What Is LIV Golf

LIV golf is a professional golf tour alternative to the PGA Tour. It’s known for having very high prize money payouts and encouraging golfers to leave behind professional golf as they knew it on the PGA Tour.

If you are curious about LIV Golf, how golfers can get involved in this process, and what kind of money we are talking about, we have all the answers you need.

What does LIV stand for?

LIV is the Roman numeral for the number 54. LIV Golf events are only 54 holes, with no talk of expanding to 72 like the PGA Tour. 54 is also the score a golfer would have if they were to birdie all 18 holes. The concept of LIV Golf is to play up the fact that these guys are excellent and they are going to shoot low!

LIV golf investments target specific players and ask them to come and enjoy their bigger prize funds, a less rigorous schedule, and a more relaxed atmosphere during a tournament. Many players who have gone to LIV golf have been major winners and well-known professionals.

Some top names that made the switch include Brooks Koepka, Phil Michelson, and Cameron Smith.

What is the point of LIV Golf?

LIV golf is intended to make golf younger, faster, richer, and more appealing to a wider range of people. It achieves this by having shorter tournaments and smaller fields. There is no denying that golf has a rich history, and some players were ready for modernization. Saudia Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund noticed and took advantage of this opportunity.

Saudi Arabia’s Government has plenty of money to spend on these events, as an individual winner can win 4 million dollars or more. Additionally, LIV also has team events in addition to individual competitions. There are 12 Four Man Teams that golfers compete on at the same time they are playing for their championship.

Team and individual competitions make the golf league a little more involved and in-depth and give fans something to watch the entire season.

What is LIV Golf vs. PGA?

The main differences between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour include the prize money payout, the length, and the total number of rounds. PGA tour golfers will play a four-round event with a cut after the first two rounds. LIV golf tour players play a 3-round event with no cut.

With LIV golfers, the events can be a little more laid back, whereas the PGA tour is a bit more traditional. In addition, the PGA Tour has warned these LIV players that they are not eligible to play in regular season PGA Tour events after signing up with LIV Golf.

There has been a lot of controversy over this.

Why is the PGA against LIV?

The PGA is against LIV because they believe they have interfered with their business model and encouraged golfers to break contracts. The PGA has filed suit against LIV, saying that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) went after PGA Tour players and encouraged them to switch for large sums of money.

These golfers were getting bonuses just for switching to the LIV tour; they didn’t even have to play in an event to earn millions of dollars. LIV went after many big-name players, including Tiger Woods, but they ultimately could not convert all the golfers they wanted to bring over.

Can golfers play in LIV and PGA?

Golfers in LIV events can play in golf’s major championships, the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and the Open Championship. However, they cannot play in the PGA Tour regular season events.

The PGA Tour has players sign a contract when they play on the tour, and playing on the LIV Tour violates that contract. There were a lot of talks initially about keeping the LIV players out of the major championships, but that is not the case.

To play in a major championship, a LIV golfer must still meet the criteria for qualifying. This is great for professional golfers who are previous major winners and have exemptions, but for others, getting into the championships can be difficult.

How many events do LIV golfers have to play?

The LIV golfers have 14 events in 2023 and must play in all of them. In addition, as part of the contract, they are also required to participate in about 8 service days per year. These can include Pro-Am type events or meetings about the LIV tour they must attend.

All LIV golfers also have some other requirements when it comes to advertising. They are only allowed to wear one logo on the side of their cap, and the rest of the gear has to be LIV tour or team-related gear as part of their LIV team.

Therefore, when you see these golfers playing in the major championships, don’t be surprised if you see very little advertising on their clothing. There are some exceptions to this; players can get exceptions if they get prior approval.

Are LIV golfers required to play all events?

As part of their contract, LIV golfers are required to play in all events. There are 14 events in this year’s schedule, and these 14 events consist of both team and individual play. Remember that each event is just 54 holes of play, not the traditional 72 you see on the PGA Tour.

The LIV Tour does have a lineup of excellent golf courses this year. Some of them include:

• Orange Country National, Winter Garden, FL.
• The Grange Golf Club, Grange South Australia
• Cedar Ridge Country Club, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
• Trump National Golf Club Washington D.C.
• Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Saudi Arabia
• Centurion Club, England

The LIV tournaments are located worldwide but traditionally have about two weeks between them. Some events are back-to-back, but for the most part, the schedule is a little less rigorous than the one golfers face when playing the PGA Tour.

Which golfers have made the switch to LIV?

The player roster for the LIV tour is probably bigger than you think. Many players there are not the top golfers you probably heard about when they made the switch. Many jumped on board with LIV Golf’s plan right from the start and haven’t looked back. Here are a few you may or may not recognize:

• Abraham Ancer
• Richard Bland
• Paul Casey
• Sergio Garcia
• Dustin Johnson
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Talor Gooch
• Branden Grace
• Brooks Koepka
• Graeme McDowell
• Phil Mickelson
• Kevin Na
• Louis Oosthuizen
• Miro Pereira
• Ian Poulter
• Jason Kokrak
• Bubba Watson
• Matthew Wolff

Is LIV still recruiting new players?

There is a lot of secrecy surrounding the LIV tour and their plans. The team championship and competition are already set up for the 2023 season. However, this does not mean the LIV Tour is done with its recruiting process.

Expect to see some new players making their way to the LIV tour before the start of the 2024 season. Remember that part of the requirement of the golfers on the LIV roster is to help bring over more players from the PGA Tour.

Certainly, the tournaments starting to be played on the C.W. television network will also play into the LIV tour’s power to recruit players in future years.

Final thoughts

LIV golf offers enough benefit that some of the biggest names in golf have started to transition to this unique tour. As a fan of golf and an amateur player, it’s been interesting to see how the tour has split, who has made a move, and what the future of professional golf looks like.

One thing we know for certain is that golf fans will never complain about having more golf events to attend and watch!