Staff WriterIf you ever needed proof that LIV Golf Adelaide is equal parts leaderboard and carnival, here it is: win on Sunday and you don’t just lift a trophy — you might end up on stage celebrating with Grammy Award-nominated musical artist FISHER. That’s the carrot dangling over The Grange Golf Club this weekend, and Jon Rahm has taken a hefty bite out of it.
After 36 holes, the Legion XIII captain climbed to the top by doing that rarest of things in modern pro golf: making it look easy. A second-round, bogey-free 9-under 63 on Friday pushed him to 13 under, one clear of the field and two rounds away from turning a golf tournament into a nightclub with grass.
“Being able to share that stage with FISHER on Sunday as the champion is something I think all of us want to do,” Rahm said. “It’s just a unique experience.”
Rahm’s putter goes volcanic at The Grange
Rahm didn’t just shoot 63 — he manufactured it, one rolling bomb after another. He holed a 47-foot eagle putt at the par-5 seventh, then sprinkled in five more putts from the 10- to 25-foot range. The total was the kind of number that makes a greenkeeper wince.
“I can’t remember the last time I made this many, but it was a lot – and the ones that didn’t go in looked like they were going to go in,” Rahm said. “It was a fantastic day on the greens.”
The rest of the field got the same invitation: come and make birdies. Plenty accepted.
Campbell’s charge — and the “135 beers” maths problem
The closest chaser is RangeGoats GC’s Ben Campbell, who matched Rahm’s 63 thanks to a run of five consecutive birdies — the sort of stretch that makes you start wondering if the hole locations have been bribed.
Campbell may not have won professionally in Australia, but he knows the sandbelt rhythms and he’s got a travelling choir in the gallery. Friends and family made the hop over to Adelaide, and some of those friends — because golfers are never normal — apparently operate on a strict liquid-reward policy.
He said a group of 15 mates has a rule – one beer for every birdie, two for an eagle. Campbell had 7 birdies and 1 eagle on Friday, so that total number for 15 people is 135 beers.
“It’s great,” Campbell said of the support. “It’s as close to I get playing at home. Everyone has been amazing.”
You can almost hear the clink of cold ones every time he hits a fairway.
DeChambeau hangs around despite wedge woes and bunker bad luck
Another shot back sits Crushers GC captain Bryson DeChambeau, who posted a 5-under 67 that included an eagle at the par-5 7th — but also came with the sort of chaos he tends to attract like a magnet attracts iron filings.
A gust at the par-3 14th shoved his ball into a greenside bunker and left it plugged. Two shots to escape, then a salvage bogey. Not ideal when the course is handing out red numbers like party wristbands.
“I was scrambling all day,” said DeChambeau, seeking his first LIV Golf individual win since last year in Korea, “and that’s something you just can’t do if you’re trying to win a golf tournament.”
In other words: when LIV Golf Adelaide turns into a sprint, you don’t want to be tying your shoelaces.
Kim lurking, Gooch flying, Grace steady
New 4Aces GC member Anthony Kim is solo fourth after a bogey-free 67, while Smash GC captain Talor Gooch — the inaugural Adelaide winner in 2023 — is tied for fifth with Southern Guards GC’s Branden Grace.
And yes, the scoring got properly spicy: three rounds of 63 (just one off the course record set by Gooch in 2023), a field stroke average of 69.035 that was more than two shots better than Thursday, and eagles popping up all over the shop — including a rarity from David Puig.
“Overall, with less wind today and the fairways being a little bit firmer, the course was easier,” Rahm said. “I think the scores reflected it. I saw a lot of low rounds out there. But still, it can get tricky.”
Gooch, who has seen this movie before at The Grange, nodded at the recipe: elite players plus friendly weather equals fireworks.
“When you’ve got this many great players in the field, this type of place, if you don’t get much wind, there’s going to be some birdies made out there,” he said.
The leaders’ group is stacked — and Campbell can’t wait
Saturday’s final trio off the No. 1 tee brings together the top three: Rahm, Campbell and DeChambeau. Two multiple major winners and a New Zealander playing with house money and a gallery that sounds like it arrived early and stayed late.
