PGA going downhill?

[MC BumSlap]

Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Series already nabbed Dustin Johnson (Johnson received a contract worth around $125 million to join LIV Golf). Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed are expected to join the LIV Series. American Rickie Fowler will follow in their footsteps. Phil Mickelson (reportedly getting $200 million) and Graeme McDowell may join the LIV Series officially. for context, Mickelson’s career earnings with the PGA Tour are $94.96 million and Johnson’s are $74.3 million (before sponsorship monies).

The 2021 U.S. Amateur champion, James Piot, joined the professional ranks at the Charles Schwab Challenge and will be at the Centurion Club next week.

Guarantee pay is tempting more and more players over to LIV. Wouldn't you be tempted if you were grinding it out on the PGA tour?



What's LIV Series? LIV is Roman number for 54 for the number of holes each tournament will be, and the score a golfer would have if they birdied every hole on a par-72 course. Greg Norman, a former two-time major winner and world No. 1 golfer, is the CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf Investments. Norman said LIV Golf made a high-nine-figure offer to Tiger Woods, but he turned it down.

LIV Golf tournaments will consist of three 18-hole rounds taking place over three days. They will feature a traditional stroke play format with a shotgun start, where all golfers begin play at the same time on different holes, and no cuts.

While an individual winner will be crowned, there is also a team aspect to the competitions. The 48-man field is divided into 12 teams of four. Before each event, 12 league-appointed captains will pick three players apiece in a snake draft.

For the first two rounds of a tournament, a team’s two best scores will count. For the final round, a team’s three best scores will count. The team with the lowest combined score at the end of three rounds will win the team portion of the tournament.

Golfers will earn additional money in the tournaments, too. The eight events scheduled for this year will award $255 million in total prize money. The first seven are regular-season events with each having a $25 million purse and a $4 million prize for the individual winner (the rest of the field will split a $16 million pot with the last-place finisher getting $120,000). The top three teams will then split a $5 million pot, with $3 million going to the winner, $1.5 million to second place and $500,000 to third place.

The top three individual golfers at the end of the regular season will split a $30 million bonus, with $18 million going to the top golfer, $8 million to second place and $4 million to third place. Finally, the eighth and final tournament will be a championship with a $50 million purse.

The PGA Tour and DP World Tour did not grant releases for any of its members to partake in the LIV Golf Invitational. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan even threatened to take away membership cards from those who play in the rival league.

PGA Tour doesn’t run the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open or Open Championship. So the decision of whether or not LIV golfers can compete will be up to the governing bodies that oversee each respective major.

The United States Golf Association, which runs this month’s U.S. Open, has already ruled that LIV golfers who have qualified, which includes Mickelson and Johnson, will be allowed to play at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

List of golfers for the first LIV Series event:
Dustin Johnson (USA)
Phil Mickleson (USA)
Kevin Na (USA)
Talor Gooch (USA)
Sihwan Kim (USA)
Chase Koepka (USA)
Andy Ogletree (USA)
Turk Pettit (USA)
James Piot (USA)
Hudson Swafford (USA)
Peter Uihlein (USA)

Sergio Garcia (ESP)
Pablo Larrazabal (ESP)
Adrian Otaegui (ESP)
David Puig (ESP)

Martin Kaymer (GER)

Graeme McDowell (NIR)

Ian Poulter (ENG)
Lee Westwood (ENG)
Richard Bland (ENG)
Laurie Canter (ENG)
Oliver Fisher (ENG)
Sam Horsfield (ENG)

Louis Oosthuizen (RSA)
Oliver Bekker (RSA)
Hennie Du Plessis (RSA)
Branden Grace (RSA)
Justin Harding (RSA)
Shaun Norris (RSA)
JC Ritchie (RSA)
Charl Scwartzel (RSA)
Ian Snyman (RSA)

Matt Jones (AUS)
Jediah Morgan (AUS)
Wade Ormsby (AUS)
Travis Smyth (AUS)
Blake Windred (AUS)
Kevin Yuan (AUS)

Hideto Tanihara (JPN)
Ryosuke Kinoshita (JPN)
Jinichiro Kozuma (JPN)

Itthipat Buranatanyarat (THA)
Ratchanon Chantananuwat (THA)
Sadom Kaewkanjana (THA)
Phachara Khongwatmai (THA)

Viraj Madappa (IND)

Scott Vincent (ZIM)

Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)

 

[Johndicezx9]

Whuddathunk pro golfers like money...

 

[FXCLM5]

interesting, imagine if arena football would pay more then the NFL, the G league would pay more then NBA, etc

big $$ being throw around, lets see if PGA will respond,

 

[Yakoo752]

interesting, imagine if arena football would pay more then the NFL, the G league would pay more then NBA, etc

big $$ being throw around, lets see if PGA will respond,

in this case (LIV), you gotta hold hands with the devil (SA)

 

[MC BumSlap]

Golfer: Killing journalists is a terrible. Women should be treated as equals.
SA: Here's $100 million to swing a stick with a crooked end at a tiny ball and put it in a hole 400 yards away.
Golfer: What's my tee time?

