Unpopular Opinion: The new LIV Golf Tour is the future.

The newly formed LIV Golf Tour will take over the PGA tour in the years to come.

“Out with the old and in with the new.”

We have all heard this phrase for as long as we can remember. People have said it about new phones, homes, technology, etc., and now we will hear it about sports – more specifically, golf.

The PGA has dominated the sport of golf for a long time. It has brought world-famous tournaments such as the Rhyder Cup, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the U.S. Open and the granddaddy of them all, the Masters in Augusta, Georgia.

However, as popular as the PGA has been, I believe that its time on top is coming to an end with the rise of the new LIV Golf Tour.

I predict that the LIV will take over the PGA in the years to come; maybe sooner than we think.

On its website, the LIV says its “mission is to modernize and supercharge the game of professional golf through expanded opportunities for both players and fans alike.”

Think of it as cutting wood with a saw. For years, you have used a long, sharp, three-foot hand saw to cut wood for your wood burning stove. It has served you well for many years and done its job whenever you needed it to.

Then, along comes the chainsaw. You can cut wood with a cleaner cut and can get the job done in half the time. What one will you use? That almost seems like a no-brainer. Obviously, you would choose the chainsaw. It’s better, more effective and requires less energy. Not to mention everyone in the neighborhood is getting one.

Now, I don’t know what the LIV means when they say they intend to “modernize and supercharge the game of … golf” but if I were to guess, I would say that it has to do with technology. Golf is typically thought of as an ‘old’ and ‘sophisticated’ sport. I believe that the LIV intends to disband those stereotypes and bring a kind of hip and modern vibe to the sport of golf.

The LIV Golf Invitational Series will be an eight-event series starting in June and going until October. Players will play in events in North America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia.

The purpose of playing in multiple countries, they claim, is to, “reinvigorate golf through a structure that adds value to the entire sport while helping to bring new audiences to the game.”

I think they can do it. And not only CAN they do, but I also believe they WILL do it and be successful at it. Golf is becoming more popular, and LIV intends to capitalize on that – bringing the game to a whole new audience.

The series will feature things like players playing as individuals and on teams, only three rounds, an eight-event season, no cuts and shotgun starts.

Multiple players have already signed deals with the LIV to play in their tournament. Among those who have already joined are Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Bryson DeChambeau.

It’s not like these are just some scrubs off the street. These are big-name guys.

The PGA came out a few days ago and announced that Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and anyone who has made or will make the jump to the LIV Tournament, are/will be suspended from the PGA Tour.

The first tournament of the LIV series started yesterday, June 9.

Just looking at the website, it has a more modern look to it. For every tournament, different teams are chosen by a team captain. This way, it brings variety to who you are going to play with each tournament.

I think this is going to catch on. One of the reasons being that it is new and exciting. For so long, fans of golf have watched the PGA year-after-year with no change, no added flare to it. The LIV Tour provides that added flare. It’s new, exciting and unexpected. And I think that is what people will gravitate toward.

When you have 16 of the top 100 professional golfers in the world make the switch, it’s kind of hard not to turn your head and wonder why. And this is only for the first year. I predict that there will be more to follow in the years to come.

Dustin Johnson will reportedly make $150 million by just signing a deal to play. Then he will make money by playing in the tournaments. That doesn’t sound like a bad pay day to me. Johnson has made a total of $74.2 million in his years in the PGA. That is still an unfathomable amount of money but not even half of what he will make in the LIV.

If this continues the way that it is going, the PGA may take a back seat to this new and improved tournament style.

Sources

Pgatour.com. “PGA Tour - Tournament Schedule.” PGATour, https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/schedule.html.

“Who We Are.” About LIV Golf | LIV Golf, https://www.livgolf.com/about.

“Mickelson among 17 Golfers Suspended by PGA Tour for Playing Liv Event.” GulfToday, https://www.gulftoday.ae/sport/2022/06/10/mickelson-among-17-golfers-suspended-by-pga-tour-for-playing-liv-event.

“Liv Golf Field 2022: Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson Headline List of Players in Controversial Tour's Inaugural Event.” Sporting News, https://www.sportingnews.com/us/golf/news/liv-golf-field-2022-dustin-johnson/szucnnlb5gctqxc6vuspbfhc#:~:text=LIV%20Golf%20announced%2042%20players%20in%20the%20field.,brother%2C%20Chase%20Koepka%2C%20is%20listed%20as%20a%20participant.

Blasi, Weston. “Dustin Johnson Quits PGA Tour to Join Liv Golf League for $150 Million: Report.” MarketWatch, MarketWatch, 7 June 2022, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/dustin-johnson-quits-pga-tour-to-join-liv-golf-series-for-a-reported-150-million-11654616001#:~:text=One%20reason%20Johnson%20might%20have%20chosen%20to%20join,than%20half%20of%20what%20LIV%20reportedly%20offered%20him.