Mel Smooth
Hacker
Very strong rumours that Anthony Kim will make his return to professional golf this week.
LIV Golf
- Thread starter MarkT
- Start date
What will it cost him in insurance repayments?
Mel Smooth
Hacker
No idea, I guess that will depend on the terms and conditions of the policy. I wonder if there's the possibility of a loop hole in it?
D
Deleted member 29109
Guest
I presume playing in exhibitions will be ok
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Think it was only about £10mil so LIV will just pay it
Or maybe it won’t count because it’s not an “official tour”
It’s a strange situation all round
Why are LIV looking to bring in a golfer who hasn’t played competitive golf for a decade
But as been said before he seems to have become a better golfer despite not playing
He had a decent start to his career but didnt win any tournaments that would be classed as big , decent rounds in a couple majors but a lot of his hype came from that 2008 Ryder Cup where he destroyed Garcia - but that’s 16 years ago now
Are they trying to create hype , he isn’t some returning legend of the game , is it desperation because the first two events haven’t really made the desired affect and it’s also an event where there will be very little crowds and will be on when most of the US will be waking up
Maybe it’s a £10mil favour to Phil M
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
I’d love to see Rory go to liv, it would force the whole shape of pro golf to unify again.
cleveland52
Active member
LOL!.....Really!?! Please elaborate.
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
At the moment there’s an ego battle between pga(all options) and LIV. If they get Rham and Rory all parties will need to reach an agreement to exist in harmony
Golfnut1957
Newbie
Because without a Rory to watch, we'd have to watch more Patrick Cantlay.
Just the threat is enough.
ColchesterFC
Journeyman Pro
I think Rory going to LIV would ruin any potential for LIV to bring something different to the sport and to be different to the PGA Tour. There's a reason that the PGA Tour have their events in the US and that is because it's the biggest golfing market on the planet in terms of golf advertising. Apart from LIV Australia which seems to attract big crowds the rest of their events outside of the US, and possibly even the LIV Vegas event, struggle to get paying punters through the gates and attract viewers or sponsors. If events played around the world struggle to attract fans through the gate, get viewers on TV/YouTube and sponsors then they are going to be quickly scrapped in favour of events that make money.
In my opinion, if Rory went to LIV we would very quickly see some kind of deal done which would revert back to close to the current status quo with the majority of events played in the US.
I would prefer a deal to be struck where LIV becomes an 8 week schedule of events in America, South America, Africa, Europe, Australia, China, Middle East and then a grand final in week eight somewhere different each year and run it at the end of the PGA Tour. Let players play on both and have proper qualification to the events. Have a full PGA Tour season where the top 72 at the end of the season qualify for the LIV series. The top 18 in the PGA Tour rankings become captains for the LIV events and they get to pick their teams. Whoever finishes the PGA season as number 1 gets first pick of the remaining 54 golfers, 2nd place gets 2nd pick and so on through to 18th getting the 18th pick. The 1st ranked player then gets the 19th pick and so on. Or if you wanted to base it more on the NFL draft system the player in 18th place could have first pick and run it in reverse. Eighteen teams of four, that change each season, fighting it out over 7 weeks for a ridiculously large sum of money and as it's still only 18 teams you can keep the shotgun start and the team element.
Fore Right
Well-known member
I've gone from Rory WILL NEVER go to Liv.
Now after softening his stance and many of his Euro pals have gone I've moved to very unlikely he will go to Liv.
He obviously doesn't agree with the path the PGA Tour has taken so far.
Now after softening his stance and many of his Euro pals have gone I've moved to very unlikely he will go to Liv.
He obviously doesn't agree with the path the PGA Tour has taken so far.
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Watch the Overlap episode with him in it ( not the edited clips ) and you will see that he has zero interest in LIV in its current format and made it clear he wouldn’t entertain any offer - there is zero intention of him not playing in any of the main PGAT and DP events
Fore Right
Well-known member
But Rahm and Hatton had no interest in Liv 6 months ago.
What someone is saying now doesn't rule it out from happening in the future.
We have learnt that haven't we through this whole saga.
Mel Smooth
Hacker
Not really much in this interview from Rahm that we didn't already know - Tiger apparently not interested in taking Rahm's attempts to contact him perhaps the most worthy talking point.
Other news leading into Jeddah is Greg Norman confirming over the weekend that they are actively attempting to bring Hideki over to LIV.
Other news leading into Jeddah is Greg Norman confirming over the weekend that they are actively attempting to bring Hideki over to LIV.
HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
Indeed, the only thing we can take from this is golfers can say one thing and do another. Shock horror. I think Rory will do what is best for Rory, rightly so and so if he sees the PGAT as a brand with limited appeal and not able to offer what he wants then he may reconsider his stance
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Both Rahm and Hatton as well as others are not in the same place financially as Rory
Rahm and Hatton were able to change their mind about the not liking the format because they were both offered sums of money they wouldn’t be able to earn outside LIV
That’s why they change - money, and vast amounts of it
Rory already has a net worth of over £200mil
He was clear about LIV but also very clear about how he thinks the PIF money can be used to help grow the game instead of just making rich golfers richer
£500mil into grass roots and then sponsers a number of team based events book ending the tour
It’s a very good podcast to watch.
Rory, by his own admission, said he wasn’t that bothered about playing in the Olympics in 2021. By the end of it he said he can’t wait for Paris 2024.
He was very honest afterwards and said, "I made some comments before that were probably uneducated and impulsive.” He’s human, he changes his mind and he’s not afraid to hold his hands up.
Will he join LIV? Who really knows. If, like Rahm, he changes his mind, so be it. His choice. If he doesn’t change his mind, so be it. In the great scheme, does it really matter? LIV has Rahm, PGAT has Rory. There is balance in the force.
He was very honest afterwards and said, "I made some comments before that were probably uneducated and impulsive.” He’s human, he changes his mind and he’s not afraid to hold his hands up.
Will he join LIV? Who really knows. If, like Rahm, he changes his mind, so be it. His choice. If he doesn’t change his mind, so be it. In the great scheme, does it really matter? LIV has Rahm, PGAT has Rory. There is balance in the force.
Ethan
Money List Winner
Rahm had his nose out of joint because he thought he wasn't getting the recognition he deserved. Hatton is a player who knows he will win the odd event but probably not any of the majors, so wants to cash in now before he slips back into the pack. He also lives pretty well, and burns through cash. A couple of pros I know know him and they tell stories about his spending.
Rory isn't like either of them. He still hates LIV but is adopting a more diplomatic tone for the future. He won't join LIV, despite Chubby's self-publicising intervention.
LIV is fundamentally a team game, the whole business model is about franchising and branding of teams. For that reason, they need stable teams, so relegation of one of the big names can't happen and is prevented by LIV contracts. Cuts also bugger up the teams by taking out players for the weekend. for those two reasons, LIV therefore chose not to meet OWGR regulations. Finally, the team format undermines the integrity of an individual ranking, so you really can't give OWGR points to team events with selected and prose ted players, so LIV won't be getting them anytime soon.
Rory's idea, a sort of IPL-like silly season LIV series that stands separate from the proper individual events, seems like the sensible way forward.
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Golf for me is a sport where there is prob more people interested in playing it than watching - especially in the UK
Pre LiV I think most of us prob watched bits of the odd event during the day if the timings suited , prob watched the odd hours of the bigger US Events but I think most of us would have looked to find a way to watch as much as possible the majors - especially the Master and The Open and also the Ryder Cup , for the rest it was just casual viewing - people weren’t “PGAT Fans or ET Fans or Asian Tour fans “ - they may have preferred to watch one or the other but for most it’s casual viewing when it’s on
When LIV arrived it seemed to create this hardcore group of LIV fans where there was a lot of driven rivalry etc etc - trying to create this “tour vs tour” , and driven by multiple LIV account - all having “LIV” in their title - and some latched onto it
Some players went , some got offered a lot of money ,and then the war of worlds started - LIV golfers that left weekly slagging off the tours they left behind , the players on the PGAT responding in kind - the whole environment around your golf become toxic and even more money driven as before
As Rory said - fine if you want to go to LIV for whatever reason you want but don’t then spend weeks slagging off the tours that put you there in the first place
Over the last 2 years we have now got to a stage where many prob just don’t care - there are still the casual golf fans who will watch the tour golf if it’s on , but will still prob make time to watch the majors - there are now LIV fans who will watch LIV events
But I believe the overall numbers watching events outside the majors has dropped , there will be less watching PGAT and those going won’t be watching LIV - the majors will still have their level of viewers
It’s also time for the LIV golfers etc to stop with the weekly complaints about how badly they are being treated by the “media , majors , OWGR” etc - the players all made a conscious decision would have been aware of what would happen if they split from main tours , it’s time to just count the pennies , enjoy less golf
