Gooch leads as sellout crowds flock Down Under: LIV Golf Adelaide Round 1 Recap
On a sunny day in Adelaide, Australia at The Grange GC, record crowds came to watch the inaugural LIV Golf Tour event Down Under. Around 35,000 spectators were present, with many missing the opening tee shots due to the long queues just to enter the course.
When they eventually got in the golfing spectacle didn't disappoint with birdies dropping in left, right and centre!
After a storming round of 62 (-10), American Talor Gooch leads the pack with a four shot lead over South African golfer Dean Burmester and Englishman Richard Bland.
Speaking after his round a relaxed Gooch said: "It was actually pretty casual. I don't think I made a putt really outside 10 feet. It wasn't like chip-ins; it was one of those rounds where I was hitting it close and making a lot of putts, so it was fun."
When asked about the biggest crowds in LIV Golf history, Gooch replied: "Yeah, we were talking about it, we were curious because of all the buildup, all the hype, the expectations were high, right, and it lived up to it every bit, so it was a blast out there.
My caddie is Australian, so we've been talking about this event since the moment we heard about it. It was a blast, and I think they're just now starting to get a feel for what LIV is, and I think this weekend is going to be a good time."
Local favourite Cameron Smith shot a steady 69 (-3) and seemed to enjoy drawing a large portion of the crowds. "Yeah, that first fairway looked pretty narrow this morning. It seemed like everyone was on the edge of the fairway. Yeah, it was a pretty epic day. I can't speak for these boys, but yeah, it was incredible every hole," Smith said after his round.
Fresh off their T2 at the Masters, American's Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson opened with solid rounds, 69 (-3) and 70 (-2) respectively.
In the team event, Cleeks GC lead the way after strong performances from Richard Bland and Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell. The team have yet to record a podium finish in their LIV Golf career, more of the same from rounds two and three could well see them over the line.
Round two tees off with a shotgun start on Saturday 22 April at 11:45 a.m. local time.
