Liv Golf Central Thread: Events and News

[William P]

I am in the @Josh Parker boat on this subject. While I watched more this week due to the combined field of the Master's, I'm tired of the "poor me" behavior being demonstrated by those who freely choose this profession. The risks and rewards of the profession are known going in. If the media will get out of the way and quit exacerbating the situation it should settle down quickly as most don't care, they just want to see the game's best compete. Until then I will be engaging in other activities in lieu of watching PGAT broadcasts.

[Preeway]

2 hours ago, Josh Parker said:

I wasn't a BD fan for a long time but then started watching some of his stuff and the thought process that he takes to the course. Super smart and really looks at the science behind things. 

Agreed. Wasn't a big fan when he was in his bombs away mindset. Always seemed too cocky and could rarely put two rounds together. Then he and Koepka got into it. Just had an ugly "frat guy" kind of feel about him. He seems to have mellowed out a bit thought, or maybe just matured. Wasn't really pulling for him but it was fun to watch him play.

[chisag]

2 hours ago, Middler said:

I still don't care or watch LIV (a few great players and a bunch of has beens/wannabees)

I was glad to see LIV was a washout at the Masters...it's pretty clear which players don't care about anything but money anymore.

 

... As much as some would like to proclaim it is, it isn't as simple as a different employer. You can't buy integrity. 

[Alan K]

The LIV should adopt whatever it needs to do to make all the LIV players eligible for FedEx points, putting the LIV and PGA on equal footing. That means the LIV will adopt four-day tournaments, long pants, and no more loud techno crap music. 

Tell Rory the insane 850 Million + 2% is off the table. LIV should allocate all the Rory bucks into buying television rights on the golf channel. Lord knows the golf channel's programming needs work. 

Now we have good old American competition. The PGA will open its tournaments to LIV's best golfers, and all the PGA's best golfers can play LIV tournaments without penalty.

Who Wins - we the consumers of professional Golf.

Signed the ghost of Prestwick Golf Club

 

 

 

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 minute ago, Alan K said:

The LIV should adopt whatever it needs to do to make all the LIV players eligible for FedEx points, putting the LIV and PGA on equal footing. That means the LIV will adopt four-day tournaments, long pants, and no more loud techno crap music. 

I believed gone confusing FedEx cup points and owgr points.

FedEx cup points are awarded to golfers who play on pga tour events, LIV would never be eligible for those. 
 

Owgr points is what they need to be able to qualify for playing in majors if they aren’t already exempt. They had the chance to do this and told the owgr board no thanks and then later went on to pull their application. LIV leadership doesn’t care to abide by the norms of the professional tours that participate in owgr

 

[Alan K]

Good points, Ricky Bobby - If the LIV adopted OWGR eligibility guidelines, wouldn't that level the playing field, and we, the consumer, would be able to watch the best PGA and LIV players compete in all major and nonmajor tournaments?

[RickyBobby_PR]

16 minutes ago, Alan K said:

Good points, Ricky Bobby - If the LIV adopted OWGR eligibility guidelines, wouldn't that level the playing field, and we, the consumer, would be able to watch the best PGA and LIV players compete in all major and nonmajor tournaments?

It would help them, but as I said LOV leadership decided to not take the recommendations from the owgr board and implement them. Then pulled their application so until the either change their way of playing that meets the owgr criteria and reapply LIV will not receive owgr points and the members there will continue to slide down the ranking and lose out on opportunities for the majors unless they can perform well enough in them to eat a spot the following year or the next major. Right now Bryson has one year left of eligibility for the masters

[tdroma98]

18 hours ago, mikeanthony said:

If true, wow. 

Well, that would be disappointing news for Rory to defect to a competing Tour - LIV.  I am not going to get into the politics of the LIV, but will say, I've not missed one who fled the PGA, including Rahm and DeChambeau. I've not watched 1 second of the LIV & have no interest in watching.  

