Min Woo Lee, Smith back ace-friendly pin for party hole

But Lee and Smith know a repeat of the wild scenes when Chase Koepka aced Adelaide's LIV Golf equivalent in April will be unlikely if the pin is tucked away in the top-right corner of a green surrounded by bunkers.

Chase Koepka just hit a hole in one on LIV Golf's party hole in Australia — Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) pic.twitter.com/EJR5SgPq2RApril 23, 2023

Lee, fresh off securing his full PGA Tour status, and British Open champion Smith agree a more favourable placement, at least earlier in the tournament, would be a hit.

"Everyone wants to see birdies ... and sticking it close with a wedge," Lee said.

"Everyone's half drunk and want to see some good shots. I'm that type of player that loves crowds, I don't shy away from them."

Like Lee, three-time event winner Smith embraces the energy of a hole that will feature live music and none of the usual golf etiquette that asks for silence from spectators before a shot is played.

"Aussies are a pretty rowdy bunch to begin with and you give them something like that, and a hole-in-one, you can see what happens," Smith said.

"Hopefully they can be a little bit nicer to us and put us (the pin) down that bowl a couple of times and hopefully someone can get a hole-in-one.

"Maybe not even one, maybe have five. 

"Sunday (for the final round) might be a bit of a different story, put it back there in a hard spot, but Friday and Saturday, let us go at it."

Fifth at this year's US Open, Lee has earned a following across the globe and is anticipating another strong gallery when he tees off on Thursday.

"It is a tight turnaround, but I'm so excited because it is a course that I play well on," he said.

"I enjoy being out here and especially with the Aussie crowd, the last couple of years, last year especially unbelievable with fairways filled.

"It is nice to be one of the top names and get such a following."

The 25-year-old was set to feature in the Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy-backed The Golf League that has been postponed until 2025 because of damage to their Florida arena.

"It was a sad time, I was really excited to play with the big boys and play a different type of golf," he said.

"I had a really cool team that wasn't public yet ... we could have done lots of damage but I'll be excited for 2025."