware Of
This will be the first time LIV Golf has hosted an event at The Grange GC but it has hosted several events in the past on the Australian Tour.  The club hosted the South Australian Open in 1987 and 1988.  More recently, it hosted the Australian Amateur in 1998 and 2014.

Trends

Winning Score
The South Australian Opens played in 1987 and 1988 were won with scores of -8 and -13.  Those results were over 30 years ago and over four rounds so we treat these winning scores with caution and don't place too much weight on them.

Course Form
The Grange GC is being used for the first time on the LIV circuit and very few players will have played the course before.  None of the players played the Australian Amateur here in 2014 and it is a considerable time since a professional event was played at The Grange.

Weather

Friday: Sunny intervals.  Wind 5-11mph.
Saturday: Sunny.  Wind 4-8mph.
Sunday: Sunny.  Wind 4-8mph.

LIV Golf Adelaide Quotes

"I think shorter players do have an advantage because the ball is rolling so much. I have to lay back a lot of the times. I can't just blow it out there and hit a wedge on. It kind of puts me more in a box, which is fine. I've just got to have good wedging and putt it really well. I think a lot of it's strategy out here, too. You've got a great hole like No. 8, you can go for it or you can lay up and still make birdie. If you go for it there's a lot of trouble over on the right. 9 is a great example, too, it's a par-5, I probably won't even hit driver off the tee. It's too tight up there and it's going to cost you a shot if you hit it over to the right, and it's better to just hit hybrid, hybrid onto to the green. It's difficult. It's different." Bryson DeChambeau

"A course like this, it doesn't matter where you hit it, you've just got to hit it in the fairway. For one, it's Bermuda rough, and it's spotty but a lot of places it's pretty deep and it sits right on the bottom. It's tough to play out of. But if you hit it out of the fairway this week, the course obviously it is fairly short and the ball is running. You can get a lot of wedges in your hands if you're driving it well. For me, I think for a lot of the guys, if we're driving it straight, we're going to play pretty good around here." Dustin Johnson

Our LIV Golf Adelaide Picks

• 1pt Each Way Phil Mickelson 66/1 @ Skybet (1/5 1-6)

Mickelson has understandably shortened since LIV Orlando but for good reason after his amazing performance at The Masters, including playing his final round in seven under par. What stood out was the quality of his approach play, ranking 1st for the field on Sunday and 7th overall. Phil commented earlier this week that the greens remind him a bit of Augusta interms of speed and undulation, so the putter also behaving last week is a big bonus, ranking 4th for the week, as should his famous short game around the greens.

• 0.5pts Each Way Jed Morgan 350/1 @ Unibet/Bet Rivers (1/5 1-5)

We round off our LIV tips with a speculative investment on Aussie youngster Jed Morgan. Winner of the 2020 Australian Amateur, he claimed the 2022 Australian PGA Championship and has plenty of form at sandbelt courses in his homeland. He's struggled so far since joining LIV but he really should have performed better than he has and being back home should see him post his best ever result.

• 3pts Lee Westwood TOP 20 FINISH 6/4 @ Skybet

Westwood has finished inside the top 20 in 7 of his 10 LIV starts and was 20th last time out at LIV Orlando. A past winner in Australia, Westwood defeated Greg Norman to win the 1997 Australian Open, he should have positive associations with the country and is expected to go well. With the emphasis on keeping the ball in play this week and a tidy game tee to green, Westwood is a solid bet at 6/5 or better.

• 3pts Rippers to win Team Event 7/1 @ Skybet

The Rippers enjoy home advantage this week captained by Cameron Smith, and it looks like the bookmakers haven't factored in how much of an advantage they have playing this unique sand belt course in Adelaide. All four players have learned the game playing in these firm and fast conditions which are unique in many ways to the rest of the field. The team prepared well, arriving at the course Monday morning to get familiar with the course and will receive a lot of support this week from the rowdy Aussie fans. Take the 6/1 at Bet365 if you can't find 7/1, please note 9/1 is currently available on Betfair Exchange at time of writing.

2023 LIV Golf Adelaide Tips