Greg Norman made hundreds of millions of $$ building the Shark Brand as a Member of the PGA Tour including being a fan favorite. It's been his mission to start a competing tour for the past 30+ yrs.  New players emerge on the PGA Tour as Norman poaches.  But there will come a time this all comes to a head and in the end, the fans lose.  If true, Adios Rory!  

[chisag]

8 minutes ago, tdroma98 said:

If true, Adios Rory!  

 

From the Irish Independence:

Rory McIlroy has insisted he will be a PGA Tour player “for the rest of my career” as he rubbished reports he was considering a head-turning $850million move to LIV Golf.

The Northern Irishman was baffled of where reports stemmed from, with London financial paper City AM reporting that sources have told them that McIlroy “could” join LIV Golf.

McIlroy was asked today about the report and continued rumours circulating over him possibly jumping to LIV and he dismissed them out of hand.

"I honestly don’t know how these things get started. I have never been offered a number from LIV and have never contemplated going. I’ve made it clear over the past two years that I don’t think it’s something for me. Doesn’t mean that I judge people that have gone over and played over there.” he said.

“One of the things I’ve realised over the last two years is that people can make their own decisions for whatever they think is best for themselves. Who are we to judge that?

"Personally for me, my future is here on the PGA Tour. It’s never been any different.”

McIlroy also added that he has no idea where the rumours came from, stating that he will play the PGA Tour “for the rest of my career”.

The reports was earlier today slammed as “fake news” by his management.

“Fake news. Zero truth,” McIlroy’s manager Sean O’Flaherty said in an email.

 

 

[tdroma98]

Good post @chisag! Thanks for sharing.   Thought it odd, the report of him leaving for LIV would occur this week. But he's in the RBC Heritage field.  Would not put it beyond Norman & Co for being the "Leakers", to create constant turmoil. 

[funkyjudge]

So many unfounded rumors! Here’s another rumor that has been circulating for the past week or more: LIV Tour is said to be considering going to a 72-hole format with no shotgun starts. When Jon Rahm was questioned about this, his response was, “Yes, that has been discussed”, but he didn’t elaborate about where or by whom it has been discussed.

If LIV indeed makes the above changes in tournament format, withholding of World Ranking Points would become far more difficult to justify.

[Javs]

52 minutes ago, tdroma98 said:

Well, that would be disappointing news for Rory to defect to a competing Tour - LIV.  I am not going to get into the politics of the LIV, but will say, I've not missed one who fled the PGA, including Rahm and DeChambeau. I've not watched 1 second of the LIV & have no interest in watching.  

Greg Norman made hundreds of millions of $$ building the Shark Brand as a Member of the PGA Tour including being a fan favorite. It's been his mission to start a competing tour for the past 30+ yrs.  New players emerge on the PGA Tour as Norman poaches.  But there will come a time this all comes to a head and in the end, the fans lose.  If true, Adios Rory!  

Great points and I agree!

[Preeway]

8 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

So many unfounded rumors! Here’s another rumor that has been circulating for the past week or more: LIV Tour is said to be considering going to a 72-hole format with no shotgun starts. When Jon Rahm was questioned about this, his response was, “Yes, that has been discussed”, but he didn’t elaborate about where or by whom it has been discussed.

If LIV indeed makes the above changes in tournament format, withholding of World Ranking Points would become far more difficult to justify.

The biggest obstacle for OWGR isn’t the 54 vs. 72 holes. It’s the closed shop format with no cuts. The feeble attempt to drop a few languishing at the bottom and bring in a couple new faces didn’t pass muster with the OWGR. LIV is currently exactly as they want it. I don’t see them changing much in the short term. 

[Javs]

9 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

So many unfounded rumors! Here’s another rumor that has been circulating for the past week or more: LIV Tour is said to be considering going to a 72-hole format with no shotgun starts. When Jon Rahm was questioned about this, his response was, “Yes, that has been discussed”, but he didn’t elaborate about where or by whom it has been discussed.

