Zurich Classic, LIV Adelaide show team golf can work – if done properly | Golf Channel Podcast

In this week’s edition, the guys discuss the pros and cons of the dueling team events last week: the Zurich Classic, won by Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, as well as LIV Adelaide, which saw massive support from the Australian crowds. #GolfChannelPodcast #GolfChannel #RoryMcIlroy

Chapters:
(00:00): What stood out from the Zurich
(02:00): Should the Tour’s lone team event tweak its format?
(05:00): Why there’s room on the Tour schedule for team events
(08:00): Greg Norman feels “sorry” for those who don’t see what LIV is doing
(12:30): Should LIV go all-in on team format?
(16:30): What to make of DP World Tour CEO’s recent statements
(23:30): Where we’re heading this week

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Zurich Classic, LIV Adelaide show team golf can work – if done properly | Golf Channel Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/golfchannel?sub_confirmation=1

hello and welcome into this edition of
the Golf Channel podcast with Rex and La
before we get into why Rex is in what
appears to be a Delta Lounge want to
start this podcast by saying team golf
is absolutely taking over the golf world
at least for one week Roy mcroy and
Shane Lowry team up to win the Zur
classic of New Orleans in a playoff
while cam Smith and the hometown
Australian rippers
GC win a home game at Liv Adelaide Rex
what caught your eye uh well New Orleans
I was really interested in that and only
because and it’s funny because you and I
had this conversation on the podcast on
Wednesday about better formats and I
sort of dismissed you but I was watching
the coverage on ESPN plus and I believe
it was Brian katrick was talking about
all the different like he he can’t
rattle off like five different formats
that he’d like to see and all of them
were like a shamble and everything that
you and I would play if you we wouldn’t
played in a tournament I was kind of
like yeah I’d like to see him mix it up
a little bit but welcome yeah welcome
welcome to my world two- man best ball
does just not hit it it really doesn’t
it’s boring to watch uh I mean it’s a
lot of birdies if you if you don’t like
I mean I can see it if you don’t like
birdies I I will say uh I’m compelled by
the forom play on Sunday and and I was a
little thrown by and I don’t know how
much you paid attention to the playoffs
so what they would have done is they
played 18 forom and then if they had to
go one more hole they would have gone to
17 and played as a four ball that to me
was a little confusing little Overkill
let’s stick with one or the other
because I I like I know how hard you and
I both have played forams before we know
I mean it’s just it’s the most brutal
format on the planet because you’re
always letting your partner down that to
me was was compelling so I I don’t mind
that at all so I guess we’re going to
start this podcast speaking negatively
so so Wednesday I I brought up the fact
I didn’t like the the two-men beste ball
everything I saw this week just further
uh strengthen that argument it’s it’s
slow it’s not exciting yes you can see a
lot of birdies every team’s making a lot
of birdies if you actually want to
separate the good teams from the
mediocre teams from the poor teams yeah
you lean into the alternate shot you
lean into the formats where there’s a
greater sort of disparity in scoring
like the 63 that Chad Ry and Martin
trainer shot on Sunday that the
tournament record was an amazing round
of golf and it put them in a position to
win the golf tournament when I think
ordinarily had they played I think the
two-man best ball format there was zero
chance that that team was going to win
the golf for four days of that so I I
still don’t think this tournament is
working maybe it’s the venue maybe it’s
TPC Louisiana maybe it’s the field which
is watered down with a lot of guys who
either have very limited status
conditional status no status at all when
it comes to to Russ Cochran maybe it
needs to move to a different part of the
schedule to me it just doesn’t capture
the imagination of the fans I say that
however Rex so that’s not capturing the
imagination of the fans I think when you
look at Roy
mroy and the week that he had this was
his tournament debut he was half the
time of his life this is a guy who
desperately needed to have some sort of
fun competitively inside the ropes we’ve
seen it at the Ridder Cup every two
years that sort of brings out a
different side of his personality now we
see him alongside one of his best
friends in all the world and Shane lry a
guy he’s known for more than two decades
the video of him belting out Journeys
Don’t Stop Believing uh on stage of the
19th W was absolutely hilarious I love
