Anticipation mounting in Adelaide

L-R Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau – photo Charles Laberge LIV Golf

Not since the days of the Kerry Packer funded Australian Open in the 1970’s has a field consisting of so many major winners been assembled for an Australian stroke-play event when Liv Golf’s Adelaide version gets under way on Friday.

The anticipation amongst Australian golf fans is palpable but based on early press conferences today so too is the case with the participants who sense the hype ahead of the first LIV Golf event in this country.

13 different major winners are included in the 48 man field, three of them, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson De Chambeau amongst the first to appear before the media in today’s introduction to the media.

“I think, yeah, the atmosphere is going to be great,” said Johnson. “I mean, with the amount of fans that will be out every day, I think it’s going to be an awesome atmosphere, and as golfers we love playing in front of as many people as come out and watch. The more people, the better. Yeah, I think it’s going to be a great week.

All three appeared excited to be in Australia, especially Koepka who is here for the first occasion.

“I’ve never been to Australia,” said the recent runner-up at the Masters and four time major champion. “I missed that Presidents Cup because I was hurt. Nice to be here for the first time. It’s always been a bucket list thing for me to do, come to Australia, so super excited, and it should be a good week.”

Johnson has been here on several occasions and although this is a new scenario and environment, the US Open and Masters Champion is delighted to be back.

“Yeah, I’ve always enjoyed coming down here, been down here a few times, played Sydney and played Melbourne twice for Presidents Cup and played in Perth, also, so I’ve been down here a few times, and yeah, really enjoy Adelaide. I like the golf course. I think, like I said, the fans, we’ve got a lot of fans coming out this week, so everybody is excited about the golf being here, and I’m excited to be here.”

De Chambeau played in Australia as an amateur and since and has already developed a passion for the Australian sunbelt style of golf.

“I love the golf courses here,” said the 2020 US Open Champion. “Sand Belt is always fun playing on, firm, fast conditions. I played here as an amateur back in 2016, as well. I’ve always loved it, the people, the golf courses, I can’t say too many more good things because there’s not much more good stuff to say. It’s all there.”

“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.”

When asked if the shorter course will be of concern to Johnson given his power game, he responded. “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.”

Koepka was asked if he had been able to process his final round demise at Augusta National.

“Yeah — you just kind of take some time and digest it all. Did a good job of that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and just kind of relaxed and tried to think about why it happened, why I played bad on Sunday, or Saturday-Sunday, whatever it was.

“I’m always pretty honest with myself, and normally it goes on what I was thinking, what I was doing. It was nice to get to the bottom of it.

“Look, you tell anybody you’re going to finish second in a major, especially where I was six months ago, a year ago, I’m not sure there, so I would have taken that, so it’s tough to really argue with it.

“Then reality, expectations and all that stuff gets thrown in there. But it was a good solid week and I can’t really complain. Gave myself a chance to win, and that’s all you can ask for every time you tee it up.”

The Australians, Cam Smith, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and Jed Morgan will feature in a media conference on Thursday.