liv tour v pga

Golf fans shocked as latest LIV Golf vs PGA Tour TV ratings are revealed

Golf fans react as TV ratings are revealed from last weekend's LIV Golf Mayakoba and PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Golf fans have been reacting to the latest TV ratings following LIV Golf 's first event of the season at Mayakoba and the PGA Tour 's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was reduced to a 54-hole tournament following a final-round washout.

With no live golf played on Sunday over on the PGA Tour, it left the door wide open for golf fans to head over to The CW Network should they so wish and view the final round of LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico. 

It was also a particularly strong leaderboard heading into the final round too, with Joaquin Niemann leading by two strokes over LIV Golf debutant and arguably the best player in the world, Jon Rahm . 

But despite everything aligning perfectly for LIV Golf in the final round, unfortunately its viewing figures on The CW Network were close to five times less to that of CBS Sports ' third-round coverage of the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am , which ended up being the final round due to bad weather.

Wyndham Clark was crowned the winner after surging into the third-round read following a stunning 60 , which marked the lowest-ever round at famed Pebble Beach.

It was not the lowest round of the weekend, however, as Niemann fired a course-record 59 in the first round at Mayakoba. 

While Clark's round marked the lowest of his blossoming PGA Tour career, the 60 did not count as an official record at Pebble Beach as a result of preferred lies being in place. 

Niemann ended up defeating his former mentor Sergio Garcia at the fourth extra hole in darkness over at Mayakoba, while Rahm led his new Legion XIII to a four-stroke team victory despite throwing away the individual title when finding the penalty area with his tee shot down the 17th. 

PGA Tour trounces LIV Golf

According to official TV ratings from the weekend's action in the men's professional game, CBS had 1.951m viewers during Saturday's third round.

In comparison, LIV Golf's second-round action on Saturday drew 168,000 viewers on The CW Network but an improved 432,000 viewers on Sunday. 

Pebble Beach PGA (Saturday), CBS: 1.951m LIV Golf (Saturday), CW: 168K LIV Golf (Sunday), CW: 432K https://t.co/I7csAFZ3vK — Sports TV Ratings (@SportsTVRatings) February 6, 2024

What must be taken into consideration is the above numbers do not include streaming available on both the LIV Golf Plus App and the LIV Golf YouTube channel. 

While these figures have not been made official, LIV Golf's final round YouTube video has amassed 165,000 views. 

One big positive for LIV Golf is the fact its final-round coverage of the first event of the season on The CW Network was superior to that of its first event in 2023, also at Mayakoba, which had 291,000 viewers. 

So it's not all bad news for LIV Golf. 

Golf fans have been reacting to the latest TV ratings on LIV Golf and the PGA Tour over on social media, so we encourage you to head over to our GolfMagic post on both Facebook and Twitter and get involved in the debate. 

Some fans think its very unfair to compare the two Tours without knowing how many viewers came through the LIV Golf Plus App, while others believe LIV Golf will never reach PGA Tour TV ratings no matter how much money is pumped into the Saudi-backed circuit. 

Which tournament did you watch last weekend? Did you tune into the final round of LIV Golf Mayakoba? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels. 

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PGA v LIV: Everything you need to know about golf’s messiest drama

The PGA Tour can sue the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund and its president, a judge ruled Tuesday, marking a win for the PGA against its rival, LIV Golf, the new Saudi-backed professional golf tour that siphoned off some of the PGA’s biggest stars last year—sparking a messy legal dispute between the world’s top league and a well-funded upstart.

LIV and the PGA have been in court since August 8, when 11 pro-golfers who were suspended from PGA events after playing in LIV tournaments sued the PGA for allegedly using its power to stifle competition and punish defectors—within weeks, LIV became a plaintiff in the players’ suit, leading most of the golfers to drop out of the case.

The PGA filed a countersuit against LIV on September 28, arguing that LIV and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) wrongly interfered in PGA’s business by offering players millions of dollars to break their PGA contracts and play for LIV instead.

PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf agree to shock merger

Who is Yasir Al-Rumayyan? The new king of global golf also chairs US$2.1 trillion oil behemoth

Tuesday’s decision by federal Judge Beth Labson Freeman to let the PGA treat PIF as a defendant in its LIV suit is based on information PGA lawyers discovered after a judge reportedly forced PIF and its president, Yasi Al Rymayyan, to be deposed, despite LIV arguments that the Saudi entity isn’t under American jurisdiction.

The exact discoveries are unknown, but PGA lawyers requested information on LIV’s negotiations with players, sponsors and broadcasters, the purpose of LIV and plans to subvert the PGA.

The PGA is also reportedly being investigated by the Department of Justice for possible antitrust violations in its response to LIV.

“It is plain that PIF is not a mere investor in LIV; it is the moving force behind the founding, funding, oversight and operation of LIV.” Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen

“It is plain that PIF is not a mere investor in LIV; it is the moving force behind the founding, funding, oversight and operation of LIV,” Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen reportedly wrote in her February 9 ruling allowing the PGA to depose PIF and Al Rumayyan.

LIV was launched in 2021 under CEO and former golf No. 1 Greg Norman, and hosted its first tournament at the Centurion Club outside of London on June 9-10. The league’s golfers compete on shorter courses for bigger prizes , and party after they do it. Backed by $2 billion from PIF, it has offered players big enough buyouts to offset the cost of switching tours.

In June, LIV wooed some of the PGA’s top-talent with multi-million dollar payouts , reportedly paying Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau $100 million each to play for LIV, plus another $200 million for Phil Mickelson. By June 9 , the PGA had suspended 17 players who’d pledged to LIV and promised future suspensions for anyone who participated in LIV events. The PGA tour oversees 47 events , which makes it almost essential to a pro-golfer’s career. It has squashed past competitors, including Norman’s World Golf Tour in the ‘90s, by threatening to sanction players who sign with competitors.

Big Numbers

$25 million . That’s how much LIV Golf pays out for each of its 14 regular tournaments . Individual winners get $4 million, the winning team of four gets $5 million to split and, because LIV tournaments don’t have cuts, the last-place player is still guaranteed $120,000. The league also offers $30 million in performance bonuses, with $18 million going to the year’s top individual player, and a $50 million Team Championship, with a $16 million prize for the winning team of four. The PGA poured $54 million into 8 tournament purses this year to compete with LIV, but it’s harder to increase prize money across its dozens of tournaments. Only the Players Championship matches the $25 million LIV shells out for each event.

DOJ Probe and Monopoly Accusations

The Wall Street Journal revealed in July that the DOJ had launched an investigation into the PGA’s suspension of LIV players, and some PGA bylaws preventing golfers from participating in other tournaments. This isn’t the first time the PGA has come under investigation for allegedly monopolistic practices–in 1994, the Federal Trade Commission investigated a PGA rule requiring golfers to get the PGA commissioner’s permission before competing in non-PGA events, and another concerning golfers’ TV appearances. The probe found no wrongdoing. “We went through this in 1994 and we are confident in a similar outcome,” a PGA Tour spokesman told the Wall Street Journal . However, several experts, including antitrust lawyer and Baruch College professor of law Mark Edelman, told Forbes the DOJ case has merit. There’s no indication when the probe may end, or whether the DOJ will bring a case against the PGA.

Since its inception, LIV has been attacked as “ sportswashing ” to distract from Saudi Arabia’s many human rights violations. Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, who controls the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, is thought to have ordered the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist and Saudi government critic Jamal Khashoggi , according to U.S. intelligence reports. Most of the hijackers behind the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, were Saudi, though the Saudi government has persistently denied their involvement. The Saudi Arabian government is also intolerant of homosexuality. Mickelson famously described the Saudi government as “scary motherf*ckers” who “killed Khashoggi” and “execute people…for being gay” just months before joining LIV.

