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LIV Tour

Dogs and cats are playing together nicely at the McManus Pro-Am, sanctioned by solely by DP World Tour. Still some issues to resolve with the Scottish Open, which is co-sanctioned by DP and the PGA Tour, although it looks like a few have gotten a court injunction that will allow them to play:

VIRGINIA WATER, England — Ian Poulter and two other players who signed up for the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series won a stay Monday from a British court that allows them to play in the Genesis Scottish Open.

Poulter, Adrian Otaegui of Spain and Justin Harding of South Africa challenged their suspension from the Scottish Open and two other tournaments, the penalty for playing a LIV Golf event outside London without a release from the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour).

They will be added to the field this week at The Renaissance Club for the Scottish Open, the first DP World Tour event co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour.

The PGA Tour suspended its members who signed up for the Saudi-backed series run by Greg Norman. Poulter is also a PGA Tour member.

Poulter was among 16 players who hinted at legal action over DP World Tour penalties, though the temporary stay after a hearing before Judge Phillip Sycamore, who was appointed by Sports Resolutions (UK), applied only to the three players.
 

Sportswashing is just now becoming a thing here.....riiiiight.

"Beyond the financial incentive, though, there’s the question of relative guilt. The NBA does business with China, and will be playing preseason games in the United Arab Emirates this fall. Nike and Apple have faced scrutiny over their manufacturing practices. The United States’ own human rights record has some deep scars, and President Biden is headed to Saudi Arabia in mid-July to discuss energy policy in the midst of soaring fuel costs."

Not to mention the millions NBC made off its Olympic coverage of games in China and Russia in recent years, and other networks covering the World Cup in Russia or Formula 1 in Saudi Arabia. These same networks push the narrative in favor of the PGA Tour, making arguments that even the tour tries to ignore:

"And given the PGA Tour’s own arrangements with Saudi Arabia and China, it’s notable that the tour levels its criticism at the volume of money on the LIV tour, not the moral questions about the money’s origins."

The comments section is most enlightening, I see many people telling the PGA Tour and the media to get over it already.
 
Billy Billy Billy.......he ignores the obvious. LIV played ONE event and suddenly Monahan found another $50 million to put to purses and extra bonuses for the top players, got rid of the dumb wraparound schedule, cut the field sizes for the first two lucrative FedEx Cup playoff events, and added more no cut events. Where was that stuff last year or earlier, when players were grumbling but LIV was just an idea?

And for Billy to say its BS about Monahan not listening to the players, and then a couple of sentences later saying if the tour listened to all 200+ members it would be a mess......well, hypocrite much?

And Billy knows why PGA Tour is co-sponsoring the Scottish Open, right? Because its a bitch for international players to meet the tour's minimum number of tournaments requirement.
 
Video of the players' & caddies private jet. Amazing

 
Can proudly say I haven't watched one shot of this exhibition tour and even more awesome is that Greg Norman isn't welcome by the R&A to the Open that he's won twice. Sink fast, still won't be fast enough.

These golfers are getting paid which, good for them. I've never in my life tuned in to watch any of these losers play. Blackball the shit out of them. There will be plenty more of "that guy". Won't miss any of them.
 
Can proudly say I haven't watched one shot of this exhibition tour and even more awesome is that Greg Norman isn't welcome by the R&A to the Open that he's won twice. Sink fast, still won't be fast enough.

These golfers are getting paid which, good for them. I've never in my life tuned in to watch any of these losers play. Blackball the shit out of them. There will be plenty more of "that guy". Won't miss any of them.

You make an awful lot of posts in here (many of them saying the exact same thing) for someone who doesn’t watch, doesn’t care, and actively roots against it. Just ignore the thread, we all get it…you don’t like it.
 
You make an awful lot of posts in here (many of them saying the exact same thing) for someone who doesn’t watch, doesn’t care, and actively roots against it. Just ignore the thread, we all get it…you don’t like it.
Yep. Totally respect your opinion. But we are well aware of what it is by now.
 
Yep. Totally respect your opinion. But we are well aware of what it is by now.
Is that directed at me or the ignored member that for some reason quoted me?

I'll post when I damn well please and trash this exhibition bullshit every week.
 
Newest rumors.

Stenson (giving up Ryder Cup Captaincy)

Deki (this one really odd to me)

Adam Scott (not shocking)

AND ..

The Champion Golfer of the Year.
 
Newest rumors.

Stenson (giving up Ryder Cup Captaincy)

Deki (this one really odd to me)

Adam Scott (not shocking)

AND ..

