David Feherty is a golf analyst who also moonlights as comedian at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach. He said that LIV Golf was close to signing a deal with a network known primarily for superhero shows and teen dramas.
LIV is trying to get a television contract with the CW Network. It has 220 affiliates across the country, including WTVX34 in West Palm Beach. Feherty suggested that an announcement might be imminent on Thursday, possibly as early as this week.
After his Thursday show, he asked: “Have y’all heard of CW?” Then he added: “I might be fired for this but…
LIV, a breakaway league of golf that was funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, hosted eight events in 2022. It was led by Greg Norman from Palm Beach Gardens. You could only tune in through LIVGolf.com or YouTube.
Feherty quit NBC Sports and Golf Channel last year to become an LIV analyst. Feherty answered the Toledo Blade in August when asked why he had made the switch to LIV. Bull I heard that it was to grow the game. They paid me a lot.
Feherty’s comments on CW weren’t exactly breaking the news, however. Sports Business Journal reported recently that CW Network was the frontrunner for a deal with LIV.
LIV’s primary business model, team play, is dependent on securing a TV deal. This year, the series will be rebranded as LIV Golf League and will host 14 tournaments. It will play 54-hole events, with no-cut teams. To offset the billions Saudi’s PIF spent to start the league, it is looking to franchise.
LIV must secure a television deal with the league and find sponsors to maximize each franchise’s value. This would be the first step. Norman stated that it will not be until the last season of the current season before the teams are sold.
First season a success
LIV’s inaugural season was a success by all accounts. Norman was able attract more notable names than expected such as Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. The league attracted the attention of PGA Tour who responded by investing more money in its product.
LIV was highly polarizing and quickly found its niche on the golf market.
The news has been scarce since the season ended at Trump National Doral in October. Rumours of other prominent defectors circulated at that time and the former president Donald Trump claimed that big names would be leaving PGA Tour for LIV.
Since the 2022 season ended, no new players joined the team and the roster is still a mystery. Rumours of new players have been denied by many of the most prominent names. Patrick Cantlay stated that he does not plan to join LIV. Jason Day said that he will not be leaving LIV as of now. Xander Schauffele stated, “I know where my next year is playing and, if I had to guess,” he meant the PGA Tour.
Cameron Young. Jon Rahm. Adam Scott. All remaining on the PGA Tour. There may be some movement between now, and the beginning of LIV’s season. It could be at the level of Tequesta’s Mito Pereira.
LIV needs more star power. It was remarkable to see so many high-profile names make the leap early, but that is not enough to compete with the star power of the PGA Tour.
Two significant departures from LIV have been the most important news in terms of transactions since last season. Matt Goodman, director of franchises, resigned from LIV in this month, and Atul Khosla, COO, resigned in December. According to Sports Business Journal both were “viewed as key players as LIV seeks to strengthen its business model and tap into traditional ways to generate revenue.”
A full schedule was also expected to be published in November. However, only seven tournaments were announced at venues in Mexico. The season begins February 24-26 at Mayakoba, Mexico.
The remainder of the schedule will be available soon. Some of the LIV venues from last season, such as Doral, Bedminster and Chicago, Boston, Boston, London, and Boston, will likely return. Trump stated that LIV would hold a tournament on his property, which is located outside Washington, D.C.
There has never been any bad news regarding Official World Golf Ranking points. LIV’s request that OWGR award points to its golfers is being delayed by the OWGR board. After a 16-month process, they announced that a Mexican development tour would begin receiving points in December. LIV applied last July for OWGR points.
Tom D’Angelo writes for The Palm Beach Post’s sports column. He can be reached at [email protected].
