LIV Golf

[Marshy77]

Fair play to Cameron Smith. He has stated that he was swayed by the guaranteed money and the chance to spend a number of months at home in Australia hanging out with his mates. He has chosen a luxurious semi retirement at age 29. Not very ambitious perhaps, but a perfectly understandable decision.

Semi retired as a major champ, PGA winner with a lot of money in the bank. I get it but wonder if the lack of competitive championship golf will be a problem after the initial high of the money, time off etc.

 

[BubbaP]

Split sports are always poorer for being split.

Darts and Boxing being the obvious examples

You are probably right, but I'm looking forward to PGA at Wentworth more than I did the last few years !
Rank & file DPWT players, the PGAT players dropping in, & some of the LIV gang.

 

[Deleted member 21445]

The PGA Tour still has the strongest portion of the top players for sure.

For Liv to have put that field of 48 players together in just 3 events over 6 months shows massive growth in the Liv brand from what they started with in London.

Over half of the currentt field are recognisable.names in professional golf..

Going to be very interesting to see If that growth curve continues with more chasing the big $$ and wanting a piece of the pie in 2024.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1564638408416399369

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Enough interest to comment though.

Pretty much my first comment on this thread (I think), and I am saying thst I am not interested in watching the LIV. The 'politics' of it is to me a separate matter - as in - if I choose to leave one body I cannot expect that body to act towards me as if i hadn't. As it was my choice to leave I should just accept the consequences and get on with it.

 

[Slab]

I'm kinda intrigued about the bitching/biting between players on opposing tours. Why does pgat Player A even care what liv Player B does/says?

 

[Backsticks]

I'm kinda intrigued about the bitching/biting between players on opposing tours. Why does pgat Player A even care what liv Player B does/says?

Because the pgat loyalists are threatened by Saudi. If 2 or 3 more top 20 players follow Smith there, the brand pgat is devalued. It will be missing too significant a proportion of the top 20 or 30 plaayers that define the quality of field in a tournament to claim clear preeminence.

 

[BubbaP]

Because the pgat loyalists are threatened by Saudi. If 2 or 3 more top 20 players follow Smith there, the brand pgat is devalued. It will be missing too significant a proportion of the top 20 or 30 plaayers that define the quality of field in a tournament to claim clear preeminence.

Related to that the PGAT have committed significant purse increases, some of which assume comes from sponsors. Some sponsors may be less focused on recent form, more on awareness & recognisabilty - and may become less keen to stump up. As we keep saying, long way to go on this still...

 

[Marshy77]

Because the pgat loyalists are threatened by Saudi. If 2 or 3 more top 20 players follow Smith there, the brand pgat is devalued. It will be missing too significant a proportion of the top 20 or 30 plaayers that define the quality of field in a tournament to claim clear preeminence.

True. The top players in the PGA are reducing, obviously giving others opportunities but players like Spieth who's going through changes but will be very comfortable will start to see LIV players playing less, earn more and wonder what the life/balance is quite like?

Interesting times for the PGA. I can't see the Rory Woods stadium tour scratching that itch which could also create more work in the end!!!

 

[PhilTheFragger]

I still haven’t seen an answer to this question.

With fields limited to 54, LIV has now signed 66 players, what happens to those at the bottom who don’t play?

And if they sign more, who drops out and where do they go?

 

[BubbaP]

I still haven’t seen an answer to this question.

With fields limited to 54, LIV has now signed 66 players, what happens to those at the bottom who don’t play?

And if they sign more, who drops out and where do they go?

There were always those who signed, and those who were invited/qualified event by event. They've been returning to other tours - Japan, Asia , Australia, DPWT ..

 

[Slab]

I still haven’t seen an answer to this question.

With fields limited to 54, LIV has now signed 66 players, what happens to those at the bottom who don’t play?

And if they sign more, who drops out and where do they go?

I think a fair few of the lads rocking up in the first couple of events weren't 'signed' for long term appearances/contracts. Just the odd event here and there so they'll just pop back to Asia Tour etc

 

[RichA]

I still haven’t seen an answer to this question.

With fields limited to 54, LIV has now signed 66 players, what happens to those at the bottom who don’t play?

And if they sign more, who drops out and where do they go?

I'm sure the paymasters have a clean up team on stand-by to resolve such issues.

 

[Backsticks]

I'm sure the paymasters have a clean up team on stand-by to resolve such issues.

Ouch !

 

[evemccc]

I still haven’t seen an answer to this question.

With fields limited to 54, LIV has now signed 66 players, what happens to those at the bottom who don’t play?

And if they sign more, who drops out and where do they go?

Seek and ye shall find ?


Alan Shipnuck posed the same question on his Twitter page yesterday…apparently he’s doing a pod on it based on interviews he’s doing or recently done

It’ll be clear - or slightly more clear - in a few days

 

[Beezerk]

Gary Player was in Radio 5 this morning talking about LIV, in fairness he did make a couple of good points but it was just an embarrassing rant imo. The guy needs to get his head out of the sand.

 

[CountLippe]

I think it works like this : before LIV, we might have thought, Saudi - backwards misogynist dictatorship with a favouring of beheadings, ghastly. After paying Phil $250M, Saudi - lovely country, so generous to millionaire golfers, I might go there on a holiday to enjoy the sand and oil.
It has really changed my perception.

I get it with football. I just don't understand how golf has the popularity to change it's perception. Certainly not for the figures involved. Surely there would be othere sports which would provide a better return?

 

[Deleted member 21445]

I still haven’t seen an answer to this question.

With fields limited to 54, LIV has now signed 66 players, what happens to those at the bottom who don’t play?

And if they sign more, who drops out and where do they go?

It's a mistake to think the Liv Model is set in stone.
Can be tweaked at anytime to accommodate more players and the PGA Tour knows this.
4 balls shotgun or 72 holes with a 48 player cut with shotgun at the weekend are all easily implemented and the field increases in size.

The current model fits perfectly with the amount of top and good players they have.

The players have gone for the money, if they are all of a sudden told you have to play 72 holes with a cut and missed cut players still get paid a nice sum and winners still get multiple millions that is way more than the PGAT, players will still be happy and players will still be interested in moving across.

I don't think it will but theoretically Liv could finish the PGA Tour by ending up with 75% of the worlds best Golfers if they all chase the money..

 

[Deleted member 15344]

In regards players dropping out - they were mainly fillers

Most of those were not contracted players , they prob go invites for the odd event which they played in and now they will go back to the Asian Tour and play there

I'm kinda intrigued about the bitching/biting between players on opposing tours. Why does pgat Player A even care what liv Player B does/says?

I’m guessing a number of those players are bit miffed that those players that left to go to LIV then want to also come back and play and have also decided to sue the tour - that’s not going to go down well

And it’s just going to get messier

 

[Slab]

In regards players dropping out - they were mainly fillers

Most of those were not contracted players , they prob go invites for the odd event which they played in and now they will go back to the Asian Tour and play there



I’m guessing a number of those players are bit miffed that those players that left to go to LIV then want to also come back and play and have also decided to sue the tour - that’s not going to go down well

And it’s just going to get messier

I see that going on, but is it the PGAT/ET Players place to be miffed?
Its not them that's 'getting sued' and Its not like its a player run BMW event next week its a ET event. Its really none of their business what player qualification the ET have said can make up the field

Gawd help us if we've reached the stage where players believe they'll decide who can/can't enter a pro golf tournament

 

[timd77]

At least HV3 has admitted that despite earning $10.5m so far without winning on the PGA it was too much money to turn down. Fair play.

What I could do with half of his career earnings…