Chief Critics

Rory McIlroy , one of the PGA’s remaining champions, has repeatedly castigated LIV golfers for “taking the easy way out” and choosing money over prestige and tradition. Tiger Woods, arguably the most recognizable golfer in the world, argued players who switched to LIV “turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.” Sponsors also cut ties with several LIV golfers, including Johnson and Mickelson.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by RORY (@rorymcilroy)

The Trump of It All

Inextricably entwined in the drama is former President Donald Trump. Trump used to host several PGA championships at his golf courses, but the tour broke all ties after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Since then, Trump has thrown his hat in with LIV, describing it to the Wall Street Journal as an “incredible investment [for Saudi Arabia]” and a “great thing…for the image of Saudi Arabia.” A LIV event hosted at his New Jersey golf club in July was protested by people decrying Saudi Arabia’s connections to 9/11. The National Press Club called for a boycott of the same event, ripping into Trump for allegedly allowing the Crown Prince to get away with murdering Khashoggi. Trump didn’t seem fazed. He told the Wall Street Journal that controversy around Khashoggi had died down and has repeatedly urged PGA golfers to “take the money.” Trump’s extended family also has ties to the Saudis: In 2022, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s private-equity-firm received $2 billion in funding from PIF. Importantly, PIF has invested billions in American businesses, including Amazon and Google’s parent, Alphabet.

What To Watch For

LIV’s 2023 season kicks off on February 24 at the El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course in Quintana Roo, Mexico. The tournament will be broadcast on the CW network, which LIV signed a multi-year deal with last month. The league is still waiting to see if the Official World Golf Rankings will recognize LIV tournaments, though golfers will not receive any ranking points for playing in Mexico. Widespread unhappiness with the OWGR led Sports Illustrated to release its own ranking system on Wednesday that includes LIV golfers and calculates ranking based on performance in the past year, instead of the past two years like the current system. It would be favorable to LIV players for the Sports Illustrated system to become widely recognized, so they can qualify to play in big tournaments.

This story was first published on forbes.com

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PGA Tour wins first legal battle against LIV Golf as players are denied restraining order, kept out of FedEx Cup Playoffs

Talor Gooch is one of three PGA Tour players whose appeal was rejected.

Kevin C. Cox

A judge in U.S. District Court denied a motion Tuesday afternoon to three LIV Golf members seeking to participate in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, giving the PGA Tour the first victory in the legal battle between the tour and the Saudi-backed circuit.

As part of the lawsuit filed by Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and nine others against the PGA Tour last week, three players—Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones—attempted to get a temporary restraining order to play in this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. Gooch, Swafford and Jones had argued that the tour had inflicted “irreparable harm” by keeping the players, who had been suspended by the tour for their participation in LIV Golf events, out of the tour's postseason.

MORE: Inside the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf battle

However, in a San Jose courtroom, Judge Beth Freeman sided with the tour.

"LIV contracts are based upon players calculation of what they were leaving behind,” Freeman said, adding they had not established a likelihood of success by their merits in the overall antitrust case.

In a two-hour spectacle, lawyers for both LIV Golf and the PGA Tour at times seem to be making cases for the other side. A LIV Golf legal representative called the FedEx Cup the “Super Bowl of golf,” while PGA Tour representation claimed the LIV Golf event at Trump Bedminster had more “elite” players than the field at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. And Judge Freeman appeared to be poking holes in both sides, taking exception with PGA Tour Comissioner Jay Monahan's ability to have absolute say in suspending players while questioning if, someday, the tour would be the party filing antitrust action against LIV Golf.

In its response to the original TRO motion, the tour had argued that the LIV players were “fabricating an emergency” and questioned the timing of the filing. Judge Freeman did not agree, feeling the filing was timely. But Freeman also said the LIV players are making double than what they made on tour, thus hurting the case that the tour suspensions were truly causing harm.

Following the defeat LIV Golf issued the following statement: "We’re disappointed that Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones won’t be allowed to play golf. No one gains by banning golfers from playing.”

MORE: LIV Golf is promising huge money. In these documents, the PGA Tour fights back

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan sent a memo to players after the ruling was announced that doubled as a statement from the tour:

"With today’s news, our players, fans and partners can now focus on what really matters over the next three weeks: the best players in the world competing in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, capping off an incredibly compelling season with the crowning of the FedExCup champion at the Tour Championship."

After the ruling Judge Freeman set the timeline for the remainder of the Mickelson vs. PGA Tour lawsuit. The trial, in which LIV Golf asserts antitrust actions by the PGA Tour, is set to begin in September 2023.

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Pga tour vs. liv: what we know, and what could come next.

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KILKENNY, Ireland – Awkward.

That’ll be the tone Monday morning at stately Adare Manor when the game’s stars, be they sanctioned or otherwise, gather for the J.P. McManus Pro-Am. It’s far too easy to imagine an uncomfortable brush as Tiger Woods, who is playing publicly for the first time since the Masters, passes Bryson DeChambeau, who was among the second wave of PGA Tour players to join LIV Golf last week.

Imagine at some point Rory McIlroy, the outspoken front man for the anti-LIV set, offering LIV convert Graeme McDowell or Ian Poulter or Lee Westwood a nervous head nod and nothing more.

It’s an unsettling status quo that professional golf appears bound for as the divide widens by the day ( Paul Casey became the latest player to bolt for LIV late Saturday ) and the news cycle is only accelerated.

Last week saw the first LIV event on U.S. soil, another seven Tour players added to the list of the excommunicated, and the apparent first of what promises to be a parade of lawsuits, appeals, motions and filings. Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has been clear that there is no path back for those who have been wooed by the deep pockets of the Saudi-backed rival league, but the game will march on.

Here’s what we know, what we think and what might be next:

An alliance . Last week the PGA Tour and DP World Tour announced an enhanced alliance that will now include a direct path to the U.S. circuit for the top 10 finishers each season in Europe. But how far is either side willing to go?

The new agreement didn’t come with any additional co-sanctioned events, like the original deal that will include next week’s Scottish Open and Barbasol Championship as well as the Barracuda Championship.

The deal provides the Tour with additional ownership (now 40 percent) of European Tour Productions and the European circuit gets a valuable marketing partner who was crucial in landing title sponsors for both the Irish Open and the Scottish Open. But where the alliance goes from here remains unclear.

Asked during a player meeting earlier this week if the current alliance was a precursor to an outright merger, European chief executive Keith Pelley appeared to be intentionally vague, “Only if [a merger] makes sense and if [the membership] wanted to do it,” he said.

The enhanced alliance creates a united front at a crucial moment for the sport, but it’s not seamless.

A distinction . Just moments after the opening tee shots were played at the first LIV Golf event last month in London, the PGA Tour announced that its members who defied tournament regulations and played the breakaway circuit were indefinitely suspended. It was a similarly swift response last week when the circuit suspended an additional seven players who were in the field at the second LIV event.

The DP World Tour’s response, however, has been noticeably more nuanced.

Pelley, after weeks, finally ruled on how to handle its members who joined LIV, it was far less definitive than the PGA Tour’s response. The European players were fined (about $105,000) and banned from playing the co-sanctioned events (Scottish Open, Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship). According to various sources, the European tour doesn’t have the regulatory license to suspend players indefinitely like the PGA Tour.

As much as Monahan and the Tour would prefer a united front, when it comes to the LIV players it’s not that easy.

A divide . What had been a uniquely golf response among players to the LIV Golf challenge has started to unravel.

The view across the professional ranks had clung to the “independent contractor” notion of live and let live. But as the uncomfortable economic realities have settled in, that tolerance has been tested.

“To be honest most of the players on this side [the DP World Tour] will think that the sanctions are too light, way too light,” Padraig Harrington said at the Horizon Irish Open. “The players would be wanting more.”

Justin Thomas offered a particularly personal response to the expanding divide last week on the No Laying Up podcast.

“It hurts us,” Thomas said. “I heard someone that brought up a good point is they’re saying that I’m sure at some point, you know, some sort of lawsuits will be going and if any of those guys that left to go play the other tour sue the Tour, they’re suing me, they’re suing Rory, they’re suing Tiger, they’re suing every single one of us that they’ve looked in the face, looked in the eyes and played rounds of golf with, played on cup teams with, shared moments, whatever, with and they’re suing us.”

At best, interactions between factions are bound to become tense. At worst, longtime friendships will be replaced by animosity.

An answer . Considering Monahan’s hard line, it’s difficult to imagine an ecosystem where everybody – the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf – can coexist. But if everyone involved were to reach a tipping point, there could exist a path to détente.

According to Monahan, the Tour has not met with representatives from LIV Golf or Golf Saudi, and by all accounts there’s no appetite to start a dialogue. Pelley, however, didn’t dismiss the idea.