“I’ve learned a lot from hanging out with those guys, having dinner with guys like Rahm,” Campbell said. “I’ve played a couple of times with him. I don’t think I’ve ever played with Bryson, so looking forward to that tomorrow.”
Herbert, the Rippers and why team wins bring the better parties
Three teams — including the home favourite Ripper GC — sit a shot behind the joint team lead. Lucas Herbert led the Rippers on Friday with a 7-under 65 to sit tied seventh individually, and he made it clear where his attention is aimed.
“Probably more interested in the team leaderboard than I am the individual at the moment,” Herbert said. “I’ve had parties for winning and I’ve had parties for winning the team events, and I can tell you the team events are a lot more fun when we win those.”
He’s riding momentum from Riyadh and trying not to burn fuel too early in the week — particularly in the heat — in a quote that reads like every golfer’s internal monologue when the swing finally behaves.
“I think I had kind of two things to deal with,” Herbert said. “One was obviously I got off to a bad start last week, so I wanted to make sure I got off to a better start this week. It’s a four-rounder. You can’t win it on the first day, but you can definitely lose it. So I wanted to make sure I didn’t lose it on that first day, and I was happy with yesterday. I think I was two shots outside the top 10 when I finished, which is very respectable and right there with it.
“There was that, but then also I think sometimes when you’re playing well, it can be a little scary because you almost – I don’t know what to do. You’re always working on things when your game is struggling, and you know things that you’re working into or feels that you’re trying to create or whatever. When you’re playing well, it can be a bit scary sometimes going, well, what do I do now. So just wanted to make sure I didn’t over-practice early in the week, didn’t overdo it.
“It’s pretty easy to burn energy out there, especially in the heat. Just wanted to make sure I tried to burn as few calories as I could the last few days, so I’ve got some energy left come Sunday. Now it looks like we’re going to be somewhere up the top of the leaderboard going into Saturday at least, so I’ve got that energy to spare.”
The Watering Hole playlist wars: Mariah Carey, Ozzy… and Crazy Frog
Because this is LIV Golf Adelaide, even the walk-up songs come with mind games. At the par-3 12th — The Watering Hole, party central — Legion XIII’s captain and Tyrrell Hatton pick each other’s tracks (and those of their younger teammates) without warning.
On Friday, Rahm got “Always Be My Baby,” by Mariah Carey. Hatton’s was “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne. Tom McKibbin walked out to “Freak Me” by Silk and Caleb Surratt got “Axel F” by Crazy Frog.
“I think Caleb gets the harder ones just because musically, at least, he listens to mostly country, so we’re trying to go as far away as possible from things like that,” Rahm explained. “While Baby Shark was going on yesterday, he had Crazy Frog today.
“It’s just fun because we know it upsets him so much. The other three of us don’t really care. I just think it’s a little bit of fun with something like that. I’m looking forward to whatever they may have tomorrow.”
If you can birdie with Crazy Frog in your ear, you can birdie with anything.
Puig’s albatross: “One of the best moments of my life…”
Thirteen players made eagles or better on Friday, but Fireballs GC’s David Puig produced the headline act: the league’s third-ever albatross, a hole-out second shot from 209 yards at the par-5 10th.
“Wanted to hit a draw 6-iron,” Puig said. “Obviously I hit it perfect. I saw it pitch and kind of disappear, and obviously the reaction of the crowd kind of made it more real. It was definitely the best moment of the week. One of the best moments of my life on a golf course, for sure.”
What to watch on moving day
Rahm has the lead, the form, and a putter that behaved like it had its own caffeine schedule. Campbell has momentum — and, apparently, a thirsty support crew. DeChambeau is contending while wrestling wedges and wind gods. Kim is quietly pristine. The teams are tied, the atmosphere is loud, and the stage is literally waiting.
All that’s left is 36 holes, a bit of nerve, and the small matter of trying to win LIV Golf Adelaide without thinking about the post-round party.