that I think the the players really
enjoy it but I don’t think that
necessarily translates to the viewer
experience uh I can see what you’re
saying and and look we can sit here and
split hairs over fourball b ball
whatever you want to call it simply
because it’s so odd in the professional
game I mean it’s something that you and
I play all the time in proam again I’m
kind of drawn to the forams play because
you’re right that seems to identify the
the better players the better teams I
will say that watching New Orleans the
last couple of days led me to another
conclusion that I really didn’t have
I’ve heard other journalists make this
argument before but the Olympics should
go to something along these lines where
it’s kind of a
team anything’s better than 72 stroke
play yeah yeah and I I think there’s
probably something to be said for that
whether whatever the format is again I
think four days of forums would would
become exhausting for the players if not
the fans but I I do enjoy that format I
don’t mind I mean look we do four ball
at the ryer cup and the President’s Cup
it seems to work just fine no one seems
to complain about it then the rounds are
slow but I think again this is the old
timey pace of play conversation that we
had last week I I don’t think that’s
that’s going to change one way or the
other I I was I was compelled by it I I
watched it I I was interested you’re
right watching Rory in that element that
team element it helps when you have your
best friend that you’re playing
alongside I thought it was fun like when
you when you think about Rory and his
energy levels all week certainly his
energy levels when he was pounding the m
ures afterward like you can clearly see
how much it meant to Rory to be part of
a team to be part of some of this like
Collective achievement and so I do think
there is room on the PJ tour schedule in
the future for a team event um I I I
still don’t think this is the best
answer but I think this week should
embolden those who who who do believe
that team play can and should be
incorporated into to whatever the PJ
tour is eventually going to look like
Rory in the past has has brought up the
cricket format and I’m not sure if
you’re entirely familiar best I can tell
there’s like a regular season Cricket
format and then they carve out like two
or three months in the spring or summer
to basically just have Team competition
that would obviously involve an entire
reworking of the entire PJ tour schedule
and the major championship schedule as
well the the thinking going move the PJ
Championship to the fall early winter
and space it out over 12 months that
runs counter to everything that we’ve
seen over the past couple years where
they’re trying to condense it where
they’re trying to make it a Sprint where
they’re trying to finish before college
football and the NFL season begin so I’m
still a little bit skeptical than that
could actually happen but I do think
these sorts of events particularly if
it’s integrated with Liv uh particularly
if there’s this sort of franchise model
I do think it can work four to six times
because I think the players with the
right combination of players with the
right events with the right Fan
Experience which I think is what kind of
Falls flat in New Orleans I really do
think that this can can be a a a hugely
successful model for the PJ tour it’s
just not what it currently is uh and I
would turn that back on you and say okay
then give me the format that you think
you’re going to like more than this
because I don’t think there’s anything
proven out there outside of the Ryder
Cup and to a certain degree the
president I’d like to see a twom man
Twan match play
competition um yeah I mean we we could
do that I guess well a couple things ju
you’re right about New Orleans The Fan
Experience is awful and it’s because
they’re on the wrong side of the river I
mean my wife’s family’s from there I’ve
covered it you’ve covered it enough
times when you and I go to cover it we
stay on the French Quarter side where
most people stay who would want to go to
a golf tournament people who live in the
city people who live in the suburbs I
mean they built City Park essentially
rebuilt City Park after Hurricane
Katrina specifically with the idea of
bringing the tournament there so I’m not
quite sure why it never worked out you
could you could turn that into a party
you could turn it into something really
really cool if you just relocated it
just to pull back the curtain here
obviously I’m in the Sky Lounge so I’m
having to use my inside voice yes we’re
we’re gonna have have to rework the
audio to to just boost the energy levels
just boost the volume Just a Touch it’s
it’s early in the morning it’s Monday
morning I’m getting a lot of dirty looks
and people do not want to hear me
