Big money. Big names. Big venues.
And a big impact on the world of professional golf.
If the first year was a disruptive curiosity, expect the second year to be bigger and bolder.
At the same time, the second edition of LIV Golf comes with its own questions:
What has changed?
Year Two for LIV Golf is, in many ways, its first real season, complete with a full, 14-event schedule, an enhanced focus on team play and a foundation that was laid last year.
Given all that happened around LIV’s launch – the whole thing was nearly scuttled by Phil Mickelson’s controversial comments about the tour-sponsoring Saudis being “scary” just as LIV was ready to announce its players and events – playing eight events in 2022 was an achievement.
There was talk of not playing last year, letting the waters settle and going all in this year, but the decision was made to forge ahead. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t always pretty, but it got LIV to this year, which was the main goal.
When play begins in February in Mexico, expect the attention to be on the 12 four-player teams, each with its own captain, its own logo, its own merchandise and, if the LIV model works, its own investors.
Beyond the money thrown at the players, LIV Golf has sold itself as being transformative. That’s why it has the shotgun starts, the 54-hole, no-cut format and the desire to make tournament golf nightclub cool.
With the success of Formula One’s model, the LIV idea is to get fans invested in team play, not just for one week but through the 14-event schedule. The individual competition will continue. But the goal is to make team play central to the LIV storyline.
Team play is captivating in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup but it’s uncertain if that energy will transfer to LIV Golf.
The other question is whether any team can move Dustin Johnson’s 4 Aces out of the way. Along with Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Pat Perez, Johnson’s team won five times last year, including the overall championship.
What about a broadcast deal?
This figures to be the most important next step for LIV Golf, and it remains unclear what is going to happen. Insiders at LIV suggest a deal will be announced before the first event in February.
Eyebrows were raised late last year when COO Atul Khosla resigned just weeks after saying his main goal was to achieve a broadcast deal for the organization. A replacement for Khosla has not been announced.
There have been rumors of time buys on other networks and talks with various streaming services, but it appears that selling LIV Golf to a broadcast partner has been more difficult than the organizers anticipated.
Since its inception, LIV’s leaders have said they are in discussions with various potential broadcast partners, but no deal has been disclosed. NBC, CBS, ESPN and Golf Channel can’t get involved due to contracts with the PGA Tour.
There have been rumors of time buys on other networks and talks with various streaming services, but it appears that selling LIV Golf to a broadcast partner has been more difficult than the organizers anticipated.
LIV got by last year via YouTube and its own website, but that’s not a legitimate long-term strategy. Understanding how critical expanding the availability is, expect LIV to find a deal sooner rather than later even if it’s not everything organizers hoped it would be.
Will players continue to join LIV?
The exodus of players from the PGA Tour was the dominant storyline, but it will be different this year. The idea is to have the 48-player field set for the season before the first event.
There are more player announcements coming, but it won’t be a wave. LIV has seven available spots, some of which likely will be filled by players who teed it up in LIV events last year.
Rumors continue to swirl about others who may be interested – the Patrick Cantlay-Xander Schauffele chatter has been the most persistent – but LIV isn’t desperately chasing players now. Signing players now is built on how much commercial appeal they can add to the players already in place.
Will Greg Norman continue as CEO and commissioner?
Norman succeeded in drawing attention to LIV Golf last year, not always in a good way, but the organization needed a high-profile, aggressive leader, and he did his job.
Is Norman polarizing?
Yes.
Is he the long-term leader?
He says he wants to be, regardless of whether Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and others say he needs to step aside for any potential progress to be made toward ending the ongoing turf war.
Norman carries the baggage of his earlier battles with the PGA Tour, which doesn’t help him, but he insists this is all about the future, not the past. He has succeeded in disrupting the sport, and now he faces the challenge of making LIV Golf a success.
It’s possible that LIV could hire someone to take over the CEO role and allow Norman to focus solely on the competition. But Norman stepping away from LIV Golf doesn’t look like part of the plan at the moment.
Is a resolution in sight?
Until LIV Golf drops its lawsuit against the PGA Tour – and both sides have gone back and forth with lawsuits now – there’s no reason to believe any discussions will happen between the groups.
“They sued us” is a common refrain among PGA Tour officials and players and it’s true.
Though LIV’s federal antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour isn’t scheduled to be heard until January 2024, LIV’s case against the DP World Tour is on the docket in the U.K. for next month, and it could have a profound impact on potential next steps.
The case involves players suspended from the DP World Tour for their involvement with LIV seeking the right to continue playing on their former tour. It’s similar to the case involving the PGA Tour, though several former tour players have taken their names off the lawsuit.
How the major championships respond to the LIV quandary and whether Official World Golf Ranking points eventually will be awarded for LIV events also will factor into the equation.
Don’t expect détente any time soon.