The Champion Golfer of the Year.
No surprise at all with Stenson and Scott. I completely agree with you on Hideki too. Cam Smith going would be really disappointing…

The big allure of LIV seems to be more money for a lot less work and effort. At what point do their games start to suffer? I’m thinking next year could be telling for many of these guys. I don’t blame anyone for jumping ship. All of the practice, travel and overall devotion to the game must be incredibly difficult, both mentally and physically.
 
No surprise at all with Stenson and Scott. I completely agree with you on Hideki too. Cam Smith going would be really disappointing…

The big allure of LIV seems to be more money for a lot less work and effort. At what point do their games start to suffer? I’m thinking next year could be telling for many of these guys. I don’t blame anyone for jumping ship. All of the practice, travel and overall devotion to the game must be incredibly difficult, both mentally and physically.
Yeah, I have no issue with a guy wanting money and playing less (the older guys and the ones with young kids).

I'm not a fan of them wanting PGA cards still... Why? It makes no sense. LIV is 14 events next year... Assuming they are to play in most or all ... Then to keep PGA card I believe you need 14-15 appearances?

That's 7+ months of golf required for both tours and directly goes against why many are leaving (saying).
 
I do not think a 54 hole, no cut + limited field should get world ranking points, fwiw. Maybe on a much smaller scale?

As is, we'll be seeing many of these guys playing the Asian Tour so they can get into majors.
 
I agree on almost all points BAR. I doubt they play another tour though to get world ranking points. I don’t think they care enough to try and qualify. They’ve chosen the road to play a lot less while still making a very good living.
 
I agree on almost all points BAR. I doubt they play another tour though to get world ranking points. I don’t think they care enough to try and qualify. They’ve chosen the road to play a lot less while still making a very good living.
Well, a few mentioned it (Paul Casey most notably).
 
A few may but the majority won’t in my opinion. If I remember right, didn’t Koepka say he didn’t care about the Ryder Cup? It’s all about the Benjamin’s…
 
I do not think a 54 hole, no cut + limited field should get world ranking points, fwiw. Maybe on a much smaller scale?

As is, we'll be seeing many of these guys playing the Asian Tour so they can get into majors.
Oh the irony if so...less travel is such a bullshit excuse. These guys are coddled everywhere they go. History will remember them much like it remembers Norman. More for their mistakes than their accomplishments.

Couldn't happen to a better guy FIGGY
 
I do not think a 54 hole, no cut + limited field should get world ranking points, fwiw. Maybe on a much smaller scale?

As is, we'll be seeing many of these guys playing the Asian Tour so they can get into majors.

The Asian Tour point is a good one, if it ends up coming down to that. Regardless of what any of these Majors have said, they still haven’t disqualified any of them from participating and I just don’t know if that will really happen. Hopefully it doesn’t, but if it does then you’re right about the Asian Tour being utilized to qualify.
 
My thing about all athletics is that there is always someone else. Who’s the next Scottie Scheffler or Justin Thomas? So what if Cam Smith or any of these other guys move on? Someone else will take their place, and at least in the States, the PGA tournaments are the ones I fall asleep watching every Sunday. I’m kind of excited actually for some new guys to get their cards and join the PGA tour.
 
LIV could add up to six names, according to multiple reports, including five ranked in the top 100 in the world.

Besides Cam Smith, those strongly linked to LIV include No. 14 Hideki Matsuyama, No. 39 Adam Scott, No. 57 Marc Leishman, No. 84 Bubba Watson and No. 171 Henrik Stenson.
 
News flash! The world isn't begging to watch wealthy white dudes play golf. Shocker, I know.
 
Time for the other tours to come to the bargaining table. Why not have free flow movement between tours? It's not like LIV is trying to take over all weeks on all continents. They're going to pick spots for their league, about 14 weeks spread over the year. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour can still have their schedules and the majors will still be a focus for everyone. Frankly the other tours are cutting off their noses to spite their faces with the decision to ban LIV players. Instead of allowing at least partial participation to some very big stars, they've gone all or nothing and are getting the nothing. The PGA Tour especially is demanding loyalty. Why? It's a business! Loyalty loses in business all the time.
 
Calling any player on any.tour a star is a massive stretch. No one stops what they're doing on a Sunday to watch DJ or Bryson. This is the recipe to make golf an irrelevant product.
 
You all do realize for those players who have not left yet, once the FedEx cup is over there is going to be a ton of big names. Money talks.

I can see Cantlay and Finau leaving.
 
You all do realize for those players who have not left yet, once the FedEx cup is over there is going to be a ton of big names. Money talks.