spouting off
nonsense at 8 am. in the Sky Lounge um
no I I I think we could create something
special you you immediately took the
leap of okay this is how we incorporate
Liv golf into the PGA Tour I’m not quite
sure it’s going to be that seamless but
I see what you’re
going which does seem a perfect
transition potentially seamless into
live Adelaide and afterward Greg Norman
didn’t necessarily call what happened at
Liv Adelaide Vindication but he did say
that he feels sorry for the ignorance of
others and those who are who are
ignoring or dismissing what is happening
35,000 people uh turned out on site to
see the final round of Liv Adelaide
which was one in a team playoff the
first time they’ve had a team playoff
and two and a half years of live golf
between the sou uh the Australian team
and the South African team and I do
think rex that there was an important
lesson
here that fan engagement is the key to
all of this I don’t think it’s any
coincidence that this is what the PGA
Tour model is trying to do as well
specifically when you bring in the
Strategic Sports Group and the vast
experience that they have running sports
franchises to see how you can kind of
key into the younger dep demographic and
make things more of a happening when I
asked Roy marroy about this a couple
months ago at the Players Championship
where we here you know improve the
product uh engage the fans what does
that actually mean he said the example
of Formula 1 you and I I don’t believe
have ever been to a Formula 1 race uh
but it is a three or four day event big
money there’s parties there are things
going on on the periphery more than just
the race and the competition that is
what I believe the PJ tour wants to do
moving forward and that is what I think
Liv Adelaide at least has tapped into
yes you have the 54 hole golf tournament
but you also have concerts each night
you have other stuff for fans to do and
I think you see a massive turnout 95,000
fans I believe uh was the number that
that live golf cited again I don’t think
that’s necessarily translating to the TV
product but it’s clear that this is the
best event that Liv has to offer and
something they’re going to continue to
try to tap into yeah and it was last
year too if you go back I think it was
the by far the most successful event in
you and I both have been to Australia
and it is a golf star of nation and if
you can bring them Stars if you can
bring them quality golf even if it’s 54
holes even if it’s a team event like
they don’t have a hard time wrapping
their mind around this and getting
behind the event I by all accounts I was
told Singapore and Hong Kong were the
same thing when i’ I’ve talked to people
and players who are at those Live Events
I think it just if you go to the right
Market that as and I hate to give
Credence to Greg here but to his point
that if you will if you’re willing to
wrap your mind around the idea that this
is golf just a little bit different then
yeah I think you can turn that into
something special and the for me the one
model is probably the perfect model for
if not the PGA Tour certainly SSG
because that is by far the path forward
if you want to turn PGA Tour Enterprises
the for-profit arm of the tour now into
something that’s profitable that’s the
easiest pathway forward and you do that
in conjunction with live golf I will say
there’s already tour events that do this
I mean Scottdale being the primary
example now but if you look at other
events the American Express has a
concert pretty much every night starting
on Monday night all the way through
Championship does it I’m
it’s it’s going to look more I think a
lot more like Phoenix than it than it
will the Zer classic and again we keep
going to the Zer classic why was a
little bit dead on site you have
JazzFest going on at the exact same time
you have a Pelicans playoff game on
Saturday afternoon that that clearly
Drew uh some of the some of the interest
there but I think as an example it’s
going to look more like Phoenix than it
is going to be Zurich yeah yeah and
again someone who’s who’s I got married
in New Orleans my wife’s family is from
there I’ve spent a good amount of time
there I think if you did it differently
there like if you move that somewhere
into the city city park for example
which is you know a cab ride from the
French Quarter you turned it into a
party you turned it you made it part of
JazzFest even like there’s so many
different things you could do at that
time of year in New Orleans to turn this
into an event and they just haven’t done
it I mean I don’t know it’s if it’s
because TPC Louisiana is a tour property
and they just need to stay there just
for monetary reasons that seems like a
silly reason when you could turn it into
something really special couple things