If LIV indeed makes the above changes in tournament format, withholding of World Ranking Points would become far more difficult to justify.

Hey I heard a rumor that My Spy is working to get the season three VCT winner an invitation to the Masters……ha ha

[RickyBobby_PR]

46 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

So many unfounded rumors! Here’s another rumor that has been circulating for the past week or more: LIV Tour is said to be considering going to a 72-hole format with no shotgun starts. When Jon Rahm was questioned about this, his response was, “Yes, that has been discussed”, but he didn’t elaborate about where or by whom it has been discussed.

If LIV indeed makes the above changes in tournament format, withholding of World Ranking Points would become far more difficult to justify.

Not really. They don’t want to change how people can get in and relegation. This was the biggest concern from the owgr.

They also pulled their application so it’s not even under consideration anymore by the owgr board. So they would have to reapply and go thru the process all over again which I doubt they will do

if they go to 72 holes it will be interesting to see if they change their name. LIV = 54

[tdroma98]

9 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

if they go to 72 holes it will be interesting to see if they change their name. LIV = 54

They can go to LIVLXXII @RickyBobby_PR

[silver & black]

On 4/16/2024 at 4:32 PM, Preeway said:

I don’t see them changing much in the short term. 

In the short term, no. If LIV wants to have it's players be able to compete in Majors, It will have to change in the future. Maybe LIV just doesn't care.... but I would bet the players do.

[silver & black]

On 4/16/2024 at 11:27 AM, Stuka44 said:

I believe I said it was only a matter of time.  I also said the PGA needed to get off its high horse, and stop believing that it was better than everyone.  Also that it needed to stop trying to convince their players that to be paid their worth, in an industry that makes BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, made them a bad person.

We'll see!  If Rory does go, then we'll see who the first major network, that realizes people will watch Rory McIlroy, is to offer a TV deal.  PGA needs to be VERY CAREFUL, at this point.  Golf is not better, it is not special.  And the players who are making others, FILTHY RICH, now realize they should be getting paid more.

Rory is worth just as much to golf as Shohei Otani is to baseball.

I'm not saying its right, or its good for the game, but I believe the PGA's "We are golf" stance since the beginning, and currently has forced the issue.

"That's just the way it is" as Bruce Hornsby sang!

The National Golf Foundation, valued the golf industry, in the United States ONLY  in 2022 at 101.7 BILLION dollars.  Now who is responsible for golf being worth this much now.   its the players, that allow these organizations to make all this money.  Oh and a $50,000,000 a year salary for McIlroy is 0.0004 % of 101.7 Billion.

Anybody know any of these people....Buddy Hield,  Keldon Johnson,  Clint Capela, Malcolm Brogdon,  Gary Trent Jr.,  or John Collins.  I didn't think so.  These are just a few NBA players that NOBODY KNOWS, who make between 18 and 25 million dollars a year, to help Lebron James make 47 million dollars a year, and owners, and equipment, and shoe makers, a WHOLE CRAP LOAD MORE MONEY THAN THAT.

The guys who miss the cut, allow there to be a golf tournament, which IS THE REASON all of the club manufacturers , and ball makers, and shoe makers,  can pay the stars all the money, to make even more money for themselves.  The PGA is mad because it and all of the equipment manufactures, and everyone involved with the game of golf is realizing that the amount of people willing to be FREE LABOR, for them is going away.  The "Genie" is out of the bottle, and there is no putting him back in.

Great post. 

[mardukes]

On 4/16/2024 at 4:22 PM, tdroma98 said:

They can go to LIVLXXII @RickyBobby_PR

maybe rebranding could go a long way towards patching things.  They could get LXXII Thompson as a spokesperson.  (she was like 9 over on the front yesterday!?)

[Owengeorge13]

I haven’t posted on this thread in awhile!  Looking forward to taping and watching Adelaide this weekend.  I’ve been able to watch most rounds so far this year.  It’s been really good.