“We’re not adverse to working with Golf Saudi in the future,” he told his members at last Tuesday’s player’s meeting. “But that would have to be within the current professional framework.”

While the PGA Tour has made this a moral line that can’t and won’t be crossed, the sensitivities on the European tour appear to offer more flexibility.

“Remember, everybody, depends where you come from the in the world, has a completely different idea. Your idea what’s right and wrong is not my idea,” Harrington said. “We are all different and it hugely depends on where you’re brought up and your cultures and things like that.”

Any chance of a potential compromise between the established tours and LIV Golf is riddled with non-starters and deal-breakers – not the least of which is LIV’s Greg Norman, who has become more of a Twitter troll than a CEO in recent weeks.

But if there is any chance to find common ground, it will likely be found on this side of the Atlantic.

Here's why the PGA Tour just merged with LIV Golf

The PGA Tour announced Tuesday it would merge with LIV Golf, a Saudi-backed men's golf organization that formed last year to compete with the PGA.

News of the merger sent shock waves through the sports world and even reached the highest echelons of the U.S. government, after a reporter sought comment from the Biden administration about the Saudi government's taking such a large stake in men's golf. Biden spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment.

Here's what it all means.

What is LIV Golf?

LIV was created in 2022 by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) alongside two of the world's most prominent players, Phil Mickelson and Greg Norman, and others.

Norman was appointed CEO, but it was Mickelson who helped LIV come into existence. Mickelson accused the PGA Tour of not fairly compensating players for things like highlight clips and other media rights , accusing the organization of "obnoxious greed."

Eventually, Mickelson helped persuade 48 players to abandon the PGA Tour for LIV.

The merger has shown that Saudi Arabia and its interests cannot be isolated, veteran U.S. diplomat Richard N. Haass said.

“It's not as big as the Biden visit or agreement with Iran , and it doesn't offset their recent failure to raise oil prices,” said Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations . "But it does send the signal they are a player who cannot be ignored."

Why did the PGA Tour initially bar players from participating in LIV?

The PGA Tour immediately viewed LIV Golf as a direct competitor — and many in the golf world agreed, often referring to it as a “breakaway league.”

So the Tour decided to force players to pick a side, creating harsh divisions in the golf world.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan also seemed to disparage the presence of the Saudis in LIV, asking rhetorically in a June 2022 interview , “Have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?”

And in response to a lawsuit from players who'd joined LIV and said the PGA Tour had retaliated against them, lawyers for the organization condemned LIV as “a strategy by the Saudi government to use sports in an effort to improve its reputation for human rights abuses and other atrocities.”

So why is the PGA Tour merging with LIV?

The two leagues ended up suing each other — but acrimony and lawsuits ultimately proved bad business for the PGA Tour, which made the calculated decision to endure the blowback of turning 180 degrees in exchange for a unified effort with its former rival.

Lawsuits filed by suspended players and a federal probe into possible antitrust actions by the PGA Tour against LIV may also be moot in the wake of Tuesday's announcement.

"We've recognized that together we can have a far greater impact on this game than we can working apart," Monahan told CNBC, seated next to his LIV counterpart, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. "And I give Yasir great credit for coming to the table, coming to the discussions with an open heart and open mind."

Despite the vast financial resources at its disposal thanks to its Saudi backing, LIV had failed to secure major TV deals to broadcast its events, which were often instead relegated to livestreams on YouTube.

With its commercial viability in doubt, LIV officials may have decided it was better to cut their losses and approach the PGA Tour with an offering of peace — and money.

How much money is involved? What are the financial incentives on both sides?

Terms of the merger haven't been disclosed, but LIV Golf players were reportedly being promised eight- and nine-figure earnings to join the league, thanks to the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which is worth about $676 billion.

CNBC's David Faber, who helped break Tuesday's news with an exclusive interview with Monahan and Al-Rumayyan, said the PIF plans to invest "billions" into the newly formed entity while it retains a minority stake.

How will major golf events be affected?

They won't.

The Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open (now known as The Open) and the PGA Championship (which, despite its name, isn't actually owned by the PGA Tour) are all separate entities from the PGA Tour.

Nor does the Tour control the biennial team-based Ryder Cup tournament — though heading into this year's event, there were questions about whether U.S. team captain Zach Johnson would forgo selecting LIV members.

Have there been mergers in professional sports before?

All four of North America's major professional team sports leagues have some kind of merger in their histories, most notably the NFL-AFL union that led to the Super Bowl.

The first World Series in 1903 , the 1976 NBA-ABA deal and the NHL's 1979 takeover of the upstart WHA , though, all pale in comparison to the geopolitical stage where the PGA Tour-LIV drama played out.

What are people in golf saying?

As expected, reaction to the stunning deal ran the gamut — from LIV backers' spiking the ball to 9/11 survivors' criticizing the PGA Tour for merging with the Saudi-backed LIV, which they likened to “terrorists,” with others resigned to money's simply ruling the day.

Former President Donald Trump typed in all caps on Truth Social, boasting that he predicted that the PGA Tour would have to come to terms with LIV.

A key Sept. 11 support group, 9/11 Families United, said it was "shocked and deeply offended" and claimed the merger is "bankrolled by billions in sportswashing money from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." It added: "Saudi operatives played a key role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and now it is bankrolling all of professional golf."

George Washington University sports marketing professor Lisa Delpy Neirotti verbally shrugged her shoulders and said the deal shouldn't have been a shock.

"I ask my students how to spell the word 'sports?' It's m-o-n-e-y," she said. "Fans have a short memory. They really want to see their stars. They want to see a better product."

Rob Wile is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist covering breaking business stories for NBCNews.com.

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How We Got Here: A Timeline of LIV Golf and How the PGA Tour Eventually Embraced Its Rival

• Author: Bob Harig

How did professional golf's split come to life? Here's a timeline compiled by Bob Harig, from the initial reports of a rival league in January 2020 until now. We'll update this file as more news continues to develop.

2020: The rival circuit idea takes hold

January: Reports first surface about the potential for a rival golf league that has been meeting with players and agents behind the scenes and touting an 18-event circuit with just 48 players, 12 teams and guaranteed pay. Initial ideas saw $10 million purses with no cuts and a windfall for 12 team captains. The concept was called the Premier Golf League .

Jan. 29: Phil Mickelson plays in the pro-am for the Saudi International, an event that is sanctioned by the European Tour. In his group is Majed Al-Sorour, CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation; Andy Gardiner, a director at Barclays Capital and a founder of the PGL; and Colin Neville of the Raine Group, also a backer of the PGL, which had Saudi Arabia backing as well through the Public Investment Fund.

Jan. 30:  Greg Norman, who once tried to spearhead a rival league with the backing of Fox Sports, sees viability in the PGL a day after the pro-am in Saudi Arabia. “It’s just a matter of getting all the right components together, whether players stay together," says Norman, whose World Golf League in 1993-94 was thwarted by the PGA Tour. “With my original concept, some players loved it, and others didn’t like it. I had corporate, I had television but you need 100% of the pie to be together before we can bake it. From what I’m seeing here, this one has every chance of getting off the ground."

Greg Norman tried to spearhead a rival league decades ago and is a central figure in one now. 

Paul Childs/USA TODAY Sports

Feb. 11:  Speaking at the Genesis Invitational, Tiger Woods says he’s been approached about the PGL . “My team’s been aware of it and we’ve delved into the details of it and trying to figure it out just like everyone else. We’ve been down this road before with World Golf Championships and other events being started. There’s a lot of information that we’re still looking at and whether it’s reality or not, but just like everybody else, we’re looking into it."

Asked why he might even be interested, Woods said: “I think just like all events, you’re trying to get the top players to play more collectively. It’s one of the reasons why we instituted the World Golf Championships, because we were only getting (the top players) together five times a year, the four majors and the Players, and we wanted to showcase the top players on more than just those occasions. So this is a natural evolution, whether or not things like this are going to happen, but ideas like this are going to happen going forward, whether it’s now or any other time in the future."