here to also d uh dive in on on live
Adelaide I’ve been saying for a long
time on this podcast that I I do believe
especially now that Liv has abandoned
its pursuit of official World Golf
Ranking points that they should just
completely lean into the team element
and I think that’s what was on display
over the past couple days in Australia I
think for the first time the team
competition really
overshadowed the individual element
that’s not a knock on Brendan steel who
is a is a fine player uh we both like
him personally gting the $4 million
first place prize the first time he’s
won uh a tournament I believe since
2017 but you had a firsttime team
playoff and it certainly helped to have
the hometown team doing battle but
having two players on the Australian
team go up against two players on the
South African team head-to-head with all
that was at stake I think monetarily
sense of pride uh in in sort of
capturing the imagination of the fans to
me that felt like a moment for live golf
and something that they should get into
further the complication of course with
that Rex is that if you do go strictly
into the the team format and get away
from the individual component how are
the 10 to 12 I think major worthy
players who compete on live golf how
would they respond to less focus on
stroke play and more on the team element
they’re basically using these golf
tournaments to gear up for the major
championships and and having more match
play having more team focused
competition would only detract from that
you already have John ROM calling for
for for Liv to move from 54 holes a
stroke play to 72 holes a stroke play I
think that’s where Liv needs to go but I
don’t think it’s Marquee players will
sign up for a tour or a circuit that is
is leaning more in the other direction
yeah you’ve made this argument before
and I think they’re moving in the other
direction I mean to your point even Greg
talked about yes they’re open to the
idea of playing 72 holes and which to me
is that’s sort of just background noise
to okay that we would be willing to to
maybe add more individual stroke play to
this make lean into the individual side
more so than the team side I get your
point like as soon as they lost the
battle for world ranking points it
sounds like a good pivot just to lean
into the team aspect of it is I don’t
know if you get the players to buy off I
I don’t think you can get the fans at
least in the United States where they
still have the vast majority of their
events to lean into it it’s just not
been a popular proposition up until now
and for whatever reason it works in
Adelaide it works in Asia it’s worked in
other places it just hasn’t paid off
here in the United States so I’m not
quite sure if you double down if you
decided okay we’re only going to do team
aspects of it I mean that to me sounds
like you’re just being bullheaded at
that
point I think it’s also worth pointing
out that that Adelaide at least at this
point is still the outlier whether you
look at Hong Kong whether you look at
London whether you look at the
tournaments in Saudi Arabia like they’re
they’re still getting terrible interest
onsite from the from the fan turnout
perspective and they’re still losing
money you know Liv Adelaide still got
considerable help from the south
Australian government but with TV
production costs without having a any
sort of lucrative TV deal uh any other
cost associated with putting on a
tournament of this magnitude there’s no
way that Liv is still covering the $25
million purses that they’re offering and
so they they’re still going to need help
from that standpoint it just seems like
having the team uh format going
head-to-head I think if they want this
to grow if they really want the the the
franchise model to hit among fans
leaning into team play in match play is
the way to go speaking of this
Rex and finally before we do get out of
here because I know it’s a little bit
awkward uh in the Delta Sky Lounge at
this point hello hello ma’am uh the DP
World Tour CEO uh the new DP World Tour
CEO guy Kennings said that European
players who left for live golf wink wink
John ROM and Terell Hatton can still
qualify for the 2025 Rider cup he did
not say that this is a loophole he said
this is actually not new news but it is
something that he is now bringing
attention to as and those players would
be able to play the 2025 Rider cup at
Beth Page black if they play enough
events to qualify for tour membership
before being selected in other words
this means that those players have a
pathway to compete at Beth plag but it
just requires some more work and effort
in addition to paying a fine which if
you’re making 300 plus million dollars
as is the case John ROM uh playing
paying a fine of a million or two is