[Fongle]

I'm wildly biased as an Aussie, but bloody hell that was a hell of a finish to the event. I haven't seen crowds like that outside of Augusta in a long time

[jolter1]

In the back of my mind there is this gnawing feeling that no matter what LIV does, it will never acquire world ranking points which will result in a whole new wave of litigation. The other feeling I have is that the PGA players themselves are now holding up any kind of agreement between the Tour and PIF. Spieth indicated previously that the Tour, with its new found invester SSG, really does not need PIF money anymore. This along with the fact that allegedly, the Saudies requested Rory be returned to the Players Board in the hope this may smooth the path toward some agreement. What I suspect to see is that PIF eventually purchases the DPWorld Tour after negotiations with the PGATour falter which will result in a brand new world wide golf system leaving the PGATour wondering what went wrong.

[Owengeorge13]

This weekends LIV tournament has been hands down better then any PGA tour event then I have tried to watch this year.  I don’t want any spoilers!  Seems like the team aspect just really tickles my fancy.  I can’t get enough!  Oh and by the way, shorts and music everywhere!!!!!   Music and shorts!!!!

[Woodrow72]

7 hours ago, jolter1 said:

In the back of my mind there is this gnawing feeling that no matter what LIV does, it will never acquire world ranking points which will result in a whole new wave of litigation. The other feeling I have is that the PGA players themselves are now holding up any kind of agreement between the Tour and PIF. Spieth indicated previously that the Tour, with its new found invester SSG, really does not need PIF money anymore. This along with the fact that allegedly, the Saudies requested Rory be returned to the Players Board in the hope this may smooth the path toward some agreement. What I suspect to see is that PIF eventually purchases the DPWorld Tour after negotiations with the PGATour falter which will result in a brand new world wide golf system leaving the PGATour wondering what went wrong.

Well Speith  obviously doesn’t understand the economics of the tour , they’re passing out hundreds of millions of dollars but where is the next round going to come from ? Their product is stale and there’s no TW  in the wings to bring it back . It’s truly boring to watch a Tour event for me as it’s either Rory or Jordan or Scottie or Justin whether they’re in the hunt or not .

[RickyBobby_PR]

8 hours ago, jolter1 said:

In the back of my mind there is this gnawing feeling that no matter what LIV does, it will never acquire world ranking points which will result in a whole new wave of litigation

What litigation? The world ranking points is simple and the players could have been earning them had their leadership accepted the proposed changes from the owgr board. But not only did they not accept them they pulled their application so it’s all on LIV leadership, they have nobody to sue, they chose to not have their tour earn points

[jolter1]

3 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

What litigation? The world ranking points is simple and the players could have been earning them had their leadership accepted the proposed changes from the owgr board. But not only did they not accept them they pulled their application so it’s all on LIV leadership, they have nobody to sue, they chose to not have their tour earn points

There can always be litigation, that is what lawyers live for. Just because the PGATour buckled doesn't mean LIV may or will still litigate ranking points, especially if by some quirk of fate, they purchase the DPWorldTour.

[Owengeorge13]

8 minutes ago, jolter1 said:

There can always be litigation, that is what lawyers live for. Just because the PGATour buckled doesn't mean LIV may or will still litigate ranking points, especially if by some quirk of fate, they purchase the DPWorldTour.

Stop arguing, just watch!

[RickyBobby_PR]

6 minutes ago, jolter1 said:

There can always be litigation, that is what lawyers live for. Just because the PGATour buckled doesn't mean LIV may or will still litigate ranking points, especially if by some quirk of fate, they purchase the DPWorldTour.

Other than the pga tour being on the board they have no role in what LIV not getting ranking points.Theres a process to get points, LIV went thru the process, the board said if you want points you need to do the following. LIV leadership said nope we aren’t going to do that and then later on said not only are we not going to change we are pulling out application. So are they going to argue that their own decision to was incorrect and needs to be reversed.