Feb. 18: A week later at the WGC-Mexico Championship, Rory McIlroy seemingly deals the PGL a serious blow: “The more I’ve thought about it, the more I don’t like it. The one thing as a professional golfer in my position that I value is the fact that I have autonomy and freedom over everything I do. I pick and choose—this is a perfect example. Some guys this week made the choice not to come to Mexico. If you go and play this other golf league, you’re not going to have that choice.

"I read a thing the other day where it said if you take the money they can tell you want to do. And I think that’s my thing, I’ve never been one for being told what to do, and I like to have that autonomy and freedom over my career, and I feel like I would give that up by going to play this other league. For me, I’m out. My position is I’m against it until there may come a day that I can’t be against it. If everyone else goes, I might not have a choice, but at this point, I don’t like what they’re proposing."

Spring/Summer:  Talk of the rival golf circuit dies down considerably amid the global Coronavirus pandemic. Talk shifts to when golf will resume and how it will take place amid a health crisis. The PGL idea goes into the background.

Fall:  The PGL approaches the European Tour, now the DP World Tour, with a proposal to merge or cooperate. CEO Keith Pelley turns down the PGL and instead forms a "strategic alliance" with the PGA Tour that will see some crossover events, the Tour take an ownership stake in European Tour productions, and effectively—at the time—hold off the outside threat.

2021: LIV Golf is born

May 4:  A report surfaces that a new Super Golf League has emerged and that it is either the new name for the PGL or something different. Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson are among those linked to it. Sometime during the spring and summer of 2021, the PGL sees some of its personnel switch allegiances to a new entity that will have full Saudi backing and will come to be known as LIV Golf.

Oct. 27:  At a private unveiling in New York, LIV Golf Investments is announced with Greg Norman as its CEO, with the idea of first helping to back golf in Asia with the $300 million investment in the Asian Tour, which will be used to finance a new elevated series of events called the International Series. It is eventually disclosed that Norman will also be the commissioner of a new tour called the LIV Golf League, with plans to launch in the spring of 2022.

Nov. 21:  PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan sends a memo to players outlining how 55% of the Tour’s revenue will be paid out to players in the form of prize money, bonuses and other benefits—believed to be in response to Phil Mickelson saying on a podcast that only 26% of revenue was going to the players.

Early 2022: Phil Mickelson speaks, LIV prepares

Feb. 2:  While playing in the Saudi International for the third straight year, Phil Mickelson does an interview with Golf Digest in which he refers to the PGA Tour’s "obnoxious greed" as a reason why players might be interested in LIV Golf. He also maintains that the Tour is sitting on millions of dollars that should be going to the players. "It’s not public knowledge, all that goes on," Mickelson said. “But the players don’t have access to their own media. If the Tour wanted to end any threat, they could just hand back the media rights to the players. But they would rather throw $25 million here and $40 million there than give back the roughly $20 billion in digital assets they control. Or give up access to the $50-plus million they make every year on their own media channel."

Phil Mickelson set golf ablaze with comments early in 2022 accusing the PGA Tour of "obnoxious greed," then after a hiatus emerged as one of LIV Golf's headliners.

Feb. 17:  Even Tiger Woods and the Genesis Invitational—where he is not playing—take a back seat to the drama that unfolds when Alan Shipnuck releases an excerpt from his soon-to-released biography of Phil Mickelson in which the golfer, among other things, says he is willing to use the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League as leverage against the PGA Tour and that he and other players paid attorneys to help LIV Golf develop its business plan.

Feb. 20:  With Phil Mickelson’s comments the talk of the tournament, players such as Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau come out in support of the PGA Tour , viewed as a blow to LIV Golf. It is later learned that Mickelson’s comments and the subsequent back-tracking of several players who were interested in LIV set back the league’s plans and sent it into disarray.

Feb. 22:  In the wake of his comments, Phil Mickelson offers an apology and says he will step away from the game for a period of time and offers to pause relationships with sponsors. “I have always known that criticism would come with exploring anything new. I still chose to put myself at the forefront of this to inspire change, taking the hits publicly to do the work behind the scenes.”

Mickelson said that he offered the brands with which he was associated “the option to pause or end the relationship as I understand it might be necessary given the current circumstances.” KPMG and Amstel Light end their relationships with Mickelson, and a few days later, Callaway announces that it is pausing a relationship that dates to 2004.

March 8:  With Phil Mickelson missing—and, later it was learned, suspended—PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan addressed the media at the Players Championship. A typical state-of-the tour-type news conference turned into questions about Mickelson and LIV Golf . "The PGA Tour is moving on," he said. "We have too much momentum and too much to accomplish to be consistently distracted by rumors of other golf leagues and their attempts to disrupt our players, our partners, and most importantly our fans from enjoying the Tour and the game we all love so much.

"I am grateful for the strong support our top players have shown recently and publicly, and I’m extremely proud that we’ve turned the conversation around to focus on what we do best: delivering world-class golf tournaments with the best players to the best fans, all while positively impacting the communities in which we play. We are and we always will be focused on legacy not leverage."

March 16:  Despite numerous setbacks, LIV Golf announces an eight-tournament schedule to begin in June. It won’t be the LIV Golf League, as planned, but the LIV Golf Invitational Series. Purses will be $20 million for the individual portion with $5 million more set aside for the teams. At the time, LIV Golf was unsure if it would be able to fill a 48-player field so it announced that the entire purse would be paid out regardless of the number of players who started. Total prize money for the eight events was set at $255 million, with $50 million set aside for a season-ending Team Championship.

May 10:  PGA Tour players and Korn Ferry Tour players interested in competing in the first LIV Golf event outside of London in June need to seek conflicting event and/or media releases but are denied. The Tour tells players it is not an authorized event. Greg Norman, the LIV Golf commissioner, pushes back. "Sadly, the PGA Tour seems intent on denying professional golfers their right to play golf, unless it’s exclusively in a PGA Tour tournament. This is particularly disappointing in light of the Tour’s non-profit status, where its mission is purportedly to promote the common interests of professional tournament golfers.

"Instead, the Tour is intent on perpetuating its illegal monopoly of what should be a free and open market. The Tour’s action is anti-golfer, anti-fan, and anti-competitive. But no matter what obstacles the PGA Tour puts in our way, we will not be stopped. We will continue to give players options that promote the great game of golf globally.”

Mid 2022: LIV Golf—with big names—tees off

May 31:  Dustin Johnson, a two-time major winner who has 24 PGA Tour titles, headlines the field announced for the first LIV Golf event to be played at The Centurion Club outside of London. Others listed are past major winners Sergio Garcia and Louis Oosthuizen, as well as Kevin Na, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood.

June 6:   Phil Mickelson ends a four-month hiatus in which he missed the Masters and defense of his PGA Championship title, emerging as LIV Golf’s latest signee who is set to compete later in the week at the first tournament. At a news conference prior to the tournament, Mickelson is asked several times about his past comments regarding Saudi Arabia, its human rights record and the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, believed by U.S. government officials to have been carried out by the Saudi regime.

“Well, certainly, I've made, said and done a lot of things that I regret, and I'm sorry for that and for the hurt that it's caused a lot of people. I don't—I don't condone human rights violations at all. Nobody here does, throughout the world. I'm certainly aware of what has happened with Jamal Khashoggi, and I think it's terrible. I've also seen the good that the game of golf has done throughout history, and I believe that LIV Golf is going to do a lot of good for the game as well. And I'm excited about this opportunity. That's why I'm here."

June 9:  Within minutes of the first tee shots being struck at the first LIV Golf event, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan issues a memo in which players who are participating are told they are being suspended .

Charl Schwartzel owns a unique piece of golf history: winner of the first LIV Golf event.

June 11:  Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, wins the first LIV event, holding on for his first victory anywhere in nearly six years. The win was worth $4 million from the $20 million purse and because Schwartzel’s team, Stinger GC, won the team competition, he pocketed another $750,000 from the $3 million paid to the winners.

June 21:  Following other players who committed to play for LIV during or after the first LIV event, then-four-time major champion Brooks Koepka is announced as the latest addition . He joins the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Pat Perez, Patrick Reed and Abraham Ancer as those who were now set to play in LIV’s second event.

June 22: During a news conference at the Travelers Championship, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan outlines a plan that will see the PGA Tour return to a calendar-year schedule in 2024 while also increasing the purses substantially at eight events, including the legacy events for Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus . The FedEx Cup season is also changed to see smaller fields at the first two playoff events.

