“No, money was not a factor,” Charles Howell III told a room of skeptical reporters this week.
So what is this all about? Which makes this nascent series, steeped in controversy and determined to defy tradition, “the future of golf,” as Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and others who have signed on keep calling it.
this weekend LIV Golf Event at Trump National Golf Club it involved a lot of money, a total purse of $25 million, and took great pains to present itself as golf with attitude. Or at least a personality. There were paratroopers before the tee shot and T-shirt guns during breaks in the action. Music (arena rock, Top 40, dance) blared from speakers all over the field, even as players lined up with tricky putts.
With a different competition format, LIV tries to be more than a new coat of paint in a sport that has endured great changes. But so far, with relatively thin crowds, modest online viewership numbers, and much of the attention focused on peripheral controversies, it’s still unclear if there’s an audience for the LIV version of the sport, or if that matters to wealthy benefactors. of the circuit.
“We strongly believe we can appeal to a younger audience,” Atul Khosla, LIV’s president and chief operating officer, said in an interview. “…If you look at golf over the years, it’s aged. I think the average audience is 65 and older. And I think from our perspective, when we look at a new product launch, we’ve always looked at it from the perspective of, ‘What are we trying to solve?’ And what we’re trying to solve is for young people to play golf, watch golf, become golf fans. And we believe we can do that by changing the way the product is packaged.”
For the uninitiated, LIV presents golf as an individual and team sport. There are 12 teams, with names like Crushers, Majestick, and Aces. The winning four-man team this week will split $3 million; the individual winner of the event will take home $4 million. But the tournament differs from other organizations in that it features a quick start: each player starts their round at the same time from a different hole on the course, there are no cutoffs, and the entire event lasts three days, not four.
Traditionalists may deride the format as misleading, but LIV’s defenders will counter that the format is not trying to satisfy traditionalists.
Mickelson is perhaps the biggest believer, and he has millions of reasons to be, courtesy of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. He has noted that LIV Golf intends to target a global audience with events organized around the world. Players cannot skip far stops; they are contractually obligated to appear.
“We get a ton of money, we give up our schedule and commit to wherever they hold the events,” Mickelson said.
The game inside the ropes would feel familiar to any golf fan, but the format and delivery are the biggest departures.
“One, it’s not a 12-hour day, having to watch golf all day. You have a 4½ hour window,” Mickelson said. “Second, when I think a broadcast partner comes along, I think it’s going to revolutionize the way golf is viewed because it’s going to be commercial-free and it’s going to have shot after shot after shot and it’s going to capture the attention of the younger generation. ”
The Bedminster event aimed for a festival-like atmosphere, with a stage set for a Chainsmokers concert at the end of the final round on Sunday.
“We see this course as our stadium, and the things you might experience in a stadium or an arena, what’s the best way to bring those things to a golf course?” said Khosla, a former executive with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and before that with MLS’s Chicago Fire.
With open taps and easy-to-find drinks throughout the course, the atmosphere was light from tee to green. Fans are close to the action: “Nice shot, Phil,” said a fan near the 14th green, “you cost me 20 bucks,” but crowds at Bedminster were rarely two, even around the most popular players.
Sometimes the LIV product can feel like just golf with a soundtrack. Despite the big names LIV officials have drawn from the PGA and European tours (this weekend’s 48-man field included 11 major champions), the field remained an uneven mix of who’s who and who It is that of the world of golf.
Measuring its popularity is tricky, in part because the startup doesn’t seem concerned with traditional metrics in its early stages. Unlike other professional golf events, there are no corporate logos or signs on the course. Although LIV Golf’s social media accounts are active, no TV rights deal and no commercials on streaming feeds.
Fewer than 1,000 people simultaneously watched the Facebook Live broadcast for much of the first two rounds this weekend, while LIV Golf’s YouTube channel had 60,000 or more viewers for much of Saturday’s second round. On the course, there were much fewer people. Officials for the event did not announce attendance, although most estimates suggested only a few thousand spectators. Tickets sold for $75 per day, but could be had on the secondary market for $1 each (plus $5.05 in fees through StubHub).
Meanwhile, with his controversial Saudi backingthe alliance with former president Donald Trump — whose courses will host two LIV events — and the danger posed to the professional golf establishment, the current competition has drawn scant attention through three events. (Henrik Stenson, who lost his Ryder Cup captaincy after joining LIV, he leads this weekend’s event through two rounds; the first two events were won by South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace).
The days leading up to the Bedminster event were overshadowed by Trump and the families of 9/11 victims, who are protesting LIV Golf events thanks to Saudi benefactors. On Friday afternoon, a couple hundred spectators lined the 10th tee to watch Mickelson begin his round. As the golfer approached his ball, someone yelled, “Do it for the Saudi royal family!” and Mickelson backed away silently. He regrouped and hit his shot into a bunker when a staff member approached the fan and issued a warning.
But most of the fans milling around Trump’s Bedminster club rooted for the assembled golfers, hoisting cameras in the air to record tee shots, shouting encouragement for big shots, studying the giant leaderboards along the course and trying to understand the format.
The equipment element might take time for golf fans to digest, but players have repeatedly cited it as part of the appeal. “I love that I can look up that leader board and not only see my name but look at my guys,” golfer Patrick Reed said.
LIV officials believe the format is the draw, but it’s also what could endanger LIV players from performing on the sport’s biggest stages. Players have expressed little hesitation about abandoning their previous tours, but many have said they hope to remain eligible for Ryder Cup and major events.
While a handful of players have exemptions at some majors, others could miss out because the official world golf rankings table has yet to decide whether it will recognize LIV Golf events.
“I feel like it would be crazy not to get any points if we’re playing in these big events,” Abraham Ancer said.
LIV Golf officials have released plans for the future, but have given no indication that they will change their competition format. The breakaway team announced plans for a full 2023 season that will include 12 teams competing in 14 events. A press release last week made no mention of the 54-hole format or fast tees, but Khosla said LIV Golf is committed to its format for now and officials hope the OWGR will recognize its events.
While many of those interested in the game worry about the turmoil fracturing the sport, players who have made the leap to LIV have said they are hopeful the game can support both pre-existing tours and this one. underway, complete with its soundtrack.
“The outlook in golf is looking good,” said golfer Ian Poulter.