pga tour y liv

Zurich Classic of New Orleans

TPC Louisiana

COMPETE IN THE GOLF DIGEST OPEN

Two-person best ball.

Golf Digest Logo Features

The PGA Tour vs. LIV: Inside the battle between a giant that won't budge and a startup that won't stop

The songs thundering through the course were indistinguishable, each pop track sounding like the one that came before. The only disruption was a voice. It was unclear to whom the voice belonged or where he was, although judging by the cadence and spirit it was more deejay than public announcer. The voice said a lot of things during the LIV Golf Invitational at Trump Bedminster in mid-July, most of which—like “Get on your feet!” and “Make some noise!” and “Who wants a free shirt?!”—was forgotten as soon as it was said. Yet how the voice ended each message was indelible, for it was both welcoming while serving as a warning.

“Thanks again for joining us at LIV Golf!” crooned the voice. “The future of golf … is here!”

The idea of a fledgling competitor to the PGA Tour has lurked in the shadows for years, discussed as a provocative hypothetical but one whose reality and viability were routinely dismissed. Only LIV Golf has proved in very little time how real and formidable it can be, siphoning talent from the PGA and DP World Tours and threatening a schism that could tear the collective tissue of professional golf into pieces.

The emergence of the Saudi-backed circuit has resulted in break-ups and alliances, and caused suspensions and lawsuits. It has made a game known for its civility become uncivil and brought politics and human-rights issues into a space supposedly reserved for sport. It has spurred reactions that span the emotional spectrum, from intrigue and excitement to existential angst and dread and everything in between.

While all that is true, they are mostly trappings of the present. What really matters is where this is going. Is the voice correct, that the novelty of LIV Golf is not just a curiosity but indeed the future? Or does the new venture share the destiny of so many other rogue professional leagues that similarly proposed disruption only to end in a graveyard? How secure is the PGA Tour and how does an entity shackled by finite resources do battle against not a company but a country with seemingly unlimited assets at its disposal? Is there room for cooperation? Coexistence? And if not, what are the ramifications the longer this war wages?

In pursuit of an answer Golf Digest spoke to more than 30 sources entrenched on both sides, along with a number of authorities outside the walls of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf who provided insight on how this could shake out. A look into LIV’s origins and its master plans, and the tour’s response to the threat, suggests professional golf is in the early stages of a dramatic overhaul.

Provided it doesn't implode first.

A Saudi long game

THE MAN BEHIND PROFESSIONAL GOLF’S RECKONING is not a golfer. He doesn’t care for sports, period. To understand where the schism is going you need to understand how it started, and with who.

Mohammed bin Salman, 36, is the crown prince, deputy prime minister, and minister of defense of Saudi Arabia. His father, Salman bin Abdulaziz, is the country’s king, but bin Salman is considered the de facto ruler. His rise to power over the past decade has transformed social and commercial life in the kingdom while strengthening the country’s position on the international stage as a geopolitical force.

“Saudi Arabia for the past 30 years was like watching a silent movie: one elderly king after another flickered across the screen saying nothing and doing nothing,” says Karen House, a Pulitzer Prize winner and former Wall Street Journal publisher who has covered Saudi Arabia extensively for four decades. “Saudi Arabia since 2016 is an IMAX movie on fast forward. Everything MBS does is big, bold, fast, loud, riveting.”

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Oct. 23, 2018.

FAYEZ NURELDINE

Bin Salman introduced Vision 2030, a blueprint to diminish Saudi Arabia’s reliance on oil by diversifying the economy and modernizing its public services. Some of its initiatives are not dissimilar from efforts of other countries, like combating unemployment and expanding e-commerce and technology. Others are high-profile projects like the development of ultra-luxury resorts and the construction of a megaproject city called Neom, which recently made news for its proposal of erecting two buildings each as tall as 1,600 feet that run parallel for 75 miles across coastal, mountain and desert terrain.

One of Vision 2030’s tenets is a “vibrant society,” and a means to reach this ambition is sports. It’s been a relatively successful venture, bringing in boxing, wrestling and tennis exhibitions, along with Formula 1 races to the kingdom. The country recently announced its bid to host the soccer AFC Women's Asian Cup, and in 2021 the Public Investment Fund—which is the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund—purchased an 80-percent stake in Newcastle United, a professional football club in the English Premier League.

"He doubles down. He is not accustomed to losing," House said of bin Salman. "When he fails at something, his inclination is to try harder."

Part of the sports campaign is Golf Saudi, led by Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who is part of bin Salman’s inner circle and serves as governor of the PIF. Al-Rumayyan is considered a passionate golfer, and his imagination for what the sport could do for Saudi Arabia is fertile. There are aspects that begin at the grassroots level, such as growing golf participation in Saudi Arabia and developing a national team and elite players, along with big-picture items, such as developing courses to aid tourism and hosting professional competitions. It is this last point that sparked the Saudi International into existence in 2019, a tournament that was initially sanctioned by the European Tour.

From an investment standpoint, LIV Golf is a small enterprise compared to other Vision 2030 projects. LIV Golf has somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 billion in funding; for context, Neom has a starting budget of $500 billion and the aforementioned 75-mile buildings are expected to cost $1 trillion and take 50 years to construct. However, the golf endeavor has heightened importance in the kingdom’s push for what it sees as a better tomorrow, multiple sources say. For one, Al-Rumayyan views LIV as his darling, and his voice carries particular weight in bin Salman’s circle. Another benefit is the conduit it can be to business and government leaders; it is not an accident LIV Golf has teamed with former U.S. President Donald Trump amid expectation Trump will begin his third campaign for the presidency this fall.

But a point that cannot be stressed enough, and arguably fuels the desire to make LIV Golf ultimately succeed, is bin Salman’s quest for total and absolute power, House says. They are sentiments at the heart of bin Salman’s reign.

“Despite sweeping social and economic changes that have liberated society, political life has moved in reverse,” House explains.

Bin Salman has continually and sometimes ruthlessly silenced dissidents. Human rights are oppressed. The Saudis have led a military invention in Yemen—out of fear that Yemen could be a satellite for Iran—and the resulting civil war has become a humanitarian crisis. A 2017 purge of nearly 400 princes, businessmen and religious leaders consolidated authority over every branch of the government. Saudis began calling bin Salman “Mr. Everything.” He does what he wants; the only person bin Salman answers to is his father, and House says bin Salman has his father’s total support.

Saudi Golf and, as an extension, Vision 2030 and bin Salman were rebuffed in their attempts to become part of golf’s political matrix with the PGA Tour and European Tour. The PGA Tour has been adamant it never held dialogue with LIV Golf or Golf Saudi, while the European Tour did listen to overtures before eventually coming to a “strategic alliance” with the PGA Tour . Theoretically, getting rejected from golf’s ecosystem should have scrapped the Golf Saudi project. That is not what bin Salman does.

“He doubles down. He is not accustomed to losing,” House explains. “When he fails at something, his inclination is to try harder.”

If golf’s current framework wouldn’t let the Saudis in, they would create their own. It sounds ambitious, and it is. But to those who dispute the formidable nature of LIV Golf, Golf Saudi and bin Salman, who hear grand ambitions of megacities in the desert and 75-mile buildings and laugh, it’s worth noting bin Salman’s true passion: video games. According to House, it explains both bin Salman’s fantastical aspirations and serves as a warning to his doubters.

“The reason he believes he can do anything is that, in the world of video games, anything is possible,” House says. “He’s in love with video games where all things are possible and believes that if you put your mind to it, that's what real life is like too.”

A startup unlike any other

THE QUESTION BORDERS ON OFFENSIVE: Are you, a Northwestern MBA, former chief operating officer of an MLS franchise and chief corporate development and brand officer for an NFL team, running a glorified PR exercise that will continue to hemorrhage money?

Atul Khosla, 43, left his job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to become the COO of LIV Golf in January 2022. Khosla is a sports-business veteran, and he wants to make one thing clear: This, too, is a business. A business that fully plans to turn a profit.

“If you look at the investment portfolio of our primary investor, PIF, they have invested all over the world in incredibly large businesses that they believe will be profitable,” Khosla says. “Their view of this is no different. That’s the expectation that we have from our board.

“Like any other startup, do we have upfront costs to get the product off the ground? Yes, we do. And it is no different than a burn rate that an Uber may have or any other startup tech might have to get the product off the ground with a vision of disrupting the space. We are fortunate, of course, to have an institution that has the patience to be able to go through this methodically and in the right fashion.”

Greg Norman, commissioner/CEO of LIV Golf, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, and Majed Al Sorour, CEO of the Golf Saudi, stand on the first tee of the third round of the LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster in July.

Icon Sportswire

LIV executives constantly refer to their enterprise as a startup. It’s a touch humorous, given they’re going toe-to-toe with an established American sports institution; this is hardly four guys in a garage with a dream. Still, they will tell you that this entire inaugural year is essentially a beta test of their product, that they’ll make changes on the fly and react to what’s working and what isn’t. The vast majority of startups lose money before they make money—burn rate, to use one of Khosla’s MBA terms—and LIV certainly qualifies. It’s not just the hundreds of millions going to the likes of Phil Mickelson , Dustin Johnson , Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka . It’s the rumored $40 million going to the Ian Poulter types. LIV is spending so much money to launch a professional sports league. It’s paying players guaranteed money; the PGA Tour does not. It’s paying for players’ travel and accommodations; the PGA Tour does not. It’s paying for caddies’ travel and accommodations; the PGA Tour does not. The same is true for agents, coaches and player families. It’s paying each host venue a healthy fee to take over the property for a week. It’s paying a full staff of executives. It’s paying musicians to play concerts. It’s paying for the grandstands, the hospitality tents, the signage. It’s paying for the production of the broadcast.