Aug. 2:  Eleven LIV golfers sue the PGA Tour to challenge suspensions and claim a restraint of trade. Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau are among those named in the suit. Three other players—Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones—seek a temporary restraining order so they can play in the FedEx Cup playoffs. (The restraining order is denied on the eve of the FedEx Cup playoffs.)

Aug. 16: Tiger Woods flies to Delaware and heads a players-only meeting at the BMW Championship along with Rory McIlroy where details are hashed out that will lead to substantial purse increases and benefits for players. It would later commonly be referred to as "the Delaware Meeting."

Aug. 24: On the back of the Delaware meeting, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announces a hastily-devised plan that will see eight tournaments in 2023 with boosted purses. First called designated events, these tournaments would have $20 million purses except for the Sentry, which will be $15 million. For several of the events, the result means more than doubling the purse. For the legacy events, it means adding $8 million per event. And the first two playoff events will also have $20 million purses.

Aug. 30: Just more than a month after his victory at St. Andrews, British Open champion Cam Smith becomes the latest player to join LIV Golf , doing so in time for its event in Boston. Smith is joined by Joaquin Niemann, who attended the Delaware meeting, along with Marc Leishman, Harold Varner III, Anirban Lahiri and Cameron Tringale. At the time, it gave LIV Golf six of the top 30 players in the Official World Golf Ranking.

One month after winning the 150th British Open, Cam Smith left for LIV Golf.

Michael Madrid/USA TODAY Sports

Oct 5: LIV Golf announces a strategic alliance with the MENA Tour, a developmental tour that has had Official World Golf Ranking accreditation since 2016. LIV Golf incorporates its events into the MENA Tour schedule and says it believes it should be granted OWGR immediately due to the association. The move is scoffed at as an end-around to try and obtain points and the OWGR does not grant points to LIV Golf.

Oct. 29: Martin Slumbers, the CEO of the R&A, makes it clear that the British Open is not going to ban LIV golfers who are otherwise eligible for the 2023 championship. "We are not going to abandon 150 years of history have the Open not be open," Slumbers said.

Oct. 30: LIV Golf completes its first season with Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces team winning the team championship in Miami. The four team members share a $16 million payday.

Nov. 15: At the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, Rory McIlroy says it is time for golf’s warring factions to figure something out. But he says it needs to happen without LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman . “Greg needs to go. He needs to exit stage left. He’s made his mark but I think now is the right time to say you’ve got this thing off the ground but no one’s going to talk unless there’s an adult in the room that actually try to mend fences."

Nov. 29: At his Hero World Challenge event in the Bahamas, Tiger Woods also says that Greg Norman needs to go. Woods had been planning to play for the first time since the British Open but withdrew due to plantar fasciitis. “I think (Greg Norman) has to go, first of all, and then obviously the litigation against us and then our countersuit against them. Those would then have to be at a stay as well, then we can talk, we can all talk freely. Right now as it is, not right now, not with their leadership, not with Greg there and his animosity towards the tour itself. I don’t see that happening. But why would you change anything if you’ve got a lawsuit against you? They sued us first."

At his Hero World Challenge in 2022, Tiger Woods said Greg Norman would have to depart before a discussion could take place between the rival tours.

Tracy Wilcox/Getty Images

Dec. 16:  Only a year into the job, the Chief Operating Officer for LIV Golf leaves his position . Atul Khosla was hired by LIV Golf in December 2021 from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL team, where he held the title of chief corporate development and brand officer. Khosla was also chief operating officer for the Chicago Fire soccer club in the MLS and also worked for General Electric and NBC Sports. In his role at LIV Golf, he reported to CEO and commissioner Greg Norman. His role was taken over by executives of the Performance 54 agency and not filled for nearly a year.

Dec. 20: Augusta National makes clear it will be inviting those eligible for the Masters to participate . “Regrettably, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it," Masters chairman Fred Ridley said in a statement. “Although we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honor the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers this coming April.”

Early 2023: OWGR, legal issues persist

Jan. 19:  LIV Golf announces it has a long-awaited television partner after its events were available only via streaming in the first year. The CW Network—the C is for CBS, the W for Warner Media—enters into a multi-year agreement to televise LIV Golf tournaments. The deal will not see LIV Golf get paid a traditional rights fee but that is "mutually financially beneficial." It is believed that LIV will share advertising revenue with the CW and will also likely be expected to shoulder a good bit of promotional work.

Jan. 24:  Jay Monahan and Keith Pelley recuse themselves from reviewing LIV Golf’s application for Official World Golf Ranking points. Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, and Pelley, the CEO of the DP World Tour, are two of the seven members of the OWGR board of directors that ultimately decides the fate of tours seeking accreditation. Keith Waters, who heads up the International Federation of PGA Tours and is the DP World Tour’s chief operating officer, also recused himself from the application.

“I have not looked at the LIV application," Pelley says during a session with reporters in Dubai. “So I can’t give an opinion on an application I have not seen. It is in the hands of the technical committee. On the advice of legal counsel, myself and Jay recused ourselves from the separate committee. Representatives of the four majors will now determine the LIV application. We are not involved and we have no influence on what transpires as far as LIV goes."

April 5: The DP World Tour wins an arbitration case against LIV Golf players who were seeking to play the former European Tour. The arbitration panel rules that the DP World Tour had the right to fine and suspend players for violating its membership regulations in order to compete in LIV Golf events. Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and 10 other players had brought the action in response to fines levied for not being granted permission to compete in LIV Golf events. A separate antitrust case between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour is still scheduled for 2024.

May 4:  Amid its investigation of former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents, the Department of Justice looks specifically at his dealings with LIV Golf, according to the New York Times . Two of Trump’s courses hosted events in 2022 with three scheduled to do so in 2023.

Summer 2023: The stunning agreement 

June 6: The golf world is stunned to learn that secret negotiations have been taking place and resulted in a "framework agreement" between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund . Initially said to be a "merger," it is later reframed as an agreement that would see the entities have an alliance. The biggest part of the news is that all of the lawsuits have been dropped. The idea is to have a final deal by Dec. 31, 2023.

As more details emerge, it is learned that PGA Tour Policy Board members Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy secretly met with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF, for several weeks prior to the announcement. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan also had clandestine meetings with Al-Rumayyan. On the day of the announcement, they appeared together on CNBC.

June 7:  While surprised that everything came together so quickly, Rory McIlroy says that the PGA Tour’s partnership with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia will ultimately be good for the game of golf. Speaking after his pro-am round at the RBC Canadian Open, McIlroy learned of the agreement shortly before the rest of the world but said much of it has been mischaracterized and that it should not be viewed as a merger with LIV Golf.

“LIV has nothing to do with this. It’s the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund that are basically partnering to create a new company. That’s where I was a little frustrated. All I’ve wanted to do was protect the future of the PGA Tour and protect the aspirational nature of what the PGA Tour stands for. I think this does this. If you look at the structure, this new company sits above everything else. (PGA Tour commissioner) Jay (Monahan) on top of that. Technically, anyone involved with LIV would answer to Jay. The one thing whether you like it or not, the PIF were going to keep spending money in golf. At least the PGA Tour controls how that money is spent. You’re dealing with one of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world. Would you rather fight against or have them as a partner?"

June 7:  Although not involved in the negotiations, LIV Golf CEO and commissioner Greg Norman has a positive message for the staff . Norman, who was not mentioned in any of the news releases associated with the agreement, tells more than 100 people on a 30-minute call that LIV will see no operational changes and that work is already being done on a 2025 schedule. “The spigot is now wide open for commercial sponsorships, blue chip companies, TV networks. LIV is and will continue to be a standalone enterprise. Our business model will not change. We changed history and we’re not going anywhere."

Eight days after appearing with Yasir Al-Rumayyan on CNBC to announce the "framework agreement," PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan took a leave of absence for health reasons. He later took responsibility for an "ineffective" rollout of the agreement which caught most PGA Tour players by surprise.

John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports

June 14:  On the Tuesday of the U.S. Open week, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announces through the Tour a health-related leave of absence that will see Tour executives Ron Price and Tyler Dennis take over his duties.

