The LIV Golf Tour

Has the LIV Golf Tour Developed Slower than Many Expected?
The LIV Golf Tour, which is a professional men’s golf tour established in 2022, has not exactly been the roaring success many hoped it would be. Financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, this is a tour that set out to disrupt the traditional golf landscape, offering enormous prize purses, guaranteed contracts, and a radical new format. The name says it all - LIV defines the very format itself. 

For those unaware, this refers to the Roman numeral 54, which represents the number of holes played in each event. Instead of the traditional four-round, 72-hole format seen in other tours, LIV uses a three-round format of 18 holes, with several key features including no-cut tournaments, team competitions, and shotgun starts. But while it certainly raised a few eyebrows when it was announced, as sporting events go, it’s fair to say it’s not become a mainstream staple like the PGA Championship or the US Open. 

What’s the Problem With LIV? 
There are many possible reasons for this. 
The first, and perhaps most critical, is the sheer number of player departures and development concerns. The LIV Tour has faced player criticism lately, with Eugenio Chacarra publicly expressing frustration about his stalled development under the format. Other players like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson have also voiced their concerns, reflecting on whether the league’s structure is truly conducive to long-term success and player growth. 

This is a problem, because one of the big things the league had going for it upon announcement was the amount of notable players who would be involved. Because of the weighty financial backing of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the league was quickly able to bring in major names, offering substantial monetary incentives that allowed them to secure their contracts. The fact that a lot of those players have since dropped off – and not only that, proceeded to voice their opinions on the future of the league – hasn’t exactly inspired confidence in viewers or investors. 

As well as this, LIV events have struggled to land major broadcast deals, relying heavily on streaming to build up their audience. While streaming, of course, is steadily becoming the new norm in sports broadcasting, relying entirely on streaming services presents several challenges that emerge, particularly when competing against the entrenched dominance of established tours like the PGA. And this brings us onto our last point: tradition. 

One of the things that draws so many people to golf is the tradition and legacy that surrounds the sport, and from the outset, the LIV tournament has looked to tear up the rulebook. Whether it’s moving away from the traditional 72-hole, 4-round format, taking away the cuts, or prioritising streaming over traditional TV channels, there’s every chance LIV has alienated fans rather than won them over. This is something that can’t happen if a tour wants to get any kind of foothold in the golfing calendar. 

Tradition and Innovation
Tradition matters in golf. In many ways, it’s a way of life tied to values like integrity, longevity, and respect for history – and so, if a new tour is going to develop and succeed, the organisers need to pay attention to this.

We’re not saying there can be no innovation at all, but any attempt to innovate and change the sport must be made with respect for the history and tradition that has made the sport what it is. LIV has not quite achieved this, and that’s why development has been slow. Moving forward, there needs to be a higher emphasis on winning over traditional golf fans, working to bridge the gap between innovation and tradition in a way that keeps everyone happy and urges them to sit down and watch.



Article Author: Lucy Roberts, Freelance Writer. Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and not to Where2Golf.com, its writers, or editors. The author is speaking solely for herself, not for the company or as a formal representative of the company.