LIV Golf just had a dream week. Here’s what that could mean | Monday Finish
The first LIV Golf event of the season ended on a somber note.
When LIV first announced its schedule for the 2024 season, we were surprised to learn that its debut event would coincide with the PGA Tour’s signature event at Pebble Beach. It seemed like a big gamble and maybe it was a mistake. Relatively few people watch the Mayakoba event, which takes place in one of the game’s most competitive arenas and one of its most legendary locations. But it rained. And the wind. And delay. And canceled on Sunday. It’s safe to say that playing Pebble Beach in early February would be a mistake. For the first time in eight years, the tour ended with 54 holes, which can be considered unfortunate. You might wonder if LIV has enough cash in its coffers to prepare for the monsoon. Whatever the reason, the fierce competition ended in a dream 2024 season. It’s hard to overstate how well LIV did on Sunday. But let me list a few.
Suddenly (1) there were no PGA Tour events to compete in, but PGA Tour fans could (2) prepare and travel to LIV planning an afternoon of golf. There have also been no LPGA events (3) to eliminate the Golf Channel as a landing spot for alternative live tournament action. As time went on and the PGA Tour and LIV floated the idea of a shared future, some fans were either open to the idea of seeing LIV (4) or reluctant to be a part of it. . The future of professional golf (5). It’s also the first Sunday without an NFL football game since early September (6), leaving sports fans desperate. It was a good opportunity to get a solid rating due to LIV’s continued recruitment and improved depth, but by these standards, it went well. With two holes to go, the trio of Sergio Garcia, Joaquin Niemann and blockbuster Jon Rahm were all in the lead (7), with the top two heading into a sudden-death playoff (8) that ended in darkness. , the extent of LIV TV. Prime time for Nieman to win (9), the scoreboard on the green lights up at 6 p.m. LIV has had big moments before, like Bryson DeChambeau’s 58 win or Dustin Johnson’s playoff win, but this was the first time LIV had a true moment of its own (10). That’s not to say that everyone who signed up liked it. But yes. It was a good week for LIV.
It’s been a tough week for the PGA Tour. It was an event that had been on the calendar for months, based on the idea of having top players compete in prime time on a non-football Sunday at one of the most famous golf courses in the world. It was also the week the tournament announced a deal with Strategic Sports Group (SSG) to give its top players a competitive edge, investing $1.5 billion in new business partnerships and hiring another $1.5 billion dollars later. It seemed like an opportunity to reward players, clarify future plans, and focus on LIV. But that was not the case. what is it now
The overwhelming response we saw from Sunday’s actions was a call for both sides to come together. I understand this. Watching LIV means many people remember the PGA Tour losing Niemann, Garcia and Rahm to play elsewhere. Not to mention Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Johnson, DeChambeau, etc. But a quick compromise looks unlikely this week.
During the offseason, LIV and the PGA Tour weren’t necessarily on the same page, but their trains were parked at the same station. now? The PGA Tour is going northeast and the LIV is going northwest, and they’re speeding up and away from each other by the minute. LIV is by far the best performer, but it has achieved something. The PGA Tour has enough money not to compromise. Playing cock with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is a dangerous strategy. However, PIF trading does not guarantee victory. There are still many reasons for compromise. The PGA Tour doesn’t want this game of chicken. PIF can still benefit from its partnership with the PGA Tour. SSG investors may be eager to connect with new funding sources. And the PIF wants to join the SSG and open the doors to other sports competitions. But I don’t think anything will happen anytime soon. Obviously, not everyone is on the same page about the Tour’s future or interests. Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy struck markedly different tones when describing the future of the PGA Tour. Spieth said the Tour would do well without the PIF investment, while McIlroy said the Tour was poised to collapse if a compromise was not found. This is a glaring ideological divide between the Tour’s longtime leader (McIlroy) and his successor on the Tour’s policy committee (Spieth). According to Sports Illustrated, the two spoke on the phone for an hour and had a “very honest conversation.” But while McIlroy said the future of the tour without PIF was “impossible”, board member Adam Scott backed up Spieth’s claim that the tour’s business future is secure with or without a LIV deal.
“It’s no secret that there are ideas out there to incorporate gaming in some way,” Scott told SI. “I think I’ve heard it’s been used a lot in the last 7 or 8 months. This framework was used in the first negotiation of the contract. “I don’t know how real it is now.”
So where do we go? It is not known yet. We adjust to the idea that limbo might become our new reality. The PGA Tour has its own plans. It is financially possible. It is full of history, tradition and the best channels. And golf fans don’t like watching LIV because they don’t like the idea of shotgun or team golf or their favorite sports league being taken over and operated by a national welfare fund. To promote it. world. But LIV cut production in half. The path to success is unclear, but funding seems secure for now. Here’s to living together. Tour Confidential: PGA Tour’s new offering, LIV is moving to Pebble in 2024
Finally, we must be careful not to overextend a week and a data point (which is probably too late for this column). Next weekend we’ll have another meeting of both events, and this time they won’t even be separated by time zones. The WM Phoenix Open is less than 300 miles away from the LIV event in Las Vegas. LIV would be wise to tie the Las Vegas event to Super Bowl weekend, as many sports fans and celebrities will be in town for the final round on Saturday. But how does it compare to the best golf parties? We will see.
And we’ll see what happens next week. The PGA Tour awaits the return of Tiger Woods to the Genesis, the main event of the winter. LIV’s next tour will take place in Jeddah in March, followed by a few consecutive weeks in Hong Kong before returning to North America in April. By the time we get to the Masters, that two-week block may feel like ancient history.
On Sunday, LIV had the opportunity to introduce its product to a whole new audience. Regardless of morality and politics, there’s a lot to enjoy in dynamic broadcasting. I don’t care about team unity, I don’t care about Sunday shotgun starts, and I don’t care about some of the production options, but at the end of the day, there were still some golfers playing the last hole. In an addictive shooting game It’s not hard to see why this might be of interest to PGA Tour fans.
But the atmosphere of discontent surrounding the incident still remains. However, the first thing Nieman said after winning was that he was not yet qualified to advance to the majors. According to reports, announcer Jerry Foltz ended the show criticizing the policies that hold back LIV golfers. By the way, Wyndham Clark’s Pebble Beach 60 was immediately compared and contrasted with the Niemann 59. LIV still wants to compete with the golf world and it’s clear who wants to be discriminated against. It is not known what caused these trains to run in the same direction.
defeat
Who else won this week? Wyndham Clarke won the shortened AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Saturday with a 12-under-par 60 in the third round. He has played easy but excellent golf since winning the US Open. But now things suddenly seem different. Winning 16 tournaments – the Wells Fargo Senior Championship, the US Open and Pebble’s signature events – is a huge challenge. Ludwig Aberg finished second, one shot behind. He was probably the angriest player on the field because he couldn’t finish Monday’s game. However, his consolation prize of $2.16 million will allow him to jump to 11th in the world. Is not bad…
Matty Pavone had the second best performance of his career (in terms of OWGR points) following his first week at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open with a bronze medal at Pebble.
I promise I won’t review every review. But while I’m sure Mark Hubbard and Thomas Detry (T4, $877,500 each) will want to fight for the win next Sunday, I’m sure it’s too early to know if they’ll have much success in the FedEx Cup. . Points accumulated throughout the season without even having time to sweat on Sunday.
Justin Thomas has played in five events (four on the PGA Tour) since the 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs. His tie for sixth on Sunday was his worst performance of the season. Be careful, everyone. it’s over