July 7:  In a memo to players, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan says he will return from his leave on July 14, which is the Monday of British Open week.

July 9: Randall Stephenson, a longtime member of the PGA Tour and former head of AT&T, sends a resignation letter to Monahan and the board and specifically cites his displeasure with the framework agreement.

July 11:  Among wish-list ideas proposed by the LIV Golf League in the time leading up to the framework agreement was giving Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy LIV Golf League franchises and seeing them compete in LIV Golf events. It was just one of the ideas that discussed by the parties as part of documents released by a Senate subcommittee during a hearing in Washington, D.C., led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). The PGA Tour rejected it as part of the negotiation.

The committee is concerned about the foreign involvement in an American sports league as well as possible antitrust violations. Some of the ideas include having a "World Golf Series" team event that would be played in Saudi Arabia; LIV operating as it is but being played in the fall or with the idea of LIV coexisting along with the PGA Tour; two of the PGA Tour’s designated events that would be branded by the PIF or the Saudi Arabia oil company, Aramco.

July 18:  Masters champion Jon Rahm says he has no trust issues with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan—unlike several of his peers—and suggests time is needed. “As it comes to what he's been doing for us and the PGA Tour, I think he's done a fantastic job. I would say it was unexpected what happened. I think what the management of the PGA Tour, the turn they took without us knowing was very unexpected, but I still think he's been doing a great job. And right now after that happened, I only think it's fair to give them the right time to work things out. I still think they have the best interest of the players at heart."

Rahm, speaking before the British Open, also reiterates he is not interested in LIV Golf. “We all had the chance to go to LIV and take the money and we chose to stay at the PGA Tour for whatever reason we chose. As I've said before, I already make an amazing living doing what I do. I'm extremely thankful, and that all happened because of the platform the PGA Tour provided me. As far as I'm concerned they've done enough for me, and their focus should be on improving the PGA Tour and the game of golf for the future generations."

Aug. 1:   Tiger Woods is named to the PGA Tour Policy Board , giving the players a power boost as he becomes the sixth player director on the board. Part of the move includes a stipulation that will see a change in PGA Tour governance that means the player directors will have final say in any decisions going forward.

Aug. 8:  PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan speaks with reporters for the first time since his leave and after returning to work and takes responsibility for the way the negotiations for the “framework agreement" were secretly handled and the subsequent rollout. “It was ineffective and as a result there was a lot of misinformation. And anytime you have misinformation that can lead to mistrust. And that’s my responsibility. That’s me and me alone. I take full accountability for that. I apologize for putting players on their back foot. But ultimately it was the right move for the PGA Tour. I firmly believe that as we go forward time will bear that out. It was the right move and obviously we’re now in a position with NewCo (PGA Tour Enterprises) that provides the opportunity to have productive conversations."

Late 2023: LIV strengthens its lineup

Oct. 19: On the eve of LIV Golf’s final event of 2023, CEO and commissioner Greg Norman speaks with reporters publicly for the first time since the agreement was announced and says he has "zero" concern about the future of the league , regardless of what happens with the “framework agreement."

“All indications are showing that the position of LIV has never been stronger and that the success of our players and our brand has never been in a better place. And as we look forward into 2024, we’ve got a full schedule. We’ve got some places we’ve been to before, but we’ve got some new venues as well and we’re reaching different regions."

Nov. 28: Tiger Woods speaks publicly for the first time since the framework agreement was announced and he joined the Policy Board, touching a variety of subjects including outside Public Equity Investment in the PGA Tour, the Public Investment Fund and LIV Golf. He calls the ongoing negotiations "murky" and says "I would have to say there's a lot of moving parts on how we're going to play. Whether it's here on the PGA Tour or it's merging, or team golf. There's a lot of different aspects that are being thrown out there all at once and we are trying to figure all that out and what is the best solution for all parties and best solution for all the players that are involved.’’

He says during the week and again two weeks later at the PNC Championship that he is focused on a deal getting done or some resolution by the Dec. 31 deadline.

Dec. 7:  After weeks of speculation, Jon Rahm is announced as the newest member of LIV Golf . The two-time major champion, who on numerous occasions had expressed his disinterest in LIV due to the format, among other things, makes it official in New York where he said the lucrative offer was difficult to ignore and he had come to terms with the format. He also said his decision had nothing to do with any animosity or issues wit the PGA Tour.

“I’m forever grateful to the PGA Tour and the platform they allowed me to be on. I have nothing bad to say about them. They allowed me the opportunity to play in some great events and allowed me to make a mark."

Dec. 31: The agreement deadline comes and goes but the PGA Tour says there is "meaningful progress" and that negotiations will continue into 2024.

2024: PGA Tour lands an investor deal

Jan. 31: The PGA Tour announces the formation of PGA Tour Enterprises in a partnership with Strategic Sports Group, a group of investors from a number of professional sports. The deal, worth $3 billion, is said to allow nearly 200 PGA Tour players access to $1.5 billion in equity over time. The deal states that it allows for co-investment from the PIF in the future.

March 12:  Speaking with reporters for the first time since August, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said negotiations with the PIF are “accelerating” and that he and PGA Tour Policy Board members met with Yasir Al-Rumayyan in January, but did not offer specifics.

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What is LIV Golf? Players, field, tour schedule, news for league with Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson

Everything to know about the pga tour's newest rival.

LIV Golf is now more than halfway through its inaugural season after completion of play in Chicago. Making headlines both on and off the golf course, LIV Golf has taken its battle to the courtroom, social media and beyond. While the actual play in LIV Golf has been compelling at times, the overall structure, presence and future of the organization remains its most intriguing component in the context of men's professional golf.

Plenty of questions have been answered since its inaugural event in London from June 9-11, but still more remain without a response. What will the future of this rival tour look like? How will the team aspect of the competition clash with the individual side? Will LIV Golf be able to recruit some of the best players in the world with its Official World Golf Rankings status in the air? Is a court date with the PGA Tour inevitable?

At every step along the way, answers about this league have only produced more questions and clarification has only made the future more complicated. 

The breakdown below is our attempt to share with you everything that's known to this point as we head into the whatever LIV Golf is going to look like in the future. Whether this turns out to be a fork or bump in the road of professional golf remains to be seen (only the future will retroactively determine that), but it does feel monumental in the moment.

LIV Golf, empowered by its unlimited war chest of resources to throw at the best players, is officially at odds with the PGA Tour. It's a period of time that has been promised for a long time, and is finally taking place. Let's take a look at what we know and what we can expect in the weeks, months and years ahead as LIV Golf wraps up its first season at the end of October.

What is LIV Golf?

LIV Golf is a rival golf league to the PGA Tour where the tournaments consist of 54 holes, the fields are limited to 48 golfers and the purses are an astronomical $25 million. Twelve, four-man teams will compete in each event, and the individual purses will be $20 million while the other $5 million will be divided up among the best teams each week.

Who leads LIV Golf?

LIV Golf Investments runs the league, and its CEO is two-time major champion Greg Norman. It is funded by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which is effectively the financial arm of the Saudi Arabian government. These funds are seemingly limitless as the league has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to players just to guarantee their appearances at the LIV Golf Invitational Series events.

Who is playing for LIV Golf?

It began with Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson headlining the London event and has since grown into a respectable roster. Major champions Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed quickly followed the lead of their fellow Americans. 

More recently, and more importantly, world No. 3 and Champion Golfer of the Year Cameron Smith made the leap after the completion of the 2022 Tour Championship. He was joined by young Chilean Joaquin Niemann as two international players who chose to forgo the Presidents Cup in lieu of playing in the LIV Golf event in Boston. While the initial demographics skewed towards older players like Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Mickelson, there has been an influx of younger talent with Abraham Ancer and Harold Varner III among others.

Here's a look at the 49 men who currently play for LIV Golf and their Official World Golf Rankings (Bubba Watson is a non-playing captain and is set to compete once fully recovered from injury).

What is going on legally between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour?

Originally, 11 LIV Golf players were a part of an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. This suit also sought a temporary restraining order for Hudson Swafford, Matt Jones and Talor Gooch to participate in the 2021-22 FedEx Cup Playoffs -- which was ultimately denied and barred them from playing in the PGA Tour postseason.

