LIV tries yet again to make their move
Rumors are that the league is struggling, but time will tell.
A lot of golf insiders are muttering that LIV Golf is struggling and that many top golfers (notably Brooks Koepka) are having deep regrets and trying to find a path back to the PGA Tour. I remain unconvinced. Some of these guys are happily set financially and don’t have the competitive fire that Brooks insists he still has (Full Swing suggested that might not be true).
Today, LIV released this - hoping desperately to get attention during the week of THE PLAYERS. (And yes, I hate that I capitalized that appropriately.)
It’s worth noting that four hours after posting this, the tweet had 716 likes and 67 retweets. That’s not indicative of massive engagement. But, regardless, I have a few takeaways here:
Somehow, Bryson DeChambeau is the star here. It’s not clear whether he cares about competitive golf anymore, but his time with his TikTok squad has certainly made him comfortable in front of the camera.
Bubba Watson, what happened? You finished in the PIP mostly because of TikTok and you - as well as most others - are talking as if you’re in a hostage video. (Also, Dustin Johnson saying “LIV - Golf, but louder” while sounding like he just drank a bottle of codeine is just a chef’s kiss.)
Why is everyone walking and talking? Did Aaron Sorkin direct this?
Relegation. This is perhaps the most important part of the video, and I think one of the smarter things LIV is doing. One of the main objections to them getting world ranking (OWGR) points is NOT that there aren’t cuts in their events, or that it’s only 54-holes, but that the fields have been limited to the 48 man field that comprises the 12 teams. Now, the bottom quartile of players MAY get relegated and replaced by the best of “hundreds” of golfers from …somewhere. The devil is in the details, but if there’s truly qualifying for the tour, and not just random contracts handed out to whoever sticks his hand up for the bag, they may have a better claim. Also, what happens to the guys who get relegated? They’ve signed long-term contracts so I assume they still get paid. Where do they play? I think it’s the Asian tour. Guys, I cannot WAIT for Ian Poulter to be playing the DGC Open in Delhi next season, grumbling about how he was supposed to be spending more time with his family who are back home in England.
“I’ve made a horrible mistake.” I find it quite interesting that a lot of folks in the golf space keep suggesting they’re hearing a lot of chatter that LIV doesn’t have endless money (as it certainly seemed last year) and that if they don’t revolutionize golf and essentially murder the PGA Tour in short order, that they’ll drift away and disappear.
Personally, I hope that they fight it out for 2023 as the PGA Tour is committed to strong changes that really take effect next season. They’re already showing promise (something I intend to write about soon) but I think they need to live up to their plan, regardless of what happens with LIV. They have shelved a lot of things (the distance report and rolling back the golf ball is one) because the pressure has not been applied strongly enough, and LIV is serving that function.
