25 Apr 2024 | Professional golf |
Headline players have their say at The Grange
by Contributor
The second year of LIV Adelaide is upon us with the field of 54 ready to tackle The Grange in Adelaide.
Here’s what some of the headline players have been saying in the build-up.
Cam Smith (Ripper GC captain)
“I think what Goochy did last year was pretty insane. I don't think we'll see that again. We were just looking at his stats actually yesterday, and what he did and trying to basically mimic that for this year. Yeah, looking at what he did, it was pretty insane golf.
“I think we'll get somewhere around where he finished, but those first couple of rounds, I wouldn't expect 20-under to be leading after two rounds this year. That's pretty insane.”
John Rahm (Legion XIII captain)
“I'm really excited to be here. I've seen the golf course a little bit, and I can see why everybody was raving about it. If we don't get a lot of wind or any rain, which it doesn't look like it, it can get really firm and fast and make it a really entertaining event, not only for us but for everybody watching.”
Marc Leishman (Ripper GC)
“Yeah, it would be pretty crazy if any one of us won. To win it would be certainly a career highlight and a pretty big few days to follow I would think.”
Defending champion Talor Gooch (Smash GC)
“Obviously it was a great year here last year. I mean, the week, not even counting the win, just the environment, the atmosphere, it was great. Excited for all of it. Excited to be back and try to defend. Excited to be back in this crowd and in this country. Just all of it, it's exciting.”
“I love the grasses around here. It's very similar to the style of grass that I grew up playing with the greens being bent greens, the fairways being Bermuda, how they are. For me, I love bent greens, and we haven't played bent greens this year yet, so I'm excited to get on some bent greens.”
Matt Jones (Ripper GC)
“I think last year, Friday and Saturday was a lot softer than we were used to and expecting, so we probably played a little more like you would play a typical Australian golf course, where Sunday it was a lot firmer and faster, and I think our team was one of the low rounds for the day on Sunday.
“I think that has a lot to do with our preparation this year, that if it is going to be soft, we're going to have to play a little differently, maybe more like an American golfer would play where we just bomb it, if the greens are softer like they were last year on Friday and Saturday.”
Lucas Herbert (Ripper GC)
“I just bought a new pair of shoes yesterday in anticipation for any shoeys that might come, so I'm coming in prepared.”
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