Since then, slowly but surely, more and more of the original members have removed their names from the lawsuit. Previously, Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Jason Kokrak and Pat Perez left the suit. More recently, Talor Gooch, Mickelson, Poulter and Swafford followed in their footsteps. 

This leaves only three players seeking punitive damages in a legal battle with the PGA Tour: Bryson DeChambeau, Peter Uihlein and Jones. The trial is set to begin in January 2024.

The Tour has over and over again pointed back to its rules and regulations in this matter and remains set on keeping those who have played on LIV Golf off the PGA Tour. Commissioner Jay Monahan was asked at the Tour Championship if there was any chance LIV Golf members would be welcomed back onto the PGA Tour to which he blatantly answered, "no."

How has the PGA Tour reacted to LIV Golf?

After a players-only meeting at the BMW Championship led by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, sweeping changes have been made to the PGA Tour schedule and the treatment of its star players. Here are the spark notes of this new-look PGA Tour starting this season.

• Top players will commit to at least 20 PGA Tour events:  These tournaments will include the eight elevated events as previously designated, four additional elevated events with purses of at least $20 million (to be announced), The Players Championship, the four major championships and three other FedEx Cup events of players' choosing.
• The PIP will be expanded:  The PIP has been increased from the top 10 players to the top 20 for 2022 and 2023. Not only has the player pool expanded, so has the prize pool, which will now total $100 million, double the $50 million previously announced. It is from these top 20 lists that "top players" will be defined.
• Modifications  made for Lifetime Membership:  No longer will 15 seasons of membership be necessary. Once a player reaches 20 wins, he will be eligible. With this change, McIlroy has secured his lifetime membership with Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth only being a handful of wins away.

Will LIV Golf receive Official World Golf Rankings points?

LIV Golf is still awaiting the status of its OWGR application despite its best attempts to expedite the process. All 49 players recently sent a letter to the OWGR chairman requesting that world ranking points be retroactively applied to its events. Comparing the OWGR without LIV to college football without the SEC or FIFA without Belgium, it is unlikely this holds any merit. 

Meanwhile, players have begun to tee it up on the DP World Tour with some consistency on weeks in which there is no LIV Golf event. The top 50 players in the OWGR at the end of the calendar year will be invited to the 2023 Masters making it a mad dash for players to accumulate as many points as possible before then.

Will the majors allow golfers to play?

That's an even better question that has at least some clarity.  The answer in the short term is: yes . The major organizations -- PGA of America, USGA, R&A and Augusta National -- likely won't announce suspensions or bans of players who participate. There is a potential that qualifying criterias are modified in the future, however as of now if a LIV player gains entry through previous exemptions or the adequate OWGR (points which LIV has yet to secure) he should be able to compete.

What is the LIV Golf schedule?

Five events have already taken place in 2022, with three remaining. Here's a look at what's left on the schedule for the inaugural season.

• Bangkok, Thailand: Oct. 7-9
• Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Oct. 14-16
• Miami, Florida: Oct. 27-30

LIV Golf has released a tentative schedule for 2023 with 14 stops around the globe spanning Washington D.C., Spain and Australia.  This is unofficial as details have yet to be confirmed.

• February: Florida (course TBD)
• February: California (course TBD)
• March: Tucson (Dove Mountain or the Gallery)
• April: Australia (Sydney or Queensland)
• April: Singapore (Sentosa)
• May: Washington D.C. (CBS Sports can confirm Trump National DC the week after PGA Championship)
• June: Philadelphia (course TBD)
• July: London (Centurion)
• July: Spain (Valderrama the week before The Open)
• August: New Jersey (Trump National Bedminster)
• August: West Virginia (The Greenbrier)
• September: Chicago (course TBD)
• September: Toronto or Mexico (course TBD)
• September: Florida (Trump National Doral)

What does LIV Golf's season finale look like?

It will not look like the Tour Championship, that is for certain. Taking place from Oct. 28-30, the top four teams in LIV will receive a bye on the first day while teams 5-12 will compete in match-play competitions with the higher-ranked teams selecting their opponents. For each matchup, three matches consisting of two singles matches and one alternate-shot match will take place.

The same format will be used for Day 2 of competition with the four victors from Day 1 and the four teams which received a bye all playing. From there, the four winners from Day 2 will advance to the final stage which will be different.

The four winning teams will compete in stroke play on the final day of competition. All 16 players will compete and all four scores will count towards the team's score. The lowest team score will be crowned the LIV Golf Invitational Series Team Champion.

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LIV Golf vs. the PGA Tour: Pro golf rebellion is dominating U.S. Open week

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Professional golfers are picking sides.

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BROOKLINE, Mass. — There’s a date inscribed on Rory McIlroy’s golf bag this week:

April 18, 1775 .

On that date the “shot heard ’round the world” was fired at dawn in Lexington, Mass. The ensuing battle kicked off the American Revolution. You know generally how it went from there.

The Country Club is less than 15 miles from the Lexington Battle Green. This week, it’s playing host to the U.S. Open, which doubles as a clash between PGA Tour Loyalists and the LIV breakaway faction. I won’t extend the metaphor any further because, well, none of this is quite that simple. McIlroy grew up in the U.K., after all. The fact that he’s sporting American Revolution couture is a reminder that all allegiance is flexible. But one thing is clear: Men’s professional golf is fracturing in real time, with no clear path back to the status quo.

Typically you’d expect leaders of a rebellion to be the loudest, boldest talkers. That has not held true thus far.

Phil Mickelson, an early leader of the player exodus from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed LIV breakaway series , appeared at the microphone on Monday morning. He faced 30 questions but said as little as possible. He didn’t make a case for LIV. He didn’t defend its existence. He took long pauses and cut answers short and appeared to be channeling his energy into suppressing every natural conversational instinct he possesses.

Why join LIV? On that point Mickelson was somewhat more forthright, acknowledging that “there’s an obvious incredible financial commitment … with fewer tournaments. It allows me to have more balance in my life.” In other words: play less golf for more money.

Bryson DeChambeau, another LIV defector whose nine-figure deal rivaled Mickelson’s, spoke to Golf Channel later on Monday. He hit those same talking points. “There was a lot of financials to it and a lot of time,” he said. “I get to have a life outside of the game of golf as well.” He used the phrase “business decision” several times.

It makes sense for employees of any corporation to celebrate working less and making more money. The American Dream! It does seem like a less compelling sales pitch for fans, who generally pay to watch the best in the game rather than those with proper work-life balance. But LIV’s recruits don’t seem particularly concerned with convincing us they’ve made the right decision. They’ll leave as quietly as possible.

But this is the first time we’ve seen LIVers and PGA Tour players cohabitate since the split. And by contrast, the PGA Tour’s staunchest defenders have circled the wagons and begun to hit talking points of their own. Rory McIlroy expressed his appreciation for the circuit’s “massive legacy” and said he’s taken a leadership role because he thinks protecting the Tour is the right thing to do.

“I’d hate to see all the players that came before us and all the hard work that they’ve put in just come out to be nothing,” he said.

Justin Thomas made a philosophical appeal.

“You have to love what you’re doing,” he said. “There’s no amount of money that you could get that if you don’t love or enjoy what you’re actually doing, the amount of money you have doesn’t — you’re still going to be miserable. You’re still not going to enjoy it. You might have a bigger house or a nicer car, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that your life is going to be any better.”

Jon Rahm, still the Tour’s most underrated talker, issued the strongest defense yet of the Tour’s product.

“Shotgun three days to me is not a golf tournament, no cut. It’s that simple,” he said. “I want to play against the best in the world in a format that’s been going on for hundreds of years. That’s what I want to see.

“Yeah, money is great, but when this first thing happened, [Kelley and I] started talking about it, and we’re like, will our lifestyle change if I got $400 million ? No, it will not change one bit.”

“Truth be told, I could retire right now with what I’ve made and live a very happy life and not play golf again. So I’ve never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons. I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world.”

This Jon Rahm answer is absolutely the best PGA Tour defense I’ve seen pic.twitter.com/zFZIbQJhdX — Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) June 14, 2022

Rahm’s words vs. DeChambeau’s frame the current state of the debate. The PGA Tour is leaning on history, legacy and moral high ground. LIV is leaning on money, novelty, a limited schedule and money. LIV’s launch last week went off without major incident and with several big names in tow. The PGA Tour punched back with a riveting finish in which McIlroy outdueled Thomas and Tony Finau down the stretch. Some have argued that this sort of competition is good for the PGA Tour, long-term. That could be true, presuming the PGA Tour doesn’t crumble in the process.

