LIV Golf

[TheDiablo]

PGA Tour to remove 36 hole cuts from some designated events in 2024 to guarantee money to players

Thoughts ?

Not good. Basically a load more WGC style events, guaranteed money. Boring.

Designated was the right move - top players against each other more creates much more opportunities for awesome Sundays. But removing the cut and penalty for not playing well is a backward step for me. It also removes the likes of a Nick Taylor at WMO storyline - life changing opportunities. At least it looks like a clear pathway available for those outside Top 50 to 'qualify' - but overall still not good.

 

[doublebogey7]

PGA Tour to remove 36 hole cuts from some designated events in 2024 to guarantee money to players

Thoughts ?

Personally I'm not a fan of restricted number of players except for the tour championships, not so bothered about lack of cut in such events but also not everyone should be guaranteed OWGR points. I like the idea of designated events but there are too many in my view, while wanting to see the top players fight it out against each other more often we now seem to have gone from just 7 such events a year to 21, which seems a little over the top to me. Its good to see some variety in the fields.

 

[Swango1980]

PGA Tour to remove 36 hole cuts from some designated events in 2024 to guarantee money to players

Thoughts ?

Not a fan. As pointed out to the issue seen at the last LIV event, it feels like a complete mockery when players come out for the final round about 20-30 shots behind the lead. If they want to guarantee money to more places, I don't know why they simply couldn't offer money to the players that missed the cut, on their placings after 36 holes.

 

[Deleted member 21445]

PGA Tour to remove 36 hole cuts from some designated events in 2024 to guarantee money to players

Thoughts ?

Surely one thing this does do is strengthen Liv Golfs bid for OWGR pts.

The PGA Tour adding a number of no cut events removes that criteria from Liv Golfs case.

Liv announcing there will now be a 4up/4down promotion/relegation from their tour has without doubt been put in place to tick a OWGR box.

 

[Swango1980]

That is a good point actually because im pretty sure I heard that the captains own equity in the teams.
A % of team merch sales also goes into the pot.

I presume if Rahm went to the fireballs he could gain equity in the team in some way but thats a guess to be honest.

All clear as mud still but for sure the players always knew that their expenses were to be paid from team earnings in the future.

In my opinion, if teams had any chance of working in golf, then I'd have tried to get it like Formula 1. Team PING, Titleist, Callaway, Nike, Red Bull, Trump, etc. The team has a management structure, who sign players on contracts (and sack them). I'm not saying I'd prefer that to the golf we had before LIV, but I could at least see more fans getting hooked. A golfer who loves his PING golf clubs is Team PING all the way. An F1 Red Bull fan takes a passing interest in the golf to see how his favourite brand is doing. Conservatives in the US go mad for Team Trump.

 

[Swango1980]

Surely one thing this does do is strengthen Liv Golfs bid for OWGR pts.

The PGA Tour adding a number of no cut events removes that criteria from Liv Golfs case.

Liv announcing there will now be a 4up/4down promotion/relegation from their tour has without doubt been put in place to tick a OWGR box.

Is there a LIV Premier League and a LIV Championship, for players to be relegated and promoted? If Bryson finishes in the bottom 4, will he get relegated? If a player gets injured, will they be immune from relegation? If so, if they were rubbish after 2 or 3 events (having still won decent money), could a player feign injury, and make sure they won't get relegated for next season?

 

[BubbaP]

In addition to being US only, the figures are not even directly comparable due to several The CW affiliates (e.g. those owned by CBS) refusing to broadcast LIV. This included many of the larger markets, including: Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Francisco, Tampa, Seattle, Detroit, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Chicago, San Diego. The figures also do not include available streaming platforms, which is likely to make up a substantial proportion of the LIV audience, but not so much for the PGA Tour.

Edit: They also do not include other networks that did broadcast LIV in markets where The CW did not.

Bit more on the USA streaming (well those not using VPNs).

https://barrettsportsmedia.com/2023/02/28/nexstar-pleased-with-liv-golf/

(Unverified)

 

[JonnyGutteridge]

Lee Westwood running his mouth all over social media in recent days.

I’d suggest he’d be wiser to spend that time on the driving range instead, he might not finish 24 shots behind a journeyman pro over 3 rounds if he did.

