The PGA Tour has had a shakeup this year with the addition of the LIV TOUR. Some people are saying that this new tour is a better alternative to the PGA, but what does that mean for professional golfers? In this video, we take a look at the changes in golf and ask whether or not they are good for the sport.
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23 Comments
I watched some of this on You-Tube with an open mind. Setting aside the moral issues and obscene amounts of cash floating around, as a viewing spectacle I found this rather underwhelming and lacked interest in comparison to the PGA coverage. I don't think it worked particularly well as a format, the team issue seems massively secondary and something I think doesn't particular work well in this environment. I do actually like watching the top golfers (look at the RBC game over the week-end) and by comparison this was substandard in my view. Feels a little like a wasted opportunity
Justifications for doing something only for the money fall flat. There is no way to accept the sports washing for Saudi behavior. Justify, justify, justify.
Well the problem with regular golf broadcasts is that you watch so little golf for the amount of time spent watching. Last night I watched the final day of the Canadian open, it was unbelievable how much ads was pushed in between play, many times missing tee shot of many contenders. I will say maybe there is too much money pushed into liv, but at the same time I believe the money will over time attract bigger player.
The coverage was let’s face it less professional than the best you tubers. I found it irritating. Ok first outing but it should be better than that. As for the scoring around 250 over par for a field of 48 and the last guy 24 over and pocketing $120,000. Mickleson on 10 over Westwood 8 over. So they were really trying hard to entertain ?? You would see better golf at a top amateur event. Politics aside and let’s face it both tours have supported events in Saudi, the quality of golf entertainment for me was garbage. Think Rory stuck it to them big time in Canada.
Mark, to comment on the "next tiger" aspect. The issue for me is as of the field right now, how would you know he is the next tiger? The reason tiger was such a spectacle is he was beating the best players in the world. Unless LIV gets the best in the world playing there it would be impossible to say that person is the next tiger.
As for LIV in general, while I think the viewing was nice right now, I just can't imagine it staying add free/free to watch forever. So while that is a positive now, I would assume it will go away (even if the adds or cost is very small)
Mark you would be AMAZING as an OPEN commentator. Your cadence even reminds me of that classic Open voice that did it for a hundred years (can't think of his name.)
My position: PGA throwing toys out the pram, it’s a bad look.
With regards to sports washing; don’t you think that amateur golf is played largely by affluent/business people and Saudi are looking for a world past oil and surely making connections with such people who may then go to Saudi to play or go on holiday and May ultimately be more likely to invest there and do business there that isn’t oil related and perhaps with an influx of those sort of people and better jobs etc, the norms in Saudi which the west don’t agree with now will start to change.
Would a cock eyed skunk be able to play on the LIV
Remember that Advert frequency in the UK is next to nothing compared to most channels in the US so the PGA coverage is “normal”. My suggestion to the PGA is to drop their contract with SKY and have their own channel available in Europe directly. I’m glad you keep pointing out the business model aspect as this applies equally to the players. Contracts matter. Breach of contract is serious. Players run to the USA straight out of school. Just look at the NCAA golf program. See how many top world ranked players men and women truly developed their craft at US University programs.
The comments about the moral side of the LIV tour are hypocritical. The world has no issue watching formula 1 or big tennis events in Saudi Arabia, but golf may only be sponsored by bigco USA, who sell products that make us sick, addicted and bankrupt? It is sick. As for the format, I like that they try to do it differently. Indeed much more golf per unit of time. I agree the coverage could be improved, but hey, this was just the first event. PGA took decennia to finally evolve into an immoral advertising event behind paywalls that ultimately made me loose interest. So I give LIV my 👍
Lots of opinions and comments on social media from both pro and anti camps. What I have not seen yet is discussion around the diminished influence and stature of the old European Tour, now DP World Tour, over the past decade and the concentration and centralization of top world golf in the PGA Tour, and whether this is good for the game of golf globally. I sense a lot of non American players on the PGA Tour would prefer playing closer to their home countries for the same (or better) financial reward and not be away from their families as much for extended periods.
I like the idea of a shotgun start,everyone plays in the same weather conditions and no “luck of the draw” as in other formats.
Will the European Tour allow these players to play?
Excellent first presentation – now onwards and upwards. Showing how crass and dated the PGA Tour product has become!
People should stop banging on about human rights records. The word ‘Hypocrisy’ can be found in the dictionary just under the word ‘Golf’!
Most golf hardware is manufactured in China 🇨🇳 not a country known for its unblemished record. Most golf software comes from there also or from some NIKE Far East sweatshop! But nobody wants to talk about these (rather not mention) sources of supply do they!
The sooner Nantz & Faldo realise they are well past their sell by dates, the better! As for Lee, Dougherty, Barter, Roe, McGinley & Co – You have collectively succeeded in rendering televised golf to a level of abject boredom. Nobody user 40 has the slightest interest in anything you have to say (talking for the sake of talking – filling in the space between adverts) and nobody over 40 is listening because we turn the volume down!
(Btw – Well presented Mark!)
its purely economics, top golfers are a business, does the PGA pay $130k to finish in last place ? no. LIV does. A moral dilemma > does any individual on the PGA or for that matter ANYONE know if they are using some of the vast quantity of oil imported from SA to run cars / machinery etc etc doubtful, and would they stop using it ? IF the majors allow LIV players to compete then it will be a matter of time before the the rest follow on a purely business / profit driven front, which a large amount of people would personally do to secure there family and futures. just my 2 cents!
A couple of things.
1. As it’s on YouTube and it was live, will they have the ability for viewers to submit questions or interact with the coverage?
2. I can’t recall who mentioned this, if the money was coming from one of the top multi-billion dollar corporations would anyone question it?
3. Is there going to be a ladies version of this? Aussie golfer Miss Lee claimed her biggest pay check the other day of $1.6 million and people were falling over themselves cause that was massive. Surely they deserve better as well. They are equally talented.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmcSVnvbjvg An insightful take on the PGA/LIV issue
The only issue is Saudi Arabia's "sportswatching" and their using these golfers as "stooges" to accomplish this. Just call it the Bone Saw Tour and have done with it. And to make it even more disgusting is that two of the tournaments are to be played at Donald Trump owned courses.
I liked the trophy presentation with all the team members on stage along with the caddies. Acknowledging the caddies is really long overdue.
The format just doesn’t interest me, the team portion makes zero sense. Are they going to change teams every event? If so then what’s the point? Nobody is going to root for their favorite team if it’s always changing. The shotgun start while speeding up play results in everybody finishing at once and you don’t get to watch guys try to make birdie to force a playoff or other dramatic finishes.
This is also a warning to the R&A who took the open golf championship off free to air tv who are run by dinosaurs. I really enjoyed watching the free coverage on YouTube. Golf needs the exposure from the biggest tv audience on free to air tv.
I enjoyed LIV and can see it only getting better quality of players over time. I can see it becoming the "Elite" series of golf and the PGA will become the proving ground tour.
Shouldn’t the British media be asking moral questions to our government and golf courses themselves for allowing these comps to be played in our country in the 1st place.You can’t point the finger at the players if people higher up are endorsing it. That being said I can’t stand watching sky sports golf you watch more adverts than golf I loose interest