"The value is driven purely by demand," one top agent says. "This is like a real-life fantasy league."

And LIV is doing all this with virtually no revenue to offset the costs. Tickets for the two U.S. events could be had for a few bucks. The broadcast airs free on YouTube, with no commercials. There was not a single corporate logo (other than LIV’s) present at either Pumpkin Ridge or Trump Bedminster. When asked about their surely warped balance sheet, LIV executives begin talking about the future. The vision. LIV Golf, they say, hasn’t even properly started.

That’ll happen next year, when LIV transitions from a series of invitational tournaments to a 14-event “league schedule.” The three events this year, with five more to come, have been a bit scrambled—different fields, different teams. That will not be the case in 2023; the plan is for 48 contracted players to play in all 14 events, and for 12 four-man teams to be set at the beginning of the year and stay consistent throughout the season.

“The way I would look at it,” says Ron Cross, who worked at both Augusta National and the PGA Tour before becoming LIV’s chief events officer, “we’ve compared ourselves to, and others have compared ourselves to, the Formula 1 model. When you go to an F1 race, it’s a consistent look and feel. But Austin has some uniqueness. And Monaco is a little different from Spain, and other markets. You’ll find us doing the same thing.”

And, according to multiple agents from across different agencies, the vast majority of those league spots are spoken for—so much so that LIV has turned away multiple players in the top 50 of the World Ranking who have expressed interest in negotiating a contract.

“One of my players sort of nudged me toward seeing if there might be an offer on the table,” says one agent, “and we were told, basically, 'Sorry. We’re full for next year.’”

More From Golf Digest

Formula 1 does seem to be the guiding light for LIV’s future vision—particularly as it pertains to the team component. There are 10 teams in Formula 1, each owned by a corporation: Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Alpine, McLaren, Alfa Romeo, Haas F1, AlphaTauri, Aston Martin, Williams. Each team has two drivers under contract. The driver’s deals are with each specific team, not with Formula 1. That, eventually, seems to be the vision for LIV Golf: to have 12 distinct teams, each with its own ownership group, each with the power to sign its own players, cut them and trade them. In an ideal scenario, and this is far down the line, each team would function more like a traditional sports franchise with its own merchandise, C-level suites and corporate sponsorships.

All 12 teams are owned by LIV now, and some players—think the more high-profile names: Mickelson, DeChambeau, Koepka—have an equity stake in the teams they captain. LIV’s goal is to develop these franchises into brands with identities and fans, and then sell them either to corporations or wealthy individuals who essentially want the latest and greatest plaything. There is no shortage of billionaires who love golf and, theoretically, would be willing to cut a check to be closer to the action. To play in the pro-am with Bryson. To host Brooks for dinner. Who knows—maybe even join Dustin and Paulina on the boat.

“Sports ownership is a high-demand space, where much of the value is derived from scarcity,” says one agent for a top-20 player. “Obviously you have to build a league with real revenues, but these are sellable commodities even without that. It’s just supply and demand. The value is driven purely by demand. This is like a real-life fantasy league.”

'If you can't see it, you can't sell it'

THEY ARE BILLED AS FANCY NEW TOYS for the mega-rich. But to achieve their full brightness, LIV Golf’s franchises need a place to shine.

To players and potential sponsors and owners, the number LIV Golf has pitched has stayed consistent, sources tell Golf Digest: a $1 billion potential valuation for a four-man club. If that sounds fantastical it’s because it’s based on something that hasn’t happened yet.

“Until significant media deals are done to cover LIV Golf,” says Patrick Rishe, the founding director of the sports business program at Washington University, “LIV team values will be stunted.”

The first three LIV Golf events have been broadcast free on YouTube, Facebook and LIV Golf’s website, and the audience numbers have been modest. The LIV Golf Invitational at Bedminster drew an average of 74,000 viewers to its Sunday final round YouTube broadcast while the PGA Tour’s simultaneous broadcast of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on CBS drew an average of 2.5 million. To a person, those around LIV Golf assert a larger broadcast agreement is near, and even its detractors acknowledge some sort of distribution deal will likely be in place before 2023. Where it is distributed, or more specifically on what platform, may have a bigger impact on LIV Golf’s sustainability than any mega-star player it signs.

The 4 Aces Team of Pat Perez, Talor Gooch, Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson spray champagne after winning the team competition at the LIV Golf Invitational Series at Trump Bedminster.

To this point, all of the major television subsidiaries in the U.S. have shown little to no interest in LIV Golf, sources tell Golf Digest. NBC, CBS and ESPN just began a $7 billion, nine-year deal with the PGA Tour. The wild card is the FOX Corporation, which has multiple ties with LIV Golf. FOX founder and media tycoon Rubert Murdoch has a personal relationship with LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman; the two attempted to create a “World Golf Tour” in the mid-1990s, with Murdoch’s FOX Sports securing the rights. In January 2022, LIV Golf hired former FOX Sports President David Hill to help with production, and the right-leaning FOX News had a heavy presence at LIV Golf’s third event held at former President Trump’s Bedminster property. However, FOX abandoned its USGA agreement halfway through a 12-year deal, and even with the Trump connection sources say FOX Sports has not held serious discussions.

Sources say LIV Golf officials are aware immediate victory may not be had on the traditional television front in the United States and have pivoted to a streaming option. Some around LIV Golf insist streaming was the plan from the start, although multiple sources combat this notion. Nevertheless, be it orchestrated messaging or conviction that the league truly is close to a media deal, the importance of streaming was at the forefront of conversations at Trump Bedminster, with Mickelson making a case for why this is the best route to go.

“We, as a game and sport, the viewership has gone up five years to the average age, I believe, of 64, and we have to target the younger generation,” the six-time major winner said after Friday’s round at Bedminster. “I think that the way that's going to happen is two things. One, it's not a 12-hour day, having to watch golf all day. You've got a four-and-a-half-hour window. Second, when I think a streaming partner comes about, I think it's going to revolutionize the way golf is viewed, because you'll have no commercials and you'll have shot after shot after shot, and it will capture that younger generation's attention span. We'll open up a lot of opportunities to get the younger generation, which for 30 years we've tried to do and it's gone the other way.”

Streaming destinations are limited. Netflix has yet to dive into live sports. Hulu’s Disney/ESPN ties to the tour likely knock it out. Same with HBO Max and Discovery+ (Warner Bros. Discovery, which also owns Golf Digest) and Paramount Plus (CBS). Amazon Prime is getting into the sports space, but founder Jeff Bezos’ strained relationship with Saudi Arabia diminishes the prospect of a deal. Essentially, there is one home that has any subscription base to speak of, industry insiders tell Golf Digest: AppleTV.

The Apple, Inc. OTT service has not made the splash it hoped since launching in 2019, boasting only a little more than 33 million customers. (For context, Disney+ launched a week after AppleTV and claims 138 million subscribers.) To build its humble numbers, Apple has turned to live sports, signing deals with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer in 2022, and LIV Golf could fit into that portfolio, sources say. Unlike the MLS, which signed a 10-year agreement, any LIV deal would likely be in the two- to three-year range, according to one source—enough time for LIV to prove it is a viable commodity. The buy-in would be relatively economical compared to other live sporting-event rights, both sources said, and nowhere near the neighborhood of the tour’s $7 billion, nine-year deal with NBC, ESPN and CBS. But LIV Golf isn’t necessarily looking for an infusion of cash in the same vein that other sporting leagues do with media rights. LIV is merely looking for publicity on a platform that adds validity to what it’s trying to do. (AppleTV has not responded to a request for comment.)

“Sponsor value for any team or league is driven by eyeballs, because one main purpose of any sponsor deal is generating awareness and exposure for your product. If you can't see it, you can't sell it,” Rishe says. “[It’s] incredibly hard to achieve awareness and exposure without a solid TV or streaming deal.”

But Rishe adds a caveat: “Until LIV attains a solid media-rights deal with a legacy network, this will place a de facto ceiling on the value of sponsor deals.”

Other experts agree that though media consumption is drastically evolving with more platforms and choices than ever before, a streaming-only deal will hamper LIV Golf. Most sports and especially golf are still watched in traditional, linear fashion. It’s one of the reasons sports rights are so expensive: They are one of the few programs watched as scheduled. Moreover, while LIV’s focus may be on a younger crowd, the type of companies that are involved in the golf business tend to target the older, affluent audience. Even with bringing in new sponsors that haven’t been in the space before, LIV Golf will need to tap into those existing advertisers.

“You need the high-earner male in his mid-50s. People don’t want to hear that, but that’s who buys the expensive products that are advertised on professional golf,” says Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports. “That’s what drives the golf ship. That’s the important sponsor support golf brings and makes it a commodity.”

LIV Golf has positioned itself as a global entity, to grab regions that the game has historically ignored. But that creates an issue in establishing a TV deal that Pilson and others in tour circles assert about the LIV Golf model.

“This won’t be the World Cup. This won’t be the British Open. People aren’t going to get up at 3 a.m. to watch in a different country,” Pilson says. “[This] could explain why [none of the traditional channels] want it. So it goes to streaming so customers can watch it on their time. Well, millennials will check their phones or computers to see the results of something that happened 12 hours ago, and once you see the results there’s a good chance you won’t watch. There are a lot of drawbacks with the streaming idea.”

Though it’s far from the affluent and older consumer that makes golf advertising so valuable despite its niche reach, the 18- to 35-year-old demo has value to marketers because if they capture that demo’s business early they can make a lifetime customer to maximize their return on marketing investment. And younger audiences do tend to gravitate towards streamers and cord-cutting services over legacy networks.

There’s the chance LIV Golf buys airtime with a channel. Or maybe LIV buys an entire channel.

