LIV GOLF ADELAIDE’S WATERING HOLE IS BACK AND BIGGER THAN BEFORE

ADELAIDE, South Australia – Evidently, the pressure to perform at LIV Golf Adelaide’s famous Watering Hole doesn’t just begin when players hit their tee shots.

Jon Rahm, making his first appearance in South Australia since joining LIV Golf last December, was playing a practice round this week with some of his Legion XIII teammates, along with fellow Spaniard David Puig of Fireballs GC, at The Grange Golf Club. The conversation eventually turned to walk-up songs at the par-3 12th, individually selected by each player, with a snippet played after their introductions on the tee box.

The discussion became a lot more serious than Rahm anticipated.

“Apparently, it’s a big deal,” said the two-time major winner. “I was not aware of that. I’m going to have to think about what I want.”

Meanwhile, another LIV Golf newcomer, Lucas Herbert, already has spent significant time contemplating his musical selection. As a member of the all-Australian Ripper GC, Herbert knows he will have plenty of support from the hometown fans. He doesn’t want to disappoint them with a poor choice. Several factors must be weighed. Will it pump him up? Will it pump up the crowd? Is there an Australian tie-in? Can he sync up his swing to the beat?

“I'm a big music guy,” Herbert said, “so picking out my walk-up songs for the party hole, I've been getting goosebumps every time I've been thinking about what that's going to feel like, walking out to each song. Yeah, very, very excited.”

Herbert eventually elected to go with a different song in each round, while Rahm lists Bad Bunny’s “Monaco” for all three days.

Of course, the most nervy moment at the 165-yard par-3 12th is when tee shots are actually struck. After all, 5,000 people will be surrounding the hole, a combination of general admission and hospitality tent ticket holders. Everyone will be in a party mood, ready to react to the outcome on each shot. They will happily make their presence known … and the players do not want to disappoint.

Cameron Smith has excelled at the highest of pressure-packed situations, rallying to win the 2022 Open Championship. But as the Ripper captain and his generation’s biggest golf star in this country, Smith felt the intensity of the moment in last year’s opening round when he struck his tee shot at the Watering Hole.

“To be honest, I was kind of sh--ting myself, and I probably hit the worst shot of the week by far,” Smith admitted. “I think I fat flum-pushed it. It was so bad. I had about 50 meters left for my second shot.

“I got better gradually over the weekend, but it was pretty scary, to be honest, on that Friday afternoon.”

He wasn’t the only nervous Ripper. Matt Jones, 14 years older than Smith, also admitted being a “little intimidated by everything that was going on there.” His tee shot missed short right, and he made bogey.

“It was a great experience, though,” said Jones. “I can’t wait to get back there.”

One LIV golfer who definitely looks forward to returning to the party hole is 4Aces GC’s Pat Perez. He was the only player in the field last season to birdie the 12th hole in each round; in fact, no other player birdied it more than once.

When Perez’s 37-foot birdie putt in the final round hit the back of the cup and fell in, he celebrated by throwing his putter above his head, followed by a series of fist punches in the air while doing some spin-jumps. His cap eventually came off, freeing up his then-long hair to share in the viral moment.

“12 was electric. It was just unbelievable,” Perez said. “I birdied it every day, so I gave them a little more show, but I had a blast.”

Of course, the biggest blast last year came when Chase Koepka, then a member of his brother Brooks’ Smash GC team, aced the 12th in the final round, setting off a raucous celebration that had been building for nearly three days. Chase is not in this week’s field, having been relegated after the season, but the memory of his shot lives on.

“You couldn’t have scripted it much better,” said LIV Golf Adelaide tournament director Nick Haslam, “except that I was stuck in the tournament office at the time.”

The Watering Hole was the culmination of a vision that Peter Malinauskas, the Premier of South Australia, had when Adelaide first secured the rights to LIV Golf’s first Australian tournament. A more traditional golf setup was first discussed, but Haslam said the Premier pushed for a party hole, thinking it would create the kind of buzz that goes with a larger-than-life event.

“He said, I love what you’re doing, but we want to invest more in the infrastructure to make a special hole for South Australia,” Haslam recalled. “And that was the genesis of The Watering Hole.”

The Premier then backed it up with financial support. “It’s no secret that the state government invests significantly in that hole,” Haslam said.

A huge success last year, the Watering Hole promises to be even bigger during this week’s return trip to South Australia. Capacity around the hole has been increased to 5,000 (it was 4,000 last year), and an additional viewing platform has been added – one of 10 new platforms added around the course that will increase capacity and enhance the fan experience.

Meanwhile, there’s an increased focus on keeping everybody safe and happy, while beer cans have been replaced by sustainable and reusable plastic cups.

But inside the ropes, the tee shot still won’t be easy. Rahm's first look was not what he expected. “A lot harder of a hole than I ever pictured, to be honest,” the Legion XIII captain said.

And this was without thousands of fans enjoying the party vibe, the music, the anticipation of exploding at any moment depending on the quality of the shot.

Rahm has seen the video of Koepka’s ace. He’d love nothing more than to set off a similar eruption this week. He just wishes the hole was a tad easier. At 165 yards, it’s the second shortest hole at The Grange Golf Course but played as the fifth most difficult hole last year.

“It you’re going to do a stadium, maybe give us a bit shorter of a hole so the chances of making it are a little bit higher,” he said with a smile. “But it’s still a sight to see. Absolutely incredible.”