Meanwhile, the mid-February slot began looking like a nice fit in the South Australian entertainment calendar. The 25th anniversary of the Santos Tour Down Under cycling competition is scheduled for late January, and Adelaide’s festival season kicks off in late February. 

As for the Australian golfing calendar, the Australian PGA is set for November 21-24, and the Australian Open the following week, so no conflicts there. 

On the LIV Golf calendar, Adelaide assumes an earlier spot on the schedule, coming immediately after the season-opener in Riyadh. Starting the tournament on Valentine’s Day is a bonus.

“Summer obviously is the traditional time that major golfing events happen on Australian shores,” Premier Malinauskas said. “It would mean that we’re earlier in the LIV schedule, which brings a benefit as well. This is a decision that we’ve made in collaboration with LIV and we’re very grateful for their cooperation in this regard

“It doesn’t mean that the event will be in February every single year from here on in, but it is a shift that we want to give a red-hot go at to see how it performs into the future, particularly given our aspirations to grow this event over the years ahead.”

LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman is ecstatic to see the tournament continue to grow in his native land.

“As an Aussie, I’m proud of how South Australia has embraced LIV Golf to make it one of the top sporting events in the country,” Norman said. “Over the past two years, Adelaide has showcased what our League can deliver: a destination event with passionate crowds where world-class team competition, entertainment and culture take center stage. 

“It’s been the highlight tournament on our calendar for players and fans, alike, and we can’t wait to return to The Grange in February.”

More than 40% of the ticket purchasers for the 2024 event were from out of state, and 97% of those fans travelled to Adelaide specifically to attend the golf tournament. The direct expenditure of $71.1 million was a 10% increase from 2023.

No wonder Premier Malinauskas and the rest of South Australia are eager to see what LIV Golf Adelaide can achieve during the summer.

“There’s something for everyone at a LIV tournament,” he said, “and doing it in February next year, I think we’ll see a lot of people come to our state, even in more volume from what we saw throughout the course of 2023 and 2024.”