But, as Rishe points out, the young audiences pose their own problem—specifically towards LIV. “Studies have shown that Gen Z and Alpha Gen consumers are more socially aware and care more about what the companies they buy from stand for,” Rishe says. “So as long as the ‘sportswashing’ undercurrent dogging LIV exists, LIV may have very little success courting corporate America.”

Of course, there’s a way around the TV issues in the U.S., Pilson explains, and it’s a thought that a number of tour officials mention as a worst-case scenario. Given the resources behind it, there’s the chance LIV Golf buys airtime with a channel, especially with many struggling to find new revenue streams in the cord-cutting era. Or maybe LIV buys an entire channel.

“I think if they do get it, it'll probably be on a cable channel that is comfortable with some negative responses [being associated with LIV Golf],” Pilson says. “That could use the money because LIV could buy its way onto a cable channel, just the way it buys the golfers to go play.”

With its own channel, LIV Golf wouldn’t have to worry about alternating its condensed, shotgun-start format and could keep it commercial-free. One person associated with LIV’s franchise efforts made the case that ad-free presentations bring value to the sponsors of each club. “Golf fans have made it known they hate the growing amount of dead time in golf broadcasts,” the source said. “By showing them more golf, our sponsors get more direct time with a consumer that is more native and agreeable to the viewing experience instead of banging them over the head with a commercial.”

It’s far from what LIV Golf wants to do. But it is a card they could play if realizing the streaming reach is not enough.

Nevertheless, in a scenario where LIV Golf has both streaming and traditional distribution behind it, the operation can start wooing legitimate sponsors, knowing their endorsements will be seen by far more than 74,000 viewers. In that scenario, the $1 billion franchise valuation, while still fantastical, doesn’t seem quite as outrageous. In that scenario, LIV Golf goes from tour nuisance to a full-on competitor.

'We're not interested in exhibition golf'

THE PGA TOUR HAS TAKEN THE HARDEST OF HARD-LINE stances against LIV Golf. The message from Ponte Vedra headquarters has been clear since rumors of the “Saudi Golf League”—the name that Monahan and the tour insist on using—began percolating in early 2020, and it underlined the unwillingness to listen to LIV’s initial proposal. The tour’s stance, to put it simply, was: This is not good for golf, and you’re either with us or you’re with them.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has thus far taken a hard-line stance against LIV Golf, including the ban of players who have moved to the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit.

Richard Heathcote

The PGA Tour wasted little time this year drawing its line in the sand by informing its membership on May 10 that no releases would be granted for the first LIV event in London, and that players who participated anyway would be in violation of the PGA Tour handbook and subject to discipline. Once the first tee shots were hit at Centurion Golf Club at the same time on June 8—shotgun start and all—the PGA Tour announced immediate suspensions for all its members in the LIV field. This stance was immediately and very publicly lambasted by Norman, who called the move “anti-golfer, anti-fan and anti-competitive.” Norman and his associates have lobbed insults and taunts at the PGA Tour throughout the past couple months; the PGA Tour has been more careful in its communications and word choice, but Monahan has not wavered in his opposition to LIV’s existence.

"We want to be additive to the ecosystem," LIV's Khosla says. "We are very willing and want to continue to work with all the tours."

Despite the combativeness, LIV officials insist they’d love a meeting with PGA Tour executives.

“That has been our desire from the get-go,” Khosla says. “We want to be, and we believe we are, additive to the ecosystem. We are very willing and want to continue to work with all the tours. … I would love to [talk to the PGA Tour]. I would absolutely love to. And even if it’s just to build the relationship, I very much welcome the opportunity to do that.”

Some PGA Tour players want peace accords to take place. At the Open Championship, Jon Rahm responded to a question about the future of the Ryder Cup by expressing a desire for the bickering parties to come to the negotiation table. There was also Rory McIlroy, the de facto spokesman for the PGA Tour throughout this schism, saying at the J.P. McManus Pro-Am in July that he believed it was time for both sides to talk.

“If these people are serious about investing billions of dollars into golf, I think ultimately that’s a good thing,” McIlroy said. “But it has to be done the right way and I think if they were to invest, having it be invested inside the existing structures.”

Tour executives, however, seem to have no interest in such discussions or any parceling of the calendar. The PGA Tour declined to speak with Golf Digest for this story, but a spokesman did convey their ultimate position: “What exactly would we be discussing? The tour isn’t for sale, and we’re not interested in exhibition golf.”

Rory McIlroy has been among the most vocal supporters of the PGA Tour and has said it's worth listening to LIV Golf if it's interested in investing in a proven commodity.

Stuart Franklin/R&A

Which, of course, makes sense. The PGA Tour’s rigid stance is no doubt a strategic play, but one drawback of that approach is that it makes later cooperation that much less feasible. Instead, Monahan has vowed both privately and publicly to focus on improving his own tour. It started well before the first LIV event, when the tour devised the Player Impact Program as a way to reward its most famous players for something not directly related to their on-course performance. Despite the tour’s insistence that such a program was in the works long before, the PIP is widely seen on tour as a preemptive response to LIV—ironic, then, that five of the initial 10 winners have since left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf—though the inaugural PIP winner, Tiger Woods, reportedly turned down a $700 million to $800 million offer from LIV. And in a June press conference, Monahan outlined a number of rather significant changes to the PGA Tour’s structure, which again seemed heavily influenced by the existential challenge he faces. The general theme: more money going to the best players, a return to a calendar-year schedule and doubling down on its signature heritage events.

Starting for the 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs, only 70 PGA Tour players—down from 125—will make it to the postseason and keep full status for the next season. The top 50 in the final FedEx Cup standings also will qualify for lucrative, no-cut “international series” events that will be held outside the U.S. in the fall. And purses for eight invitational events throughout the season are increasing to an average of $20 million per event. Rather than negotiate with LIV, the PGA Tour is banking that its proven business model, continued added investment in its own product, and the willingness to adapt—including veering away from its 72-hole format more often—will continue to make the circuit the best place to play professional golf. And that talented new prospects will fill the void left by others who might have left for LIV.

New and current stars will be paid handsomely. The PGA Tour has begun circulating a document to players that projects how much money they would’ve earned had their careers begun during the upcoming 2022-23 season based on a four percent year-over-year growth in the tour’s total comprehensive earnings. The projected figures are staggering: If Jim Furyk, who is now 52 years old, began his rookie season in 2022-23 and had the same 28-year career—including 17 wins—his total compensation from the PGA Tour would exceed $620 million. (Furyk’s current actual earnings are $71.5 million.) To sample a few others: Rory McIlroy would be at $373 million; Jordan Spieth at $240 million; Brandt Snedeker at $180 million; Ryan Palmer at $100 million; Keegan Bradley at $97 million; Jason Gore at $21 million.

But those projections do not include any guaranteed money—instead, they are calculated by applying future payment structures to past earnings.

“All of this money we’re projecting will be earned on a competitive basis,” the PGA Tour executive said, “and that’s a hallmark of the PGA Tour. Even with the PIP program, there are different components, but you’ve earned those based on how you’ve competed.”

Of course, this is a projection of a tomorrow that is under tour control. It also must reckon with a future it doesn’t fully control.

The next battlefront

ON AUG. 3, MICKELSON, DECHAMBEAU AND NINE OTHER LIV GOLF MEMBERS filed a lawsuit against the tour, believing the suspensions they received for defecting constituted antitrust actions . It is a lawsuit the PGA Tour has expected and feels confident about being in the right. History is on the tour’s side. It has successfully defended itself against antitrust claims from Morris Communications Corporation regarding the tour’s limitations on real-time scoring, and it prevailed in former tour player Harry Toscano’s Clayton Act antitrust lawsuit against the Senior PGA Tour. It also won a class-action lawsuit brought by caddies against the tour using antitrust and intellectual property claims.

Phil Mickelson is among the LIV players who brought an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour for not allowing them to play.

Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf

This is a different battle, and the tour is also staring down an antitrust probe from the Department of Justice. It’s worth noting the Federal Trade Commision concluded after a four-year investigation in the early 1990s that the tour had violated antitrust laws—partially due to the rule stipulating permission for a conflicting-event release—and recommended federal action. But no action was ultimately taken, a circumstance credited to the work of then-PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem (a lawyer himself who worked in President Jimmy Carter’s administration) and the tour’s lobbying mastery. Coincidentally, this clashed with Norman’s first try to challenge the PGA Tour through his attempt to launch the World Tour. This time, the tour is facing an entity that can match, if not usurp, its lobbying efforts. This time, the tour could lose.

The battle will be fought on multiple fronts. There are players who have not jumped but will, both after the FedEx Cup and Presidents Cup, along with those who defect after 2023 or 2024. While the first wave of LIV members mostly constituted injury-prone players, rank-and-file names, those past 40 and maligned personalities, LIV likely will sign those who are young, transcendent and marketable.

There are multiple sponsors, sources tell Golf Digest, that aren’t exactly thrilled with the tour’s handling of the LIV situation. Though the new media-rights deal accounts for most of the added money in bonuses and purses, the tour has gone to companies looking to aid its new fall series, and the reception has thus far been cold, sources say. Existing partners, upset at sponsoring tournaments with depleted fields, are not crazy about giving the tour more money. There is a fear in tour circles that if the circuit pushes too hard, these companies could eventually go to the other side.

Then there is the tour’s own media rights. Its new agreement started in 2022 and runs to 2030. Concerns that CBS, NBC or ESPN would want to renegotiate or invalidate its deal if the tour continues to lose a number of its marquee attractions are fair, although multiple sources with these stakeholders say, at this point, they are not worried about a diluted product and are in lockstep with the tour. Of greater worry for the tour are potential deals down the road. These media agreements are worked out years in advance, and sources tell Golf Digest the current deal was mostly finished by the middle of 2019. A LIV Golf circuit that is fully operational in 2025—and one that has a defined future—could wreak havoc on anything the tour hopes for in its new media framework.