probably not going to be that big of a
deal this seems like a pretty good
compromise and a pretty good path
forward for the European Rider Cup team
in particular uh I actually got a text
message from one of our producers up in
Connecticut asking about the story it
was on golf digest.com it was by joh our
buddy John Huggins and he said is this
newsworthy should he put it in the show
that night I said no this has always
been the case this has always been the
rules if you go back I mean just go back
just a few weeks they were there Live
players playing and and the Porsche open
in Germany like they still can maintain
their membership as long as as you
pointed out they pay the fines and it’s
a lot of money for the fins I talked to
one player on Liv and it was it was well
into the a figures he’s not paying that
Liv Goff is paying that that’s sort of
the the unwritten code here so it’s not
like they’re having to sign these checks
and they only have to play Four events
outside of the majors to maintain that’s
if they get in the majors to maintain
that membership so why wouldn’t you if
you’re John ROM or you’re trell Hatton
or any of the Europeans who are sort of
ringing their hands that you can’t be
part of the Ridder cup anymore no you
still can and that this hasn’t been
changed this isn’t new I actually wrote
In my column on Friday that if the PGA
Tour is really struggling with how
they’re going to make this work with Liv
golf if they come to some sort of
agreement with piff and we all know that
one of the big Hang-Ups is going to be
how those players who join lived are
either welcome back or not welcome back
into the current ecosystem if you’re if
you’re trying to find some sort of
Paradigm of Hope if you need a pathway
the European tour has created it I mean
this is the easiest Pathway to do it
that just lay down fines lay down
suspensions make some sort of mandatory
okay if you want to be a tour member
again this is the number of events it
can’t be 15 that’s not realistic but
like if you can come up with a a
realistic way to do it and the European
tour has so I think as much as the PJ
tour is struggling with the concept
right now they have created something
that they should the tour should
probably studied carefully because there
are loot players who continue to
maintain their membership on on the
European tour and make no mistake about
it the European tour it’s a funding
source for them at this point they’re
getting a great amount of money for this
now
folks like John ROM Terell Hatton AJ
Moran have all maintained their European
tour membership what about the European
Legends last year last summer who were
basically strong armed into forfeiting
their European tour membership or or
forfeiting their European tour me
membership I’m thinking of Sergio Garcia
Lee Westwood Ian polter Henrik Stenson
those players gave up their European
tour membership because they basically
threw up their hands and said there’s
there’s no use the suspension
the fines are outrageous how are those
players now feeling when the with the DP
World Tour CEO Greg guy Kennings is
saying oh no this isn’t new news you
didn’t have to you didn’t have to do
that it’s not so I would turn it back on
you why why did you use the word strong
arming because this has been their
regulation since the very beginning of
this even when they they went through
this the I think it was called the
sports of resolution I mean the court of
resolution when Ian polter and some of
the other European players tried to
challenge
the European tours RS this this has
always been the case I think it’s why
the Court ruled in the European tour’s
favor because how come they all how come
they all resigned in Mass um well
probably the fines would be prohibitive
if they were paying them again my
understanding is they’re not paying them
anyway this is coming from lip golf SL
the public investment fund so the only
reason not to do it is just to prove a
point that if you’re Sergio Garcia for
example and your feelings are probably a
little bit hurt because this didn’t play
out the way you wanted to then fine I’m
just going to take my ball and I’m going
to go home that’s what this feels like
to me how about guy kiddings as well
saying that representatives from the DP
World Tour the PJ tour and the Saudi
public investment fund have not yet met
together when we are nearly 11 months
since the announcement of the framework
agreement did that catch you by
surprise what’s your read on that uh no
again just like I wasn’t surprised when
we learned that the player directors on
the policy board hadn’t met with anybody
from the public investment fun including
yir Al ramayan um the governor I don’t
know I don’t I killed that one um I
don’t know why they would have they that
I’m not trying to be dis that’s 11