Looking back it’s great that imo god participation at the grass roots club level doesn’t rely on Tour Golf , golf clubs etc have worked hard to get participation up without worrying about professional golf - the whole tour golf can be played without anyone watching and we woold still all go out on a Saturday playing for £2 or a medal etc
It’s good that it’s very seperate because Tour golf is not in a good place , the only people that have benefited from LIV are 50/60 golfers getting richer , and Greg Norman starting to ruin the PGAT like he wanted to
Thankfully some of the bigger events are coming up - Playars and Masters and that will get eyes on but it’s going to be a shame not to see some top players at Sawgrass and other events
PIF wanted a foot in golf , GN sold him an idea and they give him the money to back that idea, I won’t when PIF look at the sport if they think they backed the wrong horse - what have they gained from £2bn spend - not much tbh
Pre LiV I think most of us prob watched bits of the odd event during the day if the timings suited , prob watched the odd hours of the bigger US Events but I think most of us would have looked to find a way to watch as much as possible the majors - especially the Master and The Open and also the Ryder Cup , for the rest it was just casual viewing - people weren’t “PGAT Fans or ET Fans or Asian Tour fans “ - they may have preferred to watch one or the other but for most it’s casual viewing when it’s on
When LIV arrived it seemed to create this hardcore group of LIV fans where there was a lot of driven rivalry etc etc - trying to create this “tour vs tour” , and driven by multiple LIV account - all having “LIV” in their title - and some latched onto it
Some players went , some got offered a lot of money ,and then the war of worlds started - LIV golfers that left weekly slagging off the tours they left behind , the players on the PGAT responding in kind - the whole environment around your golf become toxic and even more money driven as before
As Rory said - fine if you want to go to LIV for whatever reason you want but don’t then spend weeks slagging off the tours that put you there in the first place
Over the last 2 years we have now got to a stage where many prob just don’t care - there are still the casual golf fans who will watch the tour golf if it’s on , but will still prob make time to watch the majors - there are now LIV fans who will watch LIV events
But I believe the overall numbers watching events outside the majors has dropped , there will be less watching PGAT and those going won’t be watching LIV - the majors will still have their level of viewers
It’s also time for the LIV golfers etc to stop with the weekly complaints about how badly they are being treated by the “media , majors , OWGR” etc - the players all made a conscious decision would have been aware of what would happen if they split from main tours , it’s time to just count the pennies , enjoy less golf
Looking back it’s great that imo god participation at the grass roots club level doesn’t rely on Tour Golf , golf clubs etc have worked hard to get participation up without worrying about professional golf - the whole tour golf can be played without anyone watching and we woold still all go out on a Saturday playing for £2 or a medal etc
It’s good that it’s very seperate because Tour golf is not in a good place , the only people that have benefited from LIV are 50/60 golfers getting richer , and Greg Norman starting to ruin the PGAT like he wanted to
Thankfully some of the bigger events are coming up - Playars and Masters and that will get eyes on but it’s going to be a shame not to see some top players at Sawgrass and other events
PIF wanted a foot in golf , GN sold him an idea and they give him the money to back that idea, I won’t when PIF look at the sport if they think they backed the wrong horse - what have they gained from £2bn spend - not much tbh
I think it odd that grass roots golf appears to be reasonably strong yet TV/Youtube numbers are dropping off. I wonder if the numbers going to tournaments is also dropping off? As I’ve said before I don’t watch much golf on TV at all and haven’t for years but can easily spend a couple of days watching when we’re physically there. The buzz of physically being there, of seeing what a 350yd drive is really like without the foreshortening of a lens and a long iron fired into a tight pin from 200yds with a stiff breeze blowing is immense.
Strangely enough, it doesn’t matter which tour it is, those shots are as equally exciting. For those that haven’t been to a tour event, go. You will not be disappointed. And if you want to do it on the cheap, do it in Europe. Book an EasyJet flight, a couple nights in a hotel and get some sun on your back. And it will barely be more expensive, if at all, than going to the Open. £35 for the Dutch Open, £27 for the Belgian Open, £24 for the Danish Open… £150+ for the Open.
Strangely enough, it doesn’t matter which tour it is, those shots are as equally exciting. For those that haven’t been to a tour event, go. You will not be disappointed. And if you want to do it on the cheap, do it in Europe. Book an EasyJet flight, a couple nights in a hotel and get some sun on your back. And it will barely be more expensive, if at all, than going to the Open. £35 for the Dutch Open, £27 for the Belgian Open, £24 for the Danish Open… £150+ for the Open.