The tour’s position against LIV is not just public posturing; those around the tour insist Monahan and his staff believe what he says to be true. But players, agents and others in the industry see how the tour is under siege and envision that peace—or at least a detente—will have to be struck to stave off a watered-down tour. So what would cooperation between LIV and the PGA Tour look like?

Make no mistake, there are reasons why cooperation might work for both sides. LIV Golf, which seemingly holds momentum, gets what it initially wanted: acceptance into the current framework. Saudi Arabia and Vision 2030 receive a blessing from a globally recognized institution that pushes them closer to the perception of a modernized culture. LIV Golf members get to keep the enormous sums they made and get the freedom they once had on the tour to pick their schedules. Not for nothing, it keeps the door open to play in major championships and Ryder Cup—a path that seemingly is starting to close and one that could be shut completely if LIV doesn’t receive OWGR accreditation. (As one Augusta National source relayed after the filing of the Mickelson lawsuit: “Know a good way to get curbed by ANGC? Bring ANGC into a lawsuit.”)

For the tour, things are messier. Yes, the LIV Golf financial resources would help subsidize the tour and its purses, the membership would be made whole again and a potential PGA Tour-LIV agreement would be perceived less of a merger and more of an acquisition. But there is the reality of weakening a previously strong stance and the optics that come with it. Would player suspensions—assuming the tour hasn’t lost the lawsuit—be dropped? How would it handle blowback from its existing members, who watched LIV members cash huge paydays and ultimately be allowed back while they missed out on similar opportunities out of loyalty? Even in a treaty there will be casualties.

In the days after the LIV golfers filed their suit, the tone from PGA Tour players toward their peers who jumped to LIV changed. While once respectful of the decision made to move on, there was more venom toward them as they went ahead with a legal challenge. 

“Their vision is cherry-picking what events they want to play on the PGA Tour," Billy Horschel, a former PGA Tour Policy Board member, said. "Obviously, that would be the higher World Ranking events and bigger purses. It’s frustrating. They made a decision to leave, and they should go follow their employer. I know there are guys a lot more angry and frustrated about it than me.”

Another victim in this fight could be the postseason race on the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour). While LIV Golf’s 2023 season will be spread across the calendar, multiple sources lay out a scenario in which the PGA Tour ultimately allows space for LIV Golf to operate during the fall, effectively taking the place of the yet-to-be-announced international series. LIV has already telegraphed it’s not opposed to this time frame: Five of its eight events this year occur after the FedEx Cup Playoffs have concluded. The tour would still use autumn to provide for those outside the top 50 to wrestle for following-year status, conceding its stars would play elsewhere in September, October and November. It’s a tough swallow for the tour, yet better to lose them during the football portion of the sports calendar than for the entire year. Unfortunately, the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai takes place in November, and while it could survive the PGA Tour’s three-event international series, a LIV Golf fall itinerary likely involves a minimum of five to six events. Moving the Race to Dubai to the end of summer would coincide with the tour playoffs. The DP World Tour already faces the knock of being a feeder circuit; a potential retrofitting would compound that stigma.

Although it’s a bit more far-fetched, there’s also the chance for LIV Golf competitions to be held during the tour’s season. There are a handful of tournaments that have struggled with sponsorship for years that could be vulnerable, and the fact that the WGCs having gone from four to one raises the question if LIV could take over the Match Play. There would be matters to sort out—who qualifies for the LIV events, how TV/streaming deals would work, and would the events be co-sanctioned.

The alternative is this: A professional golf landscape that looks a lot like professional boxing—a realm with multiple organizations and almost zero unification that has turned a once-popular sport into a niche entertainment. The game’s attention could be divided between a league that has popular figures but tournaments that border on exhibition, up against a traditional power that has real competition but has lost some of its most high-profile competitors. As one major championship official opined, “The PGA Tour could become what the Euro Tour is now, and LIV Golf would be like the Pro Bowl—big names, horrible watch.”

In regards to majors, there’s the theory that the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship could be strengthened in a divided game, the already heightened weeks gaining importance if they’re the only four occasions when the entire sport gathers. But if the majors back the PGA Tour and restrict LIV Golf members from participating, they too will lose weight.

Should the DP World Tour and PGA of America stay true to their LIV threats, the Ryder Cup could be lost. Fair or not, the onus is on the PGA Tour to keep it together. Most of LIV’s members have already shown they don’t care about consequences, at least enough to prevent them from padding their bank accounts. The tour didn’t start the schism, yet it may be the only thing standing in the way of preventing the sport from ripping in two.

After the beta test

THEY SEE WHAT YOU SEE. The misspellings of player names, getting their members’ nationalities wrong, the press-conference disasters. For an organization trying its best to rid itself of sportswashing accusations, LIV Golf has been unable to put its best foot forward without tripping over the other through its first three events.

But it’s worth remembering this inaugural season is a trial run of sorts, and not just for those inside the ropes. Prior to the weekend at Trump Bedminster, one LIV liaison said the summer had been “revealing.” This person put the LIV workers into two groups: the adults and the children. The children are the ones making mistake after mistake, or they took a LIV offer as an early retirement package thinking little would be involved. The adults … they see what LIV has already done and what it could be once the children are sent packing. “If everyone would stop ragging on [LIV], you could see how good it can be,” the consultant said. Eventually, this person maintained, LIV would get things right.

The event at Bedminster was eventually won by Henrik Stenson. To grab the millions at LIV, the Swede had to surrender the Ryder Cup captaincy, a role and responsibility that was once viewed as priceless. For him to win millions, Europe had to lose its Ryder Cup captain. His decision to join was a zero-sum game. You didn’t have to squint to see the symmetry.

PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+: Exclusive, Four-Stream Coverage of FedExCup Playoffs at TOUR Championship

• Coverage begins tomorrow at 11:15 a.m. ET, continues through Final Round on Sunday, August 27
• Marquee, Featured groups teeing off in staggered FedExCup Starting Strokes format
• New On the Range at the TOUR Championship show features Trackman shot tracing, interviews, analysis
• Subscribe to ESPN+ on the ESPN App, ESPN.com and connected TV devices  

Four-stream coverage of the final event of the FedExCup Playoffs on PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ begins tomorrow at the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, exclusively for ESPN+ subscribers.

• Coverage begins tomorrow at 11:15 a.m. ET , continues through Sunday, August 27.
• The field for the TOUR Championship includes the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings following last week’s BMW Championship.
• The TOUR Championship features FedExCup Starting Strokes , a staggered, strokes-based system that rewards players according to the FedExCup standings entering this week’s tournament.

Also, On the Range at the TOUR Championship presented by Titleist, will stream tomorrow on ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET , featuring players on the practice range as they prepare for the event with Trackman Tracing, radar stats, expert analysis, player interviews and more.

THURSDAY | August 24 Main Feed | 11:15 a.m. ET

Marquee Group | 11:15 a.m. ET

• Jordan Spieth (starting at Even) – No. 29 in FedExCup standings, No. 12 world ranking, three-time major champion, 13-time PGA TOUR winner, 2015 FedExCup champion
• Sepp Straka (Even) – No. 30 in FedExCup standings, two-time TOUR winner (2023 John Deere Classic, 2022 Honda Classic)

  Featured Groups | 11:45 a.m. ET

• Jason Day (-1) – 25 in FedExCup standings, 13 PGA TOUR wins, 2015 PGA Championship winner
• Sam Burns (Even) – 26 in FedExCup standings, 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play winner, five-time TOUR winner
• Collin Morikawa (-1) – No. 24 in FedExCup standings, No. 20 world ranking, 2021 Open Champion, 2020 PGA Champion, five-time TOUR winner
• Adam Schenk (-1) – No. 23 in FedExCup standings, Korn Ferry Tour winner

Featured Hole: 11:30 a.m. ET

• No. 2 | Par 3

At 1 p.m. ET , coverage will transition to two Featured Group feeds and two Featured Hole streams.

Featured Group – Coverage will follow the Jason Day and Sam Burns group, until Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm begin their round at 1:49 p.m. ET.

• Rory McIlroy (-7) – Three-time and defending FedExCup champion, No. 3 in FedExCup standings, No. 2 world ranking, four-time major champion, 24-time TOUR winner, three-time PGA TOUR Player of the Year
• Jon Rahm (-6) – No. 4 in FedExCup standings, No. 3 world ranking, 2023 Masters champion, 2021 U.S. Open champion, four wins in 2023 (Sentry Tournament of Champions, The American Express, Genesis Invitational, Masters), 11-time TOUR winner

Featured Group – Coverage will follow the Jordan Spieth and Sepp Straka group, then move to Max Homa and Lucas Glover in progress, when Spieth and Straka finish their round.

• Max Homa (-4) – No. 6 in FedExCup standings, No. 7 world ranking, six-time TOUR winner, 2023 Farmers Insurance Open winner
• Lucas Glover  (-5) – No. 5 in FedExCup standings, back-to-back TOUR wins in 2023 (Wyndham Championship, FedEx St. Jude Championship), six-time TOUR winner, 2009 U.S. Open champion

Featured Holes: Nos. 2 and 15

• Coverage begins on East Lake’s par 3 No. 2 and moves to the par 3 No. 15 once the first group reaches that hole.

Featured Holes: Nos. 9 and 17

• Coverage begins on the par 3 No. 9 and moves to the par 4 No. 17 once the first group reaches that hole.

PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will follow similar schedules Friday, Saturday and Sunday, determined when pairings and tee times are announced.

PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ Continuing its unprecedented level of extended and expanded coverage in 2023, this second calendar year of PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ has presented fans with more than 4,300 live and exclusive hours covering 35 tournaments, including 13 of the TOUR’s designated events and at least 28 tournaments with four full days of coverage and four simultaneous live feeds each day. PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ is part of the TOUR’s nine-year domestic media rights portfolio announced in March 2020 .

All ESPN+ subscribers have access to PGA TOUR LIVE, at no additional cost, in addition to exclusive access to more than 27,000 live sports events each year, an unmatched library of on-demand replays and acclaimed original content, and premium written articles by the top reporters and analysts from ESPN.com..

About PGA TOUR By showcasing golf’s greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages, inspires and positively impacts our fans, partners and communities worldwide.

The PGA TOUR, headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, co-sanctions tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, PGA TOUR Canada and administers the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament and PGA TOUR University. TOUR members represent the world’s best players, hailing from 25 countries and territories. Showcasing the biggest moments in the sport with history and legacy on the line, the PGA TOUR has long-term domestic distribution partnerships for broadcast coverage on CBS, NBC and Golf Channel and video streaming service on ESPN+. Internationally, PGA TOUR coverage is available across 200+ countries and territories in 27 languages via 44 broadcast and digital partners. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving, and to date, tournaments across all Tours have generated more than $3.37 billion.

Fans can follow the PGA TOUR on the new PGA TOUR app and PGATOUR.COM, and on social media channels, including  Facebook , Instagram (in  Spanish , Korean and Japanese ), LinkedIn , TikTok , Twitter (in English and Spanish ),  WeChat ,  Weibo ,  Toutiao ,  Douyin and  LINE .

About ESPN+ ESPN+ is the No. 1 sports streaming platform, serving fans in the U.S. with exclusive access to more than 27,000 live sports events each year, an unmatched library of on-demand replays and acclaimed original content, and premium written articles by the top reporters and analysts from ESPN.com. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or in the ESPN App on mobile and connected devices. For more visit the ESPN+ Press Kit .

Related Media Kits

PGA Tour has team event in New Orleans; LIV returns Down Under

The PGA Tour has its only team event coming up at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

The field features Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry for the first time, along with Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.

New Orleans has three sets of brothers among the 80 teams, and two of them are twins. Parker and Pierceson Coody are PGA Tour rookies. Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard are from Denmark.

AFTER THE MASTERS: Analysis, statistics and more

Find out what players are up to next, what their statistics are and how the 2024 Masters made history.

The LPGA Tour suffered a blow when Nelly Korda withdrew from LA right as she was coming off a major title and going for a record sixth straight win. LIV Golf is in Australia.

ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

• Site: Avondale, Louisiana.
• Course: TPC Louisiana. Yardage: 7,425. Par: 72.
• Prize money: $8.9 million. Winner’s share: $1.286 million for each player.
• Television: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).
• Defending champions: Davis Riley and Nick Hardy.
• FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler.
• Last week: Scottie Scheffler won the RBC Heritage.
• Notes: This is the PGA Tour’s only team event, with two rounds of fourballs and two rounds of foursomes. ... The winners do not get world ranking points or a Masters invitation. ... Rory McIlroy is playing for the first time, partnering with Shane Lowry. Friends since their youth, they have played only one Ryder Cup match together. ... The field includes three sets of brothers, two of them twins — Parker and Pierceson Coody, and Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard. The other set is Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick. ... Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are the only team where both players are ranked in the top 10. They won the Zurich Classic two years ago. ... Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is playing with Francesco Molinari, one of his assistant captains in Rome. ... Steve Stricker is making a rare appearance on the PGA Tour. Stricker won the Charles Schwab Cup last year on the PGA Tour Champions. He is playing with Matt Kuchar.
• Next week: AT&T Byron Nelson.
• Online:  https://www.pgatour.com/

JM EAGLE LA CHAMPIONSHIP

• Site: Los Angeles.
• Course: Wilshire GC. Yardage: 6,258. Par: 71.
• Prize money: $3.75 million. Winner’s share: $562,500.
• Television: Thursday-Friday, 6:30-9:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).
• Defending champion: Hannah Green.
• Race to CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda.
• Last week: Nelly Korda won The Chevron Championship.
• Notes: Nelly Korda withdrew from the tournament coming off winning her second major and fifth win in a row. ... The prize money was raised to $3.75 million and the sponsors are paying for players’ hotels. It still attracted only six of the top 10 in the world. ... Among those not playing are Lydia Ko and Lilia Vu, who withdrew last week with injury. ... Patty Tavatanakit and Alison Lee are among those who played college golf nearby at UCLA. ... Paula Creamer is in the field based on being in the top 20 on the LPGA career money list. ... This is the second LPGA event in the Los Angeles area in the last five weeks. Korda won the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship down the coast at Palos Verdes Estates. ... Rose Zhang is coming off a missed cut in the first LPGA major of the year. ... Lexi Thompson, who has not won in five years and is coming off a missed cut in the Chevron Championship, is not in the field.
• Next tournament: Cognizant Founders Cup on May 9-12.
• Online:  https://www.lpga.com/

LIV GOLF LEAGUE

LIV GOLF ADELAIDE

• Site: Adelaide, Australia.
• Course: The Grange GC. Yardage: 6,946. Par: 72.
• Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.
• Television: Thursday-Saturday, 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. (CW app). Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (CW Network-tape delay).
• Defending champion: Talor Gooch.
• Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.
• Last tournament: Dean Burmester won LIV Golf Miami.
• Notes: LIV Golf’s tournament in Adelaide last year featured one of the largest galleries of the year. ... LIV Golf Adelaide is where Talor Gooch won the first of his three titles last season. He is not in the field for any of the majors this year. ... LIV Golf had three players finish among the top 10 in the Masters. Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau tied for sixth, and Tyrrell Hatton tied for ninth. ... Jon Rahm has yet to win since joining LIV in December. Rahm’s last victory was the Masters a year ago. ... Dustin Johnson, who won LIV Golf Las Vegas in early February, has missed the cut in his last two majors. Joaquin Niemann remains the points leader this year based on his two LIV titles. He made the cut in the Masters and already has received an exemption to play in the PGA Championship. ... Peter Uihlein began his three-week swing by playing the Saudi Open last week. He shot 66-63 on the weekend to finish third.
• Next week: LIV Golf Singapore.
• Online:  https://www.livgolf.com/

EUROPEAN TOUR AND JAPAN GOLF TOUR

ISPS HANDA CHAMPIONSHIP

• Site: Gotemba, Japan.
• Course: Taiheiyo Club. Yardage: 7,262. Par: 70.
• Prize money: $2.25 million. Winner’s share: $375,000.
• Television: Wednesday-Thursday, 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 11 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).
• Previous winner: Lucas Herbert.
• Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.
• Last tournament: Scottie Scheffler won the Masters.
• Notes: This is the second year of a European tour co-sanctioned event with the Japan Golf Tour in Japan. ... The tournament is the third of four events in the Asian Swing. The winner of this series gets a $200,000 bonus, and the top three get spots in the PGA Championship at Valhalla next month. ... The field includes Matthieu Pavon of France and Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa. Both played in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head last week. ... Keita Nakajima makes his first start since winning the Hero Indian Open for his first European tour victory. ... Kazuma Kobori received a sponsor exemption. The 22-year-old was born in Japan and plays under the New Zealand flag. He has three wins this year on the PGA Tour of Australasia. ... The field includes most of the rising Japanese stars, such as Nakajima, Takumi Kanaya and Taiga Semikawa. ... Lucas Herbert is not defending his title because he is with LIV Golf in Australia.
• Next week: Volvo China Open.
• Online:  https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/  and  https://www.jgto.org/en/

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CLASSIC

• Site: Duluth, Georgia.
• Course: TPC Sugarloaf. Yardage: 7,179. Par: 72.
• Prize money: $2 million. Winner’s share: $300,000.
• Television: Friday, noon to 3 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).
• Defending champion: Stephen Ames.
• Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steven Alker.
• Last week: Paul Broadhurst won the Invited Celebrity Classic.
• Notes: Paul Broadhurst became the seventh winner in the seven tournaments on the PGA Tour Champions this year. ... Steven Alker returns to action after taking last week off. ... Ricardo Gonzalez is the only first-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions this year. ... Broadhurst (58) became the third player 58 or older to win this year. He joins Stephen Ames (Chubb Classic) and Joe Durant (Cologuard Classic), both of whom are 59. ... The seven winners on the PGA Tour Champions come from seven countries — New Zealand, Canada, England, United States, Argentina, South Africa and Ireland. ... Thomas Bjorn has been a runner-up and tied for third in his two starts on the PGA Tour Champions this year. ... One week after Vijay Singh made his 20th cut at the Masters, the 61-year-old tied for sixth in the Invited Celebrity Classic. ... The TPC Sugarloaf hosted a PGA Tour event until 2007.
• Next week: Insperity Invitational.
• Online:  https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions

KORN FERRY TOUR

VERITEX BANK CHAMPIONSHIP

• Site: Arlington, Texas.
• Course: Texas Rangers GC. Yardage: 7,010. Par: 71.
• Prize money: $1 million. Winner’s share: $180,000.
• Television: None.
• Defending champion: Spencer Levin.
• Points leader: Steven Fisk.
• Last week: Tim Widing won the Lecom Suncoast Classic.
• Next tournament: AdventHealth Championship on May 16-19.
• Online:  https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour

OTHER TOURS

• PGA of America: PGA Professional Championship, Fields Ranch at PGA (East and West), Frisco, Texas. Defending champion: Braden Shattuck. Television: Tuesday, 5-8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Wednesday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel). Online:  https://www.pga.com/
• Epson Tour: IOA Championship, Morongo GC at Tukwet Canyon, Beaumont, California. Defending champion: Miranda Wang. Online:  https://www.epsontour.com/
• Challenge Tour: UAE Challenge, Saadiyat Beach GC, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Previous winner: Maximilian Rottluff. Online:  https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/
• Ladies European Tour: Investec South African Women’s Open, Erinvale Country and Golf Estate, Somerset West, South Africa. Previous winner: Ashleigh Buhai. Online:  https://ladieseuropeantour.com/
• PGA Tour Americas: Diners Club Peru Open, Los Inkas GC, Lima, Peru. Previous winner: Marcos Montenegro. Online:  https://www.pgatour.com/americas
• Japan LPGA: Panasonic Open, Hamano GC, Chiba, Japan. Defending champion: Lala Anai. Online:  https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/
• Korea LPGA: KLPGA Championship, Lakewood CC, Yangju, South Korea. Defending champion: Dayeon Lee. Online:  https://klpga.co.kr/

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

Missing woman’s family searches for answers after body found in Denmark

2 new suspects sought in Augusta Mall shooting

Family describes 14-year-old shooting victim as ‘loving, quiet’

Richmond County deputy passes away in his sleep

Motorcyclist hospitalized after crash causes 2 miles of traffic on I-20

Latest news.