I can see Cantlay and Finau leaving.
They aren't selling anything. Golf survives as a marketing scheme with those who stay. You think anyone is actually watching a bunch of white dudes playing exhibition golf? They are fucking up the sport.
 
No one has any personal attachment to any of these losers unlike other sports.
 
Doesn't care about the topic of the thread. Continually tells everyone he doesn't care about it. Has the most posts in the thread.

Someone make it make sense.
 
You all do realize for those players who have not left yet, once the FedEx cup is over there is going to be a ton of big names. Money talks.

I can see Cantlay and Finau leaving.

Yep. And it's going to be glorious.

At the end of the day, all of the tours will figure out a way to work together you'd have to imagine.
 
Time for the other tours to come to the bargaining table. Why not have free flow movement between tours? It's not like LIV is trying to take over all weeks on all continents. They're going to pick spots for their league, about 14 weeks spread over the year. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour can still have their schedules and the majors will still be a focus for everyone. Frankly the other tours are cutting off their noses to spite their faces with the decision to ban LIV players. Instead of allowing at least partial participation to some very big stars, they've gone all or nothing and are getting the nothing. The PGA Tour especially is demanding loyalty. Why? It's a business! Loyalty loses in business all the time.

Exactly right. Not to mention the PGA demanding loyalty from INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS is one of the funniest things you can imagine isn't it?
 
They aren't selling anything. Golf survives as a marketing scheme with those who stay. You think anyone is actually watching a bunch of white dudes playing exhibition golf? They are fucking up the sport.
And yet NBC finds space in their broadcast schedule to show the celebrity Tahoe tournament every July and the father-son event every winter. The Hero World Challenge exhibition gets shown every year, and that's a field of 20. And CBS loves Saturday at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, lining up all the celebrities in the 3 pm - 6 pm window. Not to mention the recent rise in celebrity and pro challenge matches.

So there's plenty of room for "exhibition" golf. And LIV is well above that. It's a combination of a tournament and a team event. It's closer to the NCAA Championships than anything, only with huge amounts of money. (BTW Golf Channel shows the NCAA Championships every year. They also show another made up event, Drive/Chip/Putt., which only has juice because its at Augusta.).
 
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And yet NBC finds space in their broadcast schedule to show the celebrity Tahoe tournament every July and the father-son event every winter. The Hero World Challenge exhibition gets shown every year, and that's a field of 20. And CBS loves Saturday at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, lining up all the celebrities in the 3 pm - 6 pm window. Not to mention the recent rise in celebrity and pro challenge matches.

So there's plenty of room for "exhibition" golf. And LIV is well above that. It's a combination of a tournament and a team event. It's closer to the NCAA Championships than anything, only with huge amounts of money. (BTW Golf Channel shows the NCAA Championships every year. They also show another made up event, Drive/Chip/Putt., which only has juice because its at Augusta.).
I'm more likely to watch gymnastics than Tahoe. Just me though. It's more a reminder I need to get out more.
 
If you wake up on a Sunday looking forward to DJ v Bryson the divorce is spot on.
 
My take is I hope PGA stands strong and let all these guy ride off into the saudi sunset. Ban them from all majors moving forward regardless. It was said I'm sure up above but there is more than enough talent on the PGA and Korn ferry to maintain quality even with the likes of the Aussie mullet heading there way (I could care less about all the other rumored names....Cam Smith is the only one that feels impactful).

I don't even know how you can make an argument about OWGR points for 54 hole exhibition events and that's where obviously I think you can kind of cut the head of the LIV snake off if the PGA stands there ground (and also OWGR doesn't award points).

I'll still bet it (and thus i'll watch on occasion) but I also hope not a single player that goes that direction (even if i don't blame them) plays in another Major.
 
My take is I hope PGA stands strong and let all these guy ride off into the saudi sunset. Ban them from all majors moving forward regardless. It was said I'm sure up above but there is more than enough talent on the PGA and Korn ferry to maintain quality even with the likes of the Aussie mullet heading there way (I could care less about all the other rumored names....Cam Smith is the only one that feels impactful).

I don't even know how you can make an argument about OWGR points for 54 hole exhibition events and that's where obviously I think you can kind of cut the head of the LIV snake off if the PGA stands there ground (and also OWGR doesn't award points).

I'll still bet it (and thus i'll watch on occasion) but I also hope not a single player that goes that direction (even if i don't blame them) plays in another Major.
Great post..

Mostly my position as well...

With that being said, we'll know a lot more after East Lake.
 
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