South Australian treasurer Tom Koutsantonis says it’s “looking unlikely” that the LIV Golf Adelaide event will go ahead in 2027.
It’s the first official word of doubt to come out about the proposed LIV Golf 2.0 schedule, which is slated to be 10 events with ones in Australia and South Africa the jewels in that due to the huge attendances they attract.
The doubts have been raised as LIV Golf faces more legal issues, this time with new host Kooyonga Golf Club filing a motion in US bankruptcy court putting a deadline on when to be notified if next year’s event will go ahead.
Kooyonga is set to take over from The Grange as interim host for LIV Golf Adelaide while a new course is built, and officials there want to know if the event will go ahead, and who will be playing in it, by 6 November.
It’s another deadline fot CEO Scott O’Neil to deal with as the proposed investment deal with BC Partners depends on enough big players having signed up by around 13 October.
You may like
LIV Golf and the South Australian government have a deal in place to stage an event through to 2031, but it’s unclear how contracts signed with the team based tour will carry over with the 2.0 version that emerges after bankruptcy.
Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis still hopes to work with LIV Golf and put on more huge events that have been so beneficial for Australian golf fans and the local economy, but wasn’t sounding positive when he spoke to ABC radio.
Koutsantonis was asked if he thought LIV Golf Adelaide would go ahead in 2027, and replied: “I hope so, but it’s looking unlikely.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
And he added that Kooyonga officials were within their rights to be seeking answers from LIV sooner rather than later – with so much uncertainty still floating about the tour.
“Kooyonga is right to be asking these questions of LIV about whether it will be staged, what would it look like, who’s coming,” Koutsantonis added. “These are questions that LIV have to answer.”
So with multiple looming deadlines, and Kooyonga wanting answers within a month or so, O’Neil yet again is up against it – with players such as Jon Rahm and even Australian hero Cameron Smith not yet committing their futures to LIV before they get some firm details.
The Adelaide event has been huge for LIV, and South Australia, with over 100,000 at this year’s event, and while Koutsantonis hopes it would continue – having the Australian Open being boosted by the DP World Tour and PGA Tour is a fine replacement.
“The government is working very hard to make sure that we’ve got a replacement with the Australian Open, men and women coming over the next six years to South Australia, so that’s a good outcome to replace LIV.”
EXCLUSIVE: The Kooyonga Golf Club has launched legal action in the US, in a bid to force LIV Golf to reveal its intentions for next year’s event. pic.twitter.com/k6UqfkUef2September 30, 2026