AU men golfers selected as 11th seed in Stanford Regional

Why Comcast has chopped Braves games from its lineup

Augusta Christian baseball, North Augusta softball shine playoff debuts

Jaxon Jean’s complete game shutout powers N. Augusta to playoff victory

Lakeside boys’ golf team wins back-to-back area championships

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

PGA Tour’s Pact With Saudi Wealth Fund Shows Many Details Left to Settle

The five-page agreement provoked a furor but included only a handful of binding provisions.

By Alan Blinder

The PGA Tour’s tentative deal with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to form an alliance with the rival LIV Golf series includes only a handful of binding commitments — such as a nondisparagement agreement and a pledge to dismiss acrimonious litigation — and leaves many of the most consequential details about the future of men’s professional golf to be negotiated by the end of the year.

The five-page framework agreement was obtained by The New York Times on Monday, the day the tour shared a copy of it with a Senate subcommittee that plans to hold a July hearing about the deal.

The proposed deal, announced on June 6 by the tour and the wealth fund, the financial force behind the renegade LIV Golf circuit, has caused an uproar throughout the golf industry. But a review of the agreement points to the rushed nature of the secret, seven-week talks that led to the deal and the complex path that remains ahead for the new venture, a potential triumph for Saudi Arabia’s quest to gain power and influence in sports and, its critics say, to distract from its reputation as a human rights abuser.

Most crucially, the tour and the wealth fund must still come to terms on the values of the assets that each will contribute to their planned partnership. Bankers and lawyers have spent recent weeks beginning the valuation process, but the framework agreement includes no substantive details of projected figures or even the size of an anticipated cash investment from the wealth fund.

Instead, much of the agreement focuses on the basic structure of the new company that is to house what the accord describes as all of the “commercial businesses/rights” of the PGA Tour and the European Tour, now known as the DP World Tour.

The wealth fund is expected to contribute its “golf-related investments and assets,” including the LIV circuit that split the sport, and will have the first opportunity to invest in the new company. The tentative agreement says that the PGA Tour is to maintain “at all times a controlling voting interest” in the new company, but that Yasir al-Rumayyan, the wealth fund’s governor, will serve as the chairman of the new joint entity. Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner who recently went on leave because of an unspecified “medical situation,” is in line to become its chief executive.

The new company, according to the agreement, could pursue “targeted mergers and acquisitions to globalize the sport” and may look to incorporate “innovations from LIV,” such as the team golf concept that the league has championed since it debuted last year.

Those provisions, though, are not binding until the tour and the wealth fund strike a final agreement. Instead, the only ironclad caveats of the agreement involve seeking the dismissal of litigation , a mandate fulfilled on June 16; a ban on recruiting players to rival circuits; a deadline of Dec. 31 to sign final accords, absent a mutual extension; and confidentiality and nondisparagement clauses.

The effective gag agreement appears far-reaching and prohibits the tour and the wealth fund from “any defamatory or disparaging remarks, comments or statements” about the other side and any “ultimate beneficial owners” — a phrase that could be interpreted to include the Saudi government, which the tour had previously condemned for its human rights record.

“I recognize everything that I’ve said in the past and in my prior positions,” Monahan, a leading architect of the deal, said this month. “I recognize that people are going to call me a hypocrite. Anytime I said anything, I said it with the information that I had at that moment, and I said it based on someone that’s trying to compete for the PGA Tour and our players. I accept those criticisms, but circumstances do change.”

Saudi officials have denied that their investments in sports, which include efforts in soccer , Formula 1 racing and boxing, are intended to sanitize the kingdom’s reputation. Instead, they have depicted those investments as a glossy component of a sweeping effort to diversify the country’s economy under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto leader who is also the wealth fund’s chairman.

Al-Rumayyan, the wealth fund’s governor, signed the agreement on behalf of the Saudis, with no evidence of direct involvement by Greg Norman, LIV’s commissioner.

Monahan and Keith Pelley, the DP World Tour’s chief executive, effectively represented the golf establishment when they signed the deal behind closed doors in San Francisco on May 30. It was sprung upon almost the entire golf industry, including most of the PGA Tour’s board, a week later.

The board, which has been considering the deal that it was largely shut out of negotiating, is expected to discuss the pact’s initial terms during a meeting in Detroit on Tuesday. The 11-member board is not believed to be planning a vote yet because the final nuances of the accord may not be hammered out for months.

The deal faces scrutiny well beyond the tour’s board. In Washington , Justice Department officials and congressional investigators are preparing to pore over the details of the accord, which antitrust regulators could ultimately try to block. The tour shared a copy of the agreement with a Senate subcommittee on Monday evening, just more than two weeks before a hearing on Capitol Hill that many expect to become contentious.

But tour executives concluded in recent months that the new economic order that LIV’s swift rise provoked — swelling legal bills, larger prize purses, a diluted product with the world’s most marketable players competing against one another only four times a year at golf’s major tournaments — was unsustainable. They sought a détente with the Saudis and found a receptive audience in and around the wealth fund, where some officials were frustrated by a series of legal setbacks connected to LIV and uneven success in gaining traction in the crucial American sports market.

The second paragraph of the framework nodded toward the turmoil, with the tour and the wealth fund saying they were interested in “ending divisions.” Some elements of the deal amounted to olive branches. In one section, for instance, the two sides agreed to “cooperate in good faith and use best efforts” to bring secure Official World Golf Ranking accreditation for LIV events.

The fate of LIV, which sapped the PGA Tour of some of its star players after offering exorbitant contracts and prize purses, is not included in a binding part of the deal. Instead, the new company, if it comes to pass, is expected to “undertake a full and objective empirical data-driven evaluation of LIV and its prospects and potential.”

The framework does not outline any financial penalties if the deal does not ultimately progress, but it says the tour and the wealth fund “can revert to operating their respective businesses” if the agreement collapses.

Alan Blinder is a sports reporter. He has reported from more than 30 states, as well as Asia and Europe, since he joined The Times in 2013. More about Alan Blinder

Inside the World of Sports

Dive deeper into the people, issues and trends shaping professional, collegiate and amateur athletics..

Women’s Pro Hockey League: The fledgling league is booming — except in New York, where the team is in last place . But the players haven’t given up.

Aaron Rodgers’s Achilles’ Heel: The N.F.L. great was supposed to be the Jets’ savior. But since arriving in New York, he has spent more time voicing conspiracy theories  than playing quarterback.

A Key to Knicks’ Season: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo have been buddies since college , a situation that those who study the workplace say can foster success.

The Future of College Sports: A   National Labor Relations Board testimony, now in the hands of a judge, could have wide-ranging consequences  — positive and negative — for athletes and their institutions.

Voice of Problem Gambling: Craig Carton, the bombastic sports broadcaster, shows a different side on a weekly show  that focuses on the stories of gambling  addicts like himself.

American Pizazz Meets Sumo: At Madison Square Garden, New Yorkers got a rare look at an ancient Japanese sport , cheering and booing as though they were watching a Yankees game.

• Skip to main content
• Skip to footer

Stream the PGA Tour & More LIVE

Catch the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, USGA events, and tons of tourney action all year long. Plus get tons of other live sports, hit movies, bingeworthy TV & Originals, and more.

Men's Golf Schedule

Schedule subject to change.

Women's Golf Schedule

College golf schedule.

The Live Sports You Love All In One Place With Peacock, you get games when you want them, plus 24/7 sports channels, highlights, hit movies, bingeworthy TV & Originals, and more.

The Live Sports You Love All In One Place

Get games when you want them, plus 24/7 sports channels, highlights, hit movies, bingeworthy TV & Originals, and more.

New Movies, Hit TV, & Exclusive Originals

Same Premium Plan. Two Ways to Pay.

The LIVE sports you love all in one place. Big Ten, Premier League, PGA Tour & more.

Same great content, plus:

Frequently Asked Questions

Peacock streams tons of golf tournaments including the Charles Schwab Challenge, and more. You can also catch women’s events including the U.S. Women's Open, and more—plus tons of golf content, including the GolfPass channel and documentaries on golf’s biggest stars.

It's easy: just Sign up for a Premium plan . Once you're signed up, you can start streaming live golf events, always-on channels like GolfPass, golf documentaries, and series like School of Golf right away.

