The Guardian reports that several big names linked to LIV Golf are back.
- Related to Cam Smith accuses Phil Mickelson, of ‘gamesmanship’ during the LIV showdown
Rumours circulated at the LIV Golf Miami finale that Mito Pereira, Patrick Cantlay and Thomas Pieters could be joining LIV in 2023, according to reports.
The report by Ewan Murray, a respected journalist:
“Speculation in Miami has connected Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele to Mito Pereira, Thomas Pieters, and LIV. Cantlay and Schauffele’s loss would be a major blow to the PGA Tour. Pereira was only hurt by a 72nd-hole accident at the US PGA Championship this year. Pieters would normally be in the mix to be considered for a spot in Europe’s 2023 Ryder Cup Team. However, any change to the Saudi Arabia-backed tour would make it impossible. LIV declined to comment on individual conversations with players em>
The Guardian spoke with Atul Khosla, the president of LIV, to confirm that there will be new players next year.
He said that new signings are still in the process of being discussed. “We will get it done this season. We want to lock the teams in by the new Year. It will all play out over the next few months.”
Khosla understands the importance in securing a TV deal. This will be LIV’s main priority this week as it enters its off-season.
He said, “On the US Front, we are back-and-forth with a few other networks.” Step one was to show them our product. They clearly understood it. We had to show them the graphics, and explain how it would differ from theirs. The second step was to clear the time.
“We have reached the point where outlets are saying that time can be cleared. You can only do this on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We are still figuring out how the commercial arrangements might look.
“I am happy with where we are at the moment, but there is still work to be done over the next few months. We believe we offer an amazing commercial product. These are not 6-month or 1-year deals. If a TV network supports this, it will be for multiple years. The product must be commercialized. We need to be on TV and we have to find corporate partners. These are the milestones we must reach.
Many LIV critics pointed out that the LIV did not have a clear business plan as one of the main reasons it failed to last more than a few decades. Khosla’s comments indicate clearly that revenue creation is the goal, and will begin in 2023.