Talk of the rift has consumed the grounds — particularly inside the ropes.

“Everyone was fed up with hearing about it and they were like, ‘all right, just start already,'” said Matthew Fitzpatrick on Monday. “And now they’ve started, and everyone is like, ‘oh, actually this is quite interesting, what’s going to happen now?'”

Players are making decisions in nearly real-time. Their teams are figuring out where that leaves them. Coaches used to having all their pros on the PGA Tour now have a split schedule to navigate. Agents and pros mulling the leap have differed on matters of money and morality, causing awkwardness and rifts. Rumors begin easily and spread quickly, which becomes a stressor of its own.

Not everyone is so excited about the chatter.

“I’m here at the U.S. Open. I’m ready to play U.S. Open, and I think it kind of sucks, too, you are all throwing this black cloud over the U.S. Open. It’s one of my favorite events. I don’t know why you guys keep doing that,” said Brooks Koepka in a tense exchange on Tuesday. His brother Chase made his LIV debut last week. Brooks declined to speak out for either camp.

Collin Morikawa was dismayed that his name has been tossed around, too.

“One of my best friends just texted me about this tweet from a random account saying, hey, there’s these rumors.

“It’s crazy to see and hear all these rumors because that’s what they are, right? I can read all these things, but look, everyone tells their kids don’t believe what’s on the internet. That’s what we’re doing. That’s exactly what we’re doing right now.

“I understand it’s your guys’ job to get all the details, but at the end of the day I think we’re asking the wrong people.”

The extent to which this debate extends beyond the media center and the driving range into the real world beyond is up for some debate. Mickelson received near-unanimous support from crowds on Tuesday, dishing out thumbs up and yukking it up with spectators during a nine-hole practice round. He has three decades of goodwill to draw on, after all, and the majority of golf fans don’t have the emotional bandwidth to wade into the game’s geopolitics.

There are also a slew of players reaching across the aisle. Max Homa, who has planted his flag with the PGA Tour, played both Monday and Tuesday with LIV defector Talor Gooch. The two were close friends before Gooch teed it up in London and they’ll continue to be.

What I learned following Rory McIlroy’s final U.S. Open practice round

Rumors of Rickie Fowler’s departure didn’t prevent him from teeing it up alongside Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Joel Dahmen on Tuesday. And Mickelson teed it up in the same group as Rahm, his longtime friend and mentee, despite the fact they’re on diametrically opposite sides of the situation. There’s a big-picture threat to the PGA Tour, but force of habit means the day-to-day of this week’s U.S. Open looks awfully familiar.

What happens next? The rumor mill won’t stop turning. Next week’s Travelers Championship has a series of subplots attached; Fowler is scheduled to play, DeChambeau just withdrew and big-time Tour names like McIlroy and Thomas will be there. Speculation will continue as long as LIV has nine-figure contracts to hand out. Many Tour pros didn’t think they were missing anything until they saw their peers cashing in. Now they’re agitated at the idea they won’t have the same opportunities. Few sports leave more time for idle chatter than professional golf. The chatter has a little more juice this week.

In the longer term it feels inevitable, given the state of the world, that we’re headed for a future of more extreme polarization. LIV fans and PGA Tour fans. Phil defenders and Rory defenders. The rhetoric on social media has already ramped up dramatically, a fact not lost on the players involved. Life imitates Instagram, eventually.

In the meantime, though, we’ll happily put that chatter on hold for four glorious days. We’ll slip into the issues of the day, the terrific test posed by the Country Club and all the subplots that come with conducting America’s national championship. We’ll talk about the rough and the greens and the USGA’s setup. This is a more natural state for the game; golf has always been better at focusing on little details than big-picture changes.

But rebellions don’t happen all at once. So change will press on nonetheless.

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Liv stars in danger, rory, scottie send message, beef is back | monday finish, why these 4 struggling liv stars will avoid relegation, 2024 procore championship odds: resurgent tour veteran is our long-shot pick, 2024 solheim cup: how to watch, tv schedule, streaming, format, team rosters, dylan dethier.

Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America , which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.

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PGA Tour completes $3B deal amid LIV merger talks

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The PGA Tour has reached a deal with Strategic Sports Group, a consortium of billionaire sports team owners, to infuse up to $3 billion into a new for-profit entity, PGA Tour Enterprises, that was officially launched Wednesday, the tour announced.

Under the terms of the deal, Strategic Sports Group, which is being led by Fenway Sports Group, would make an initial investment of $1.5 billion with the possibility of another $1.5 billion coming later. The PGA Tour will control the for-profit company.

The tour said in a news release that the deal with SSG allows for a co-investment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, subject to all necessary regulatory approvals.

The PGA Tour said nearly 200 of its members would have access to a "first-of-its-kind" program that would allow them to become equity holders in PGA Tour Enterprises. The members would collectively have access to more than $1.5 billion in equity grants, which will vest over time. The size of grants will be determined by a tiered system based on "career accomplishments, recent achievements, future participation and services and PGA Tour membership status."

The equity program would be available only to qualified PGA Tour players.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan provided details of the deal with members of the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Champions in a conference call Wednesday.

"Today marks an important moment for the PGA Tour and fans of golf across the world," Monahan said in a statement. "By making PGA Tour members owners of their league, we strengthen the collective investment of our players in the success of the PGA Tour. Fans win when we all work to deliver the best in sports entertainment and return the focus to the incredible -- and unmatched -- competitive atmosphere created by our players, tournaments and partners.

"And partnering with SSG -- a group with extensive experience and investment across sports, media and entertainment -- will enhance our organization's ability to make the sport more rewarding for players, tournaments, fans and partners."

Monahan will serve as CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, according to the release.

The PGA Tour policy board unanimously approved the deal, according to the release, including player directors Patrick Cantlay , Peter Malnati , Adam Scott , Webb Simpson , Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods .

"We were proud to vote in unanimous support of this historic partnership between PGA Tour Enterprises and SSG," the player directors said in a joint statement. "It was incredibly important for us to create opportunities for the players of today and in the future to be more invested in their organization, both financially and strategically. This not only further strengthens the Tour from a business perspective, but it also encourages the players to be fully invested in continuing to deliver -- and further enhance -- the best in golf to our fans."

The SSG consortium of owners includes Tom Werner and John Henry of the Boston Red Sox , Mark Attanasio ( Milwaukee Brewers ), Arthur Blank ( Atlanta Falcons ), Wyc Grousbeck ( Boston Celtics ) and Steve Cohen ( New York Mets ). SSG will provide "strategic focus on maximizing revenue generation for the benefit of the players and on finding opportunities to enhance the game of golf across the world."

"Our enthusiasm for this new venture stems from a very deep respect for this remarkable game and a firm belief in the expansive growth potential of the PGA Tour," Henry, principal owner of the Fenway Sports Group, said in a statement. "We are proud to partner with this historic institution and are eager to work with the PGA Tour and its many members to grow and strengthen the game of golf globally."

Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Red Sox, Liverpool FC and Pittsburgh Penguins , will serve as a commercial adviser to PGA Tour Enterprises.

The PGA Tour is continuing its negotiations to finalize an agreement with the Public Investment Fund and the DP World Tour, which would potentially inject additional billions of dollars into PGA Tour Enterprises, sources said. The tour said it is making progress in its ongoing negotiations with PIF on a "potential future investment and both parties are working towards an ultimate agreement."

The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF signed a framework agreement in June to combine their commercial assets, including the LIV Golf League. The agreement had a Dec. 31 deadline, which was extended as the sides continued to hammer out final details. Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan reportedly met in Saudi Arabia last week.

The proposed alliance with the PIF and DP World Tour has already drawn the scrutiny of Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division.

The future of LIV Golf, which has continued to poach PGA Tour players in recent months, including Masters champion Jon Rahm and England's Tyrrell Hatton , is one of the sticking points in the negotiations with the PIF. The Saudis have been insistent that team golf remain a part of the sport's future, sources said.