Here's what else you get with Peacock:

• New movies straight from theaters—plus hundreds of movies from major Hollywood studios such as Universal, DreamWorks Animation, and Focus Features.
• Thousands of hours of hit TV shows, including highly anticipated Peacock Originals and current hits from NBC & Bravo.
• Peacock Channels playing your favorite movies, shows, and clips 24/7. Scroll less and stream more with NBC Sports on Peacock, SNL Vault, Fallon Tonight, TODAY All Day, and True Crime.
• The LIVE sports you love all in one place, including Sunday Night Football and Premier League.
• Kids' movies and shows, including Where's Waldo? and Curious George.
• Hit Spanish-language TV shows and news from Telemundo.

You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices.  View the full list of supported devices here .

If you’ve already followed the steps to create your new Peacock account, and you added a password, you can now Sign In with that email and password on all your supported devices. If you never set your password, or don’t remember it,  reset it now .

To upgrade to Peacock Premium Plus from a Peacock Premium plan,  sign in  to your account and go to Plans and Payments to select an upgrade plan.

• Es noticia:
• Dortmund - PSG
• Sinner lesionado
• Baskonia Real Madrid
• Topuria - Volkanovski
• Alcaraz hoy
• Mutua Madrid Open
• P�rez-Reverte
• Precio luz hoy
• First Dates
• Horarios F1 GP Miami
• Mejores Cervezas
• Alec Baldwin
• Embalses Catalunya hoy
• Champions League
• Calendario F1
• Volver a: Golf
• DP World Tour
• Masters de Augusta
• British Open
• PGA Championship
• Solheim Cup
• Deportes Aventura
• Deportes Invierno
• Hockey Hierba
• Hockey Patines
• Juegos Olímpicos
• Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno
• Natación
• Pádel
• Paralímpicos
• Tenis de mesa

El golf alcanza la paz con un acuerdo hist�rico entre PGA, LIV y DP World Tour

Se abandonan todas las demandas interpuestas entre los tres grandes circuitos dando a luz una nueva entidad

• MARTHA CAMINA
• Compartir en Facebook
• Compartir en Twitter
• Compartir en Telegram
• Compartir en Whatsapp
• Enviar por email

L a paz ha llegado al planeta golf . El PGA Tour , el DP World Tour y Public Investment Fund , que gestiona el circuito del LIV, han llegado a un acuerdo para unificar el golf a nivel mundial. La intenci�n es combinar los negocios y derechos comerciales de los tres grandes circuitos relacionados con este deporte en una nueva entidad que tiene como objetivo un nuevo modelo de negocio con los mejores jugadores del mundo.

La nueva entidad acaba con las enormes diferencias y batallas legales que manten�an el PGA Tour, el DP World Tour y el LIV Los tres circuitos calificaron el pacto como "un acuerdo hist�rico para unificar el juego de golf a nivel mundial".

"Despu�s de dos a�os de interrupciones y distracciones, este es un d�a hist�rico para el juego que todos conocemos y amamos", dijo el comisionado del PGA Tour, Jay Monahan , en un comunicado. "Esta asociaci�n transformadora reconoce la fuerza inconmensurable de la historia, el legado y el modelo competitivo del PGA Tour y lo combina con el DP World Tour y el LIV , incluyendo el concepto de golf en equipo, para crear una organizaci�n que beneficiar� a los jugadores de golf y los fans". Como parte del acuerdo, las partes abandonar�n todas las demandas que involucran a LIV Golf entre s�, con efecto inmediato.

El PIF , que es el fondo de inversi�n de Arabia Saud�, se compromete adem�s a realizar una inversi�n de capital incial para facilitar un exitoso crecimiento de la nueva entidad.

�Podr�n los jugadores del LIV regresar a otros circuitos?

Seg�n las bases de este acuerdo, esto ser� posible ya que, "las tres organizaciones trabajar�n en cooperaci�n y de buena fe para establecer un proceso justo y objetivo para que cualquier jugador que lo desee pueda volver a solicitar su admisi�n como miembro del PGA Tour o el DP World Tour despu�s de la finalizaci�n de la temporada 2023" .

EQUIPOS Y JUGADORES DEL LIV

Torque GC: Joaquin Niemann, Mito Pereira, Sebastian Munoz, David Puig

Majesticks GC : Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Sam Horsfield

Smash GC: Brooks Koepka, Chase Koepka, Matt Wolff, Jason Kokrak

4 Aces GC: Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Pat Perez, Peter Uihlein

Fire Balls GC: Sergio Garcia, Abe Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Eugenio Chacarra

HY Flyers GC: Phil Mickelson, James Piot, Brendan Steele, Cam Tringale

Iron Heads GC: Kevin Na, Scott Vincent, Danny Lee, Sihwan Kim

RangeGoats GC: Bubba Watson, Talor Gooch, Thomas Pieters, Harold Varner III

Ripper GC: Cam Smith, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Jed Morgan

Cleeks GC : Martin Kaymer, Bernd Wiesberger, Richard Bland, Graeme McDowell

Crushers GC: Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey, Anirban Lahiri, Charles Howell III

Stinger GC: Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Dean Burmester, Charl Schwartzel

�Podr�n acudir al LIV jugadores de otros circuitos?

El comisionado del PGA Tour, Jay Monahan, deja muy claro que no s�lo no se abandonar�, sino que se trabajar� la l�nea del golf por equipos que ha implantado el LIV y agradece al gobernador del PIF, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, "su visi�n y su enfoque colaborativo". No hay menci�n al CEO del LIV, Greg Norman .

Lo que tampoco ha mencionado es c�mo se estructurar�a un calendario que d� por contentas a todas las partes. En cualquier caso, en 2023 el LIV Golf se hab�a cuidado de que sus 14 eventos no coincidiesen con las grandes citas del PGA. Aunque tampoco se ha hecho menci�n, se espera que si los jugadores del LIV tienen acceso a sus antiguos circuitos, tambi�n los del PGA podr�n estar en los torneos que organice el LIV.

Adi�s a las demandas

PGA Tour y LIV Golf ven�an litigando desde el nacimiento de estos �ltimos. El LIV y varios jugadores enrolados en este nuevo modelo hab�an presentado demandas contra el circuito estadounidense por incumplir leyes antimonopolio , mientras que el PGA hab�a ido contra el fondo soberano saudita (PIF), para tratar de demostrar una competencia desleal , al ser un estado el que estaba detr�s del LIV Golf.

El PGA Tour conservar� la supervisi�n administrativa de sus eventos , incluyendo la sanci�n de los mismos, la administraci�n competencias y las reglas, as� como todas las dem�s responsabilidades. El citado Al-Rumayyan ser� el presidente de la entidad que nace, mientras que Monahan ejercer� de director ejecutivo.

El PIF tendr� el derecho exclusivo de realizar nuevas inversiones en el conglomerado que nace y tambi�n gozar� del derecho de tanteo sobre cualquier capital que pueda ser invertido en la nueva entidad.

• Polideportivo
• Golf noticias
• Carlota Ciganda
• Calendario LIV Golf
• Scottie Scheffler
• Tiger Woods

• Clasificación
• Clasificaci�n
• Primera Federaci�n
• Segunda Federaci�n
• Tercera Federaci�n
• Copa del Rey
• Copa de la Reina
• Supercopa de Espa�a
• Supercopa de Espa�a femenina
• UEFA Nations League
• UEFA Nations League femenina
• Mundial 2023
• Fútbol Sala
• Premios MARCA
• Supercopa de Europa
• Mundial Femenino 2023
• Mundial Sub 17
• Copa África
• Campeonato Brasileiro
• Liga Bolivia
• Paraguayan Primera Divisi�n
• Primera Divisi�n del Per�
• Serie A de Ecuador
• Uruguayan Primera Divisi�n
• Clasificación de pilotos
• Clasificación de constructores
• Arabia Saud�
• Emilia Romagna
• Gran Breta�a
• Estados Unidos
• Emiratos �rabes
• Clasificación de equipos
• 24 Horas de Daytona
• 24 Horas de Le Mans
• Comunidad Valenciana
• Pruebas de coches
• Vídeos
• Liga Endesa femenina
• Cuadro y resultados
• Selección
• Resultados y Clasificación
• Clasificaciones
• Los �ngeles

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

PGA Tour goes to Dallas for same course and new title. LIV Golf plays in Singapore

Shane Lowry, of Ireland, hits out of the sand on the 15th fairway during the final round of the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• Copy Link copied

THE CJ CUP BYRON NELSON

Site: McKinney, Texas.

Course: TPC Craig Ranch. Yardage: 7,414. Par: 71.

Prize money: $9.5 million. Winner’s share: $1,710,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).

Defending champion: Jason Day.

FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler.

Last week: Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Notes: Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris and Tom Kim lead the contingent of Dallas-area residents playing the tournament. ... CJ Cup takes over as title sponsor after AT&T ended its sponsorship after nine years. CJ Cup started out with a tournament in South Korea, then moved to Las Vegas and South Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic. ... The field features only 10 of the top 50 in the world ranking. Spieth is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 20. ... Scottie Scheffler is missing the tournament as his wife is expecting their first child. ... Adam Scott is playing the tournament for the third straight year. He won the Byron Nelson in 2008. ... This is the final week to finish among the top 70 in the PGA Championship points list to assure a spot at Valhalla in two weeks. The points list is PGA Tour earnings the last 12 months. ... Spieth now has gone 43 starts over two years on the PGA Tour since his last victory.

Next week: Wells Fargo Championship.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/

LIV GOLF LEAGUE

LIV GOLF SINGAPORE

Site: Singapore.

Course: Sentosa GC (Serapong). Yardage: 7,406. Par: 71.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.

Television: Thursday-Saturday, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. (CW app); Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (The CW Network-Tape Delay).

Defending champion: Talor Gooch.

Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.

Last week: Brendan Steele won LIV Golf Adelaide.