Well if they buy the DP word tour they wouldn’t have to litigate ranking points as the DP world tour has them, however if they changed the format for how the DP world tour runs events then they would likely lose their status and no longer receive points because they don’t meet the criteria.

 

[ArthurLong]

Greetings!

New here.

I honestly tried to make it through most of the meat of this thread (116 pages on LIV is a tough read any day of the week), but fell off at certain, often ad nauseam, talking points and lose interest in making it to the end

So I’ll just get going by saying I am absolutely, firmly in LIV’s court, and far away from that of the PGAT’s for near 2 years now

I’m a Canadian, so that first week in 2022 was quite conflicting. This controversial rogue tour was starting up on the same week as my national open (coincidentally the first time it was even being held since 2019!). Very frustrating. Made it easier for me to hate LIV and I did. Rory won a fantastic tournament that featured JT, Tony, Sam Burns and Scottie battling it out for the title, among others. He took a shot at Greg Norman with his 21 wins comment. I thought it was funny, and effectively buried LIV. At that point they only possessed what could be described as “less than likable” personalities. Bryson, DJ, Reed, Sergio ... I don’t even think Brooks joined at this point

 

But, then I started really paying attention to how the PGAT operates, and tried to really give a fair shake to the vision of what LIV will or is trying to produce
(For those that immediately jump to, or think of mentioning money here, I understand. But I have already read the OP warning about bringing politics or the source of the funding into this, as tough as that is, so I will continue to do my best to ignore that not to turn a blind eye to it, but to avoid serious conflict on this board I do not wish to provoke)

- A Global Tour
- Reduced schedule, not solely to make the lives of pro players easier (I could care less
really), but to increase the emphasis on the select few tournaments that will feature the
world’s best players
- 54 holes tournaments
- Shotgun starts
- A different way to broadcast the sport (increased use of graphics, data, drone footage)
- Piggybacking off the last point, targeting yourself towards a younger audience
- No commercials - utilizing YouTube because it’s 2024 and you do not have to be archaic
in your presentation of the sport
- Shorts (!)

Among the many things there (and anything else you think could be included), the main ones that stand out are the Global Tour and marketing yourself towards a younger audience.

 Golf is largely too American, and targeted towards an older audience. This may never truly, fundamentally change, but it is worth a shot trying to change it

I’m not saying LIV is perfect, we can debate that throughout, but what I’m saying is that these ideas need to be at least considered and approached with an open mind. And some people just flat out do not do that. I can just tell from many posts on this board, and from things I hear at my club that people are just not approaching this with any sort of impartiality, but come in with a predetermined frame of mind. I know, the politics and money get in the way, and it’s a massive cloud hanging over this, but as a Canadian, International, someone not from the USA, you can absolutely miss me with the “iT’s SauDi rUN!” and use morality as a defense. Please touch grass and read the news.

The PGAT sat on its high horse for years, so they don’t have anyone to blame but themselves. LIV golfers suck because they’re making boatloads of cash for playing no-cut events, so you’re response is to make your tour largely no-cut events for boatloads of guaranteed cash? Yeah, just say you had ZERO plan. Almost like they were running a Monopoly and wanted no one to ever question it

Most people I see who “hate” LIV have a staunch attitude towards the PGAT or the USA, so I really don’t know how to dance around the subject sometimes. Like I said, I believe people are rooted to what they want to believe and nothing will change them on that. As weird as that is to type out and then actual process.

But anyways, for me, I love LIV. I believe the coverage is night and day compared to the commercial-laden PGAT. The Miami tournament was absolutely thrilling, with a great finish. And this was topped by a spectacular spectacle in Adelaide this past weekend. The atmosphere was amazing to see even through TV, and the first ever team playoff was an absolute hit for me. The Aussie crowd has been robbed of top-level golf and they showed out this weekend. Loved it!

[mardukes]

No offense, but did I read that the playoff was won with a bogey?