months 11 months I mean seems to me
there’s a lot that needs to be done
before you bring the player directors in
it seems to me there’s a lot that needs
to be done before you bring in God
Kennings in the European tour because
this is going to be a deal essentially
and again this probably isn’t going to
make my friends in Europe very happy but
this is going to be a deal essentially
between the piff and the PGA Tour and
then whatever Becomes of the DP World
Tour that’s part of the process but
let’s don’t I mean this is J Monahan
this is yir Al ran this is those two
negotiating this deal it’s just amazing
that there have not even been
conversations with those folks in the
same room 11 months removed from the
framework agreement it certainly seems
like the sense of urgency is different
among all those parties which which I I
would say that this is the motivation
and Rory touched on this last week week
when he was asked the idea of why you’d
want to go back on the board and it’s
because things have been moving so
slowly he feels like he could be sort of
that that spark that moves him in the
right direction I’m not quite sure if he
will be because I think you still have
the conflicts on the board that clearly
exist right now you still have people on
one side of the board who want to go in
One Direction and people on the other
side of the board who want to go in a
vastly different direction so I’m not
quite sure how Rory bridges that Gap I
also love to tie this all together that
we were asked last week on golf to Day
by our friend aan Lynch whether Roy
maroy uh assuming he does get voted back
onto the board whether that could help
or hinder his performance well the week
that it becomes known that Roy
mroy is is potentially going back on the
board to replace Webb Simpson he wins
the golf tournament with his friend
Shane Lowry as we mentioned you are in
the Delta Sky Lounge where you headed
what are you doing uh head to Dallas for
the Nelson this week I’m the golf
Central reporter on on property and
you’re heading up to Connecticut is that
right this is why I am I leave about a
half hour’s time to get to Stanford
Connecticut doing the show Tuesday and
Wednesday alongside Damon hack very much
looking forward to that Jordan spe seems
like Rex the lone headliner in this AT&T
Byron Nelson field Jordan Speed probably
wouldn’t even be playing this tournament
if he was not sponsored by a AT&T or B
living in Dallas what are you actually
looking forward to covering this week uh
it’s it’s these events in between and I
was I was talking with a producer Last
Night night about this that I I don’t
think that we’ve done a very good job of
sort of telling the stories of players
trying to play their way into the
Signature Events and since we’re getting
towards the end of the Signature Events
I I’m kind of I I want to try to to look
at these players from the Aon list the
two a on list the five and the 10 list
and trying to put out point out how
important it is specifically this time
of year because we’re kind of at that I
know we’ve only played one major out of
four but I feel like we’re at that
Tipping Point in the year where you’re
going to have to slide on I thought it
was funny yesterday Rory and Shane
talking about one of their motivations
for trying to win yesterday was to get
was to improve their FedEx Cup status
which is shocking to me but only get 400
points for a win well Rory I think they
were both outside the top 50 which is
sort of the magical number so I I see
where they’re coming from when you have
an issue like that you have JT I just
looked at the world ranking again this
morning he slipped 28th in the world
ranking again which means that he’ll
probably he’s probably going to need
some sort of exemption to get into the
final um Signature Events you’re going
to end up with top players at the end of
this season like if that chair rate
Remains the Same you’re going to end up
with top players who don’t stay in that
magical category yes big week for Roy
mroy not just did he earn a a massive
hangover from his win in his night in
New Orleans chugging Michelob alros but
he also now if the season ended right
now yes Roy mcy would indeed be eligible
for the Tour Championship very big news
you can catch Rex all week uh from
Dallas reporting as he mentioned on golf
Central you can catch me on golf today
on Tuesday Wednesday Rex and I will be
back for a preview edition of an Nelson
and anything else that happens in the
intervening 48 to 54 hours on another
edition of Golf Channel podcast with
rexit lab that will drop on Wednesday
afternoon in the meantime you guys know
the drill NBC sports.com golf for us Lay
News notes in the world of golf thanks
as always for listening thanks for the
support have a great start to your work
week