 

[doublebogey7]

Surely one thing this does do is strengthen Liv Golfs bid for OWGR pts.

The PGA Tour adding a number of no cut events removes that criteria from Liv Golfs case.

Liv announcing there will now be a 4up/4down promotion/relegation from their tour has without doubt been put in place to tick a OWGR box.

It does strengthen their case, but they still look a long way short if meeting the full OWGR criteria. Given that Tours need to have been going a year with all the criteria in place before being granted points I can't see it happening until at least 2024 if at all. By then nearly all LiV players will have dropped out of the top 100, so very few points will b on offer.

 

[ColchesterFC]

Its the caddies I am worried about now. Will their rights be retained or will they find themselves at the mercy of cruel player overlords again, letting them go hungry and sleeping in their cars ?
Is the PGAT allowing defector caddies back to carry at PGAT events ?

I read earlier this week that there is already some resentment building as some caddies were put up in far better accommodation than others. Can't find the link to the article but was also talking about some of the caddies being flown standard class while others were flown business. I did see that one of the teams had all four players flew in individually on private jets. I wonder if that will stop now they are covering the costs themselves or if they'll meet up somewhere and then all fly in together on one flight?

 

[Deleted member 21445]

It does strengthen their case, but they still look a long way short if meeting the full OWGR criteria. Given that Tours need to have been going a year with all the criteria in place before being granted points I can't see it happening until at least 2024 if at all. By then nearly all LiV players will have dropped out of the top 100, so very few points will b on offer.

Alan Shipnuck has said publicly an OWGR board member has said to him Liv is getting points this year.

This is one of his sources for the new book he is writing on Liv Golf as a follow up to his Mickleson book.

 

[Deleted member 21445]

After PGA Tour announces 10 events with reduced fields and no cut,,

Cheeky

https://twitter.com/x/status/1630994670670020627

 

[Deleted member 21445]

All those journo's that have been very critical of liv having small fields with no cuts are back tracking.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1630954423399718918

 

[Deleted member 21445]

The long term future of the half way cut is in danger for sure.

For me there should be cuts but players who miss cuts still get a payment that covers expenses and a little cream on top.

I dont think any professional sports person should compete at the very top level , be part of the sports product and walk away making a loss.

 

[doublebogey7]

Alan Shipnuck has said publicly an OWGR board member has said to him Liv is getting points this year.

This is one of his sources for the new book he is writing on Liv Golf as a follow up to his Mickleson book.

I know I replied earlier when you quoted this before, but I'll say it again. Do you seriously think an OWGR board member would leak such a thing to a hack some three months (now 6 month according to your most recent post on this subject) before an announcement.

 

[doublebogey7]

The long term future of the half way cut is in danger for sure.

For me there should be cuts but players who miss cuts still get a payment that covers expenses and a little cream on top.

I dont think any professional sports person should compete at the very top level , be part of the sports product and walk away making a loss.

That's all very well and sounds reasonable, but do you think it should also apply to the Euro Pro Tour and if so how would it be financed.

 

[doublebogey7]

All those journo's that have been very critical of liv having small fields with no cuts are back tracking.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1630954423399718918

I don't see any back tracking there, simply reporting the facts.

 

[Swango1980]

The long term future of the half way cut is in danger for sure.

For me there should be cuts but players who miss cuts still get a payment that covers expenses and a little cream on top.

I dont think any professional sports person should compete at the very top level , be part of the sports product and walk away making a loss.

I don't really disagree. If the total prize fund for top 70 was reduced by just a million, you could give the bottom 70 about $14,000 each.

 

[JonnyGutteridge]

I think cuts are important to get rid of the people having shockers - they can have expenses covered though and that would be fine.
I also don’t understand the limited field size. This just reduces the competitiveness of the event and makes it more likely the finish will be a complete non-event (like some of the LIV events have demonstrated)

Money/sponsors are king though.

 

[Backsticks]

That is a good point actually because im pretty sure I heard that the captains own equity in the teams.
A % of team merch sales also goes into the pot.

I presume if Rahm went to the fireballs he could gain equity in the team in some way but thats a guess to be honest.

All clear as mud still but for sure the players always knew that their expenses were to be paid from team earnings in the future.

Does this mean if LIV and the team thing tanks as most people expect, the captains could actually lose cash in the crash ? I thought it was all Saudi funded.