 

[fraz]

Most of the names are players who are getting on in years and in their career. So their options are to place poorly at PGA events, join the Champions tour when old enough and get a decent salary but not much compared to what they are used to, or try for bigger bux with LIV. After thinking about this a bunch I started to view it as them padding their retirement plans.

The exception here is prolly DJ as he is still busting out some good scores (albeit not consistently as before). He is starting to get a bit on the older side at 37 and maybe papa Wayne talked him into chasing the money

The reasoning behind resigning was so they wouldn't get penalized/fined by the PGA for moonlighting. At least Na said so and they are under the impression they could rejoin at a later date if LIV folds. The other bit I found wild was they supposedly get to keep their "PGA pension". Let that sink in a bit!

Funny that Grayson Murray threw a little shade and hit Na in the ass on the way out the door.

like i said on the range in Mexico. you won’t be missed
@kevinna915
!
@PGATOUR
our rounds just got 20 min faster!

https://twitter.com/GraysonMurray/status/1533531215319425024

 

[MC BumSlap]

DJ and Bryson is the one that probably hurts the PGA the most.

 

[Akira-R]

Who is Murray again? Funny how he tries to stay relevant on twitter since he's not in the PGA

As for the LIV series, it's interesting. What will be more interesting is if they start a women's LIV series. I enjoy watching the LPGA more lately than the PGA. I think the only way the PGA can respond is to pay more/restructure or get a unified stance from USGA/RA to ban LIV members from majors.

 

[mikev]

sportswashing continues.

 

[James]

I am going to hit up the Portland tournament. At least 1 day. Will report back.

I enjoy watching golf. All types. The PGA will reign. The courses that they have access to are heads and shoulders different than any of the other "tours" or associations, or whatever the proper term is.

This new LIV is the strongest push for an alternative league, in any sport, that I have seen in a while. I don't think it will have the staying power to keep the USA interested, but as far as global golf goes, it may have a place. Asia will probably embrace it and it will probably split Europe and Australia.

As far as blending sports and politics, who cares? We enjoy other products from countries we aren't in ideological lockstep with. Entertainment is probably the safest way to congregate with opposing view points. The conversation *should be about the impact of the club to the ball. Not the stick to the infidel .

Basically, I love all golf, and the more the merrier. I plan on volunteering at the LPGA Portland Classic this year. Hoping to bring my daughter to watch a few holes.

 

[Sharxfan]

sportswashing continues.

If you are holding golf to such a high standard I hope you are also holding all the other sports that do business with countries with shady ethics to the same standard. Basketball comes to mind quickly as do a few others.

 

[mikev]

more like soccer.

 

[Eldritch]

Wait. Is someone suggesting people care about golf?

 

[mean dad]

Fuck Saudi Arabia and fuck LIV golf.


Fuck the other sports as well, before anyone questions my ethics.

 

[MC BumSlap]

You so edgy.

 

[mean dad]

Meh.

Not a fan of human abuse, nor the regimes that encourage such. Super aware that my protestations mean fuckall in the grand scheme of things, that keeps me centered.

 

[James]

Wait. Is someone suggesting people care about golf?

You are missing out. Quite possibly the most difficult sport to win or even remain competitive. No substitutions, no physical assistance. Having a bad round? Keep going. PGA format: 4 days of the same course, only weather and pin positions changing day by day (sometimes a tee box, but rarely). If you manage to make the cut going into the weekend and have a few mis swings on Sat, you have to swallow it and keep playing another day. Most athletes wouldn't even show up.

Visually, they play on the most interesting fields, as well.

 

[Climber]

You are missing out. Quite possibly the most difficult sport to win or even remain competitive. No substitutions, no physical assistance. Having a bad round? Keep going. PGA format: 4 days of the same course, only weather and pin positions changing day by day (sometimes a tee box, but rarely). If you manage to make the cut going into the weekend and have a few mis swings on Sat, you have to swallow it and keep playing another day. Most athletes wouldn't even show up.

Visually, they play on the most interesting fields, as well.

Puullleeeeeeze!

Plenty of sports are much harder, these are mostly pampered athletes that would wilt under the demands of plenty of other sports.

 

[James]

Puullleeeeeeze!

Plenty of sports are much harder, these are mostly pampered athletes that would wilt under the demands of plenty of other sports.

You, sir, have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[Maddevill]

I'm sure ill never find out , but $54 million isn't enough ??? It seems like the wealthy get more greedy the richer they are.

Mad