If the last 12 months in professional golf were defined as the PGA Tour defending against LIV Golf’s existential challenge, then the next 12 will be a referendum upon LIV and the products it produces for the world.
The PGA Tour has nothing more to worry about after last weekend’s LIV Season-Opening Event in Mexico. LIV Golf, still in its early stages but in its initial phase, may have reached its peak.
You didn’t see the Charles Howell III vs. Peter Uihlein duel? It wasn’t your only concern. John Ourand from Sports Business Journal reported that Saturday’s LIV Golf debut was a.2 rating in 26 metered markets. This is a terrible number and suggests that LIV drew a lower audience than CW staples such as “World’s Funniest Animals”.
It’s hard to call it “Golf But Louder”, when you would need a stethoscope in order to see if the tour has pulse.
This was a prime case for LIV to test whether it could control the discourse and capitalize on its star power last year.
LIV failed to capture any market share from the PGA Tour. Its weekend broadcasts also were a great illustration of why it isn’t.
LIV, as seen from the viewpoint of the viewer, is a solution to a problem that never existed.
It’s not a great show, from the constant thump and thump of electronic music playing in the background, to the large amount of time spent discussing the team aspect at LIV events, to the disorienting shotgun starting format, it’s just plain boring. The march of Howell to victory, which could have been told as a positive story by itself, almost felt secondary to the gags and set pieces that LIV pulled out. Like Cameron Smith enjoying a beer from a shoe while tweeting praises for the league champion and Cameron Smith who is currently the British Open champion.
Oh, and what about the team results? They only confuse an already straightforward competition. Bubba Watson stated in a preround interview that the goal was to “try to sell T-shirts at night” and then couldn’t recall the tagline of his team, The Range Goats.
Bubba Watson, Rangegoats GC, plays his shot on the second tee of the LIV Golf Invitational – Mayakoba El Camaleon Mayakoba, February 24, 2023 in Playa del Carmen. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images).
Bubba, you are selling us the concept.
While it’s true that television shows of golf could do with some updating and new ideas, there is a rhythm to Sundays when the players make moves and the leaders try to keep their cool. It’s the tension and excitement of winning a tournament that sells golf, not the fancy bells and whistles LIV has reduced it to mere kitsch.
The Saudi connection to sportswashing should be left out. LIV is not a good golf product, even with the big names like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka. These guys are sloppy looking, even if they play in shorts.
Why are we even watching if this is a weekend giggling?
LIV left a lasting legacy beyond the staggering amounts of money that the Saudis will be setting ablaze. It also pushed the PGA Tour to action. LIV’s initial wave of players was enough to prompt the PGA Tour into making some changes to its schedule and increasing the purses at its largest events to ensure that more money was available to top players.
Now that everyone knows what LIV is and what it doesn’t, the risk of major defection seems to have passed. LIV is the only one that can match Thomas Pieters and Mito Pereira, so it’s impossible to call them a rival. It’s best described as a halfway house between senior events and the PGA Tour.
LIV made headlines a year ago because of its ability to shake things up, the strain relationships it caused between players, and the way it tried to ignore the connection to Saudi Arabia’s terrible record on human rights.
After all this, it’s now time to go on the course and sink or swim. What is LIV offering other than a confusing broadcast and a few past-their prime pros?
Turns out, it’s not much. LIV is just one year old but, like many of its players, its best days might already be behind it.
