If you follow professional golf at any capacity, you are aware of the impact LIV Golf has made in the professional golf landscape. It’s such a polarizing topic that people get heated when giving their opinions. I’ve listened to multiple podcasts and SiriusXM radio where conversations get heated when the topic is debated. It’s incredible the spectrum of opinions on LIV Golf. This post isn’t meant to be political in any way. I’m simply sharing facts and giving my opinion on the league and of my time at LIV Golf Greenbrier.
The Origins
The LIV Golf league launched in the summer of 2022 with one goal in mind. To change the landscape of professional golf. With a surge of younger podcasters, influencers, and media members putting their own unique twist on the game, it felt there was a demand for a league that offers a different product than what we have currently. This is where LIV Golf comes in.
One of the main issues (if not the main issue) with LIV Golf is where the financial backing comes from, and that’s the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, or PIF for short. Many people deter from LIV Golf due to the multiple human rights issues in the country, including the highly publicized killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. There have been many protests at LIV tournaments in the United States and the players recruited to the league have faced harsh criticism throughout the two year run of the league.
LIV Golf does things differently than their counterpart, the PGA Tour. To begin, players have signed multi-year deals with LIV Golf where they are paid up front money to play. It was reported Dustin Johnson accepted a $125 million offer while Phil Mickelson accepted a $200 million signing bonus to join LIV. On top of the fronted money, every tournament’s purse is a whopping $20 million, with $4 million going to the winner of the individual competition. Another unique part of the league is the team aspect. They have signed 48 players, which are broken down into 12 four-man teams where each team has a captain that has controlling stake in the team. The team competition is also heavily compensated with the winning team getting $3 million, 2nd place getting $1.5 million, and 3rd taking home $500,000.
Unlike the PGA Tour, LIV Golf only plays 54 holes as opposed to the 72 holes played on the PGA Tour. There is no mid-way cut so everyone is guaranteed a paycheck at the end of the event. Finally, there is only one tee time. LIV begins each round with a shotgun start. Meaning each group starts at the same time but on a different hole. You play each hole until you get back to the hole you started.
Did The Event LIV Up To Expectations?
I was able to attend Saturday’s 2nd round of LIV Golf Greenbrier since it was only a couple of hours away. I wanted to keep an open mind and just enjoy the golf and come up with a fair critique of the league. I had watched a couple of final round broadcasts before this, so I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect.
Since they do a shotgun start, everybody was on the practice area as we walked on property. With Post Malone and Avicii playing loudly through the speakers, we enjoyed watching the players hit balls on the range and practice on the putting green. When there’s ten minutes left until start time, they shut the practice area down and give the players time to drive out to their respective holes for the shotgun start. There’s a loud DJ-esk countdown that takes place, then airhorns blow signaling the start of the round. During the day, there’s music playing and a laid-back vibe throughout the property. There’s events going on for fan interaction, such as food trucks and concession stands, fun games with prizes, and a decent merchandise tent. I did enjoy the atmosphere of the event and how the music was playing through the entirety of the property. It made it seem like I was playing a Saturday skins game with the boys.
The shotgun start takes getting used to for me. Throughout my days on West Virginia’s premier junior tour, we always had a shotgun start and the tee times were saved for special championships. If you just want to spend five to six hours watching golf and then go home, LIV is right up your alley. I was there the entire round but felt like I didn’t have the time to see everyone I wanted. We watched Phil, Branden Grace, and Carlos Ortiz tee off on 7, then walked to the other end of the property so we could catch Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Matt Jones on 13. If you wanted to see everybody, it’s best to find a hole and stay there. My problem is I like to jump around and see different holes and different shots. That is difficult to do watching a LIV event.
I do like when you go a PGA Tour event, you have a morning and afternoon wave on Thursday and Friday. You can stay all day if you want, or pick a time you want to watch and just attend during that time. I still think a shotgun start takes away from a dramatic storytelling aspect in a final round. It seems weird if the winner comes from behind and nails the winning putt on the 4th hole. I could hear a case for a shotgun start, but still iffy for me.
Final take
Do I believe they should receive World Golf Rankings? No probably not. There is competition out there but it’s not grinding like many do on the PGA Tour. They made a decision to accept life-changing amounts of money to not play in events such as the Ryder Cup, major championships, and the PGA Tour’s most prestigious championships. However, they need to figure out how to get the top handful of players on LIV in major championships. The ones that deserve to be in them are already except for a few more years, but it remains to be seen how that will be handled, along with the partnership that was announced back in June. It was announced that the PIF would invest money into the PGA Tour and DP World Tour where they would partner together to come up with an agreement, dropping their anti-trust lawsuits and work together on drafting a new venture.
I do love the team aspect of LIV Golf. Once they get some experience and things iron out with the league, I think there will be some intense drama with the teams on LIV. The best scenario would be a Ryder Cup feel each event where the players and fan are deeply invested in their team. Will there be hatred between the 4 Aces and The Range Goats? What if there was such a great story to tell if Stinger GC and Ripper GC have duked it out all year long and they’re facing off in a match play setting in the finals. To be honest, some of the names are cringy, but the blueprints of the format are excellent.
Even though the players accepted crazy amounts of money to make the jump to LIV, I assumed it wouldn’t be as competitive as it was. I watched many groups come through and they all seemed they were grinding over every shot. I found out LIV has a relegation aspect of the league, so I’m sure that explains it. To me, it didn’t feel like a true competition like a PGA Tour event. It felt like the Harlem Globetrotters were in town for an exhibition. Did I enjoy it? Yes, I absolutely did. Politics aside, I believe LIV Golf has a place in the game and has some great aspects. If they tweak some things with the league and find a way to give the deserving players spots in the majors, I don’t see a problem with LIV.
Have you attended a LIV Golf event? What did you think?