Notes: Brendan Steele last week became the third straight first-time winner on LIV Golf, matching the longest such streak since the league launched in June 2022. ... Jon Rahm has yet to win since joining LIV this year, but he is the only player in 2024 to have finished in the top 10 in all six events. ... Ian Poulter and Hudson Swafford were the only players who did not have a round under par last week in Australia. ... Poulter in 2009 and Sergio Garcia in 2018 won the Singapore Open when it was played at Sentosa. ... With the PGA Championship approaching, LIV has three players in the top 100 who are not already eligible — Adrian Meronk, Lucas Herbert and Patrick Reed. ... LIV already has 10 players in the PGA Championship field at Valhalla. ... After back-to-back weeks in Australia and Asia, LIV Golf is off for a month until a week before the U.S. Open.

Next tournament: LIV Golf Houston on June 7-9.

Online: https://www.livgolf.com/

EUROPEAN TOUR

VOLVO CHINA OPEN

Site: Shenzhen, China.

Course: Hidden Grace GC. Yards: 7,147. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2.25 million. Winner’s share: $375,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 12-5 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 12-4:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 11:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Previous winner: Sarit Suwannarut.

Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.

Last week: Yuto Katsuragawa won the ISPS Handa Championship.

Notes: The China Open returns to the European tour schedule for the first time since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament was held last year co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the China Tour. ... This is the final event that counts toward the Asian Swing on the European. The top three players get exemptions into the PGA Championship next month at Valhalla. Sebastian Soderberg, Keita Nakajima and Jesper Svensson are currently holding down the top three spots. ... Thriston Lawrence leads the European tour this season with five finishes in the top 10. ... Katsuragawa is the fourth player from Japan in the last seven months to win on the European tour. The others were Ryo Hisatsune, Rikuya Hoshino and Nakajima. ... The tour is off until the PGA Championship on May 16-19. After that begins a stretch in which 17 consecutive events (outside the majors) are staged in European countries.

Next tournament: PGA Championship on May 16-19.

Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

INSPERITY INVITATIONAL

Site: The Woodlands, Texas.

Course: The Woodlands CC (Tournament). Yards: 7,002. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2.7 million. Winner’s share: $405,000.

Television: Friday, 12:30-3:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Steven Alker.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stephen Ames.

Last week: Stephen Ames won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic.

Notes: Bernhard Langer returns to competition after injuring his Achilles tendon while playing pickleball on Feb. 1. The injury caused him to miss the Masters. ... Langer has won every year since first becoming eligible for the PGA Tour Champions in 2007. He is a four-time winner of the Insperity Invitational. ... Stephen Ames took over the Charles Schwab Cup lead over Steven Alker by winning at the TPC Sugarloaf last week. It was his second win this season. ... Alker is the two-time defending champion at The Woodlands. ... Ames is the only multiple winner on the PGA Tour Champions in 2024. ... The field includes Steve Stricker, who missed the cut last week in New Orleans on the PGA Tour. ... Paul Broadhurst of England has won and finished runner-up in his last two starts. ... This is the last regular event before the first of five majors on the PGA Tour Champions schedule.

Next week: Regions Tradition.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions

Last week: Hannah Green won the JM Eagle LA Championship.

Next week: Cognizant Founders Cup.

Race to CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda.

Online: https://www.lpga.com/

KORN FERRY TOUR

Last week: Tim Widing won the Veritex Bank Championship.

Next tournament: AdventHealth Championship on May 16-19.

Points leader: Tim Widing.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour

OTHER TOURS

Epson Tour: Casino Del Sol Golf Classic, Sewailo GC, Tucson, Ariz. Defending champion: Gigi Stoll. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/

PGA of America: PGA Professional Championship, Fields Ranch at PGA (East and West), Frisco, Texas. Defending champion: Braden Shattuck. Television: Tuesday, 5-8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Wednesday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel). Online: https://www.pga.com/

Japan Golf Tour: The Crowns, Nagoya GC (Wago), Aichi, Japan. Defending champion: Hiroshi Iwata. Online: https://www.jgto.org/en/

Asian Tour: GS Caltex Maekyung Open, Namseoul CC, Seongnam, South Korea. Defending champion: Chanmin Jung. Online: https://asiantour.com/

Legends Tour: Barbados Leges, Apes Hills Barbados, Saint James, Barbados. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.legendstour.com/

Japan LPGA: World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup, Ibaraki GC (East), Ibaraki, Japan. Defending champion: Yuri Yoshida. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/

Korea LPGA: Kyochon 1991 Ladies Open, Sunsan CC, Gumi South Korea. Defending champion: Bokyeom Park. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

• CBSSports.com
• Fanatics Sportsbook
• CBS Sports Home
• Kentucky Derby 
• Champions League
• Motor Sports
• High School

Men's Brackets

Women's Brackets

Fantasy Baseball

Fantasy football, football pick'em, college pick'em, fantasy basketball, fantasy hockey, franchise games, 24/7 sports news network.

• CBS Sports Golazo Network
• PGA Tour on CBS
• UEFA Champions League
• UEFA Europa League
• Italian Serie A
• Watch CBS Sports Network
• TV Shows & Listings

The Early Edge

A Daily SportsLine Betting Podcast

With the First Pick

NFL Draft is coming up!

• Podcasts Home
• The First Cut Golf
• Beyond the Arc
• Eye On College Basketball
• NFL Pick Six
• Cover 3 College Football
• Fantasy Football Today
• My Teams Organize / See All Teams Help Account Settings Log Out

2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson live stream, watch online, TV schedule, channel, tee times, golf coverage, radio

Only a couple of tournaments remain on the pga tour calendar before the second major championship of the season.

The PGA Tour returns to its regularly scheduled programming with 72 holes of stroke play this week at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Welcoming the normal cast of characters to TPC Craig Ranch for the fourth straight season, the PGA Tour embarks on its final full-field event before the PGA Championship in two weeks' time.

Headlining the action is the man who is still missing the Wanamaker Trophy from his major championship collection: Jordan Spieth. The native Texan has been experiencing a middling 2024 thus far with inconsistencies from week to week appearing in his game. While he has put together quality starts, he has failed to contend in the bigger tournaments, namely with his missed cut at the Masters a couple of starts ago.

Spieth will hope to start heading in the right direction at the very event he made his PGA Tour debut many years ago. He is joined in the field by a number of his fellow Dallas-area residents, including Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim. Both of the Kims look primed to contend in their backyards, especially Si Woo, who finished just one stroke shy of the title in last year's tournament.

Last year's winner, Jason Day, is set to defend his title while two-time champion K.H. Lee hopes to grab his third Byron Nelson title in the last four years. Adam Scott, Sungjae Im and Min Woo Lee are among the rest of the large international contingent to round out the action.

All times Eastern; streaming start times approximated

Round 1 - Thursday

Round starts:  7:45 a.m.

PGA Tour Live:  7:45 a.m. -  7 p.m. --  PGA Tour Live

Live TV coverage:  4-7 p.m. on Golf Channel,  fubo  (Try for free) Live streaming:  4-7 p.m. on Peacock

Radio:  1-7 p.m. --  PGA Tour Radio  

Round 2 - Friday

Round 3 - saturday.

Round starts:  8 a.m.

PGA Tour Live:  8 a.m. -  6 p.m. --  PGA Tour Live

Early TV coverage:  1-3 p.m. on Golf Channel,  fubo  (Try for free) Live streaming:  1-3 p.m. on Peacock

Live TV coverage:  3-6 p.m. on CBS Live simulcast:  3-6 p.m. on  CBSSports.com  and the  CBS Sports App

Radio:  1-6 p.m. --  PGA Tour Radio  

Round 4 - Sunday

Our latest golf stories.

2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson odds, picks, computer sims

Cbs sports staff • 4 min read.

2024 LIV Golf Singapore preview, how to watch

Patrick mcdonald • 2 min read, 2024 pga championship odds, picks, best bets, field, cbs sports staff • 5 min read.

The Power 18 rankings: McIlroy rises as Åberg chases

Patrick mcdonald • 8 min read.

Tiger Woods on Scottie Scheffler: 'He's just that good'

Kyle porter • 2 min read.

CJ Cup Bryon Nelson preview, expert predictions

Patrick mcdonald • 5 min read, share video.

How to watch 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson

McIlroy rises in rankings as Åberg chases

CJ Cup Bryon Nelson expert picks

Rory finds his smile in Zurich victory

LIV Golf Singapore preview, streaming

Tiger on Scottie Scheffler: 'He's just that good'

Report: Woods, McIlroy set to receive loyalty bonuses

Rory McIlroy on expected return to PGA Tour board

2024 PGA Championship odds: Scheffler on top

Nelly Korda ties record with fifth straight LPGA win

Live & Upcoming

THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson: Main Feed (First Round)

THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson: Hoge & Tom Kim Featured Groups (First Round)

THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson: Featured Holes #4, #7, #14 & #17 (First Round)

THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson: Spieth Marquee Group (First Round)

THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson: Featured Hole #17 (First Round)

THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson: Knapp Featured Group (First Round)

The cj cup byron nelson: featured hole #14 (first round), the cj cup byron nelson: scott featured group (first round), the cj cup byron nelson: main feed (second round), the cj cup byron nelson: knapp & dunlap featured groups (second round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured holes #4, #7, #14 & #17 (second round), the cj cup byron nelson: scott marquee group (second round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured hole #14 (second round), the cj cup byron nelson: spieth featured group (second round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured hole #17 (second round), the cj cup byron nelson: tom kim featured group (second round), the cj cup byron nelson: main feed (third round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured holes #4, #7, #14 & #17 (third round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured groups (third round), the cj cup byron nelson: marquee group (third round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured hole #17 (third round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured group 1 (third round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured group 2 (third round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured hole #14 (third round), the cj cup byron nelson: main feed (final round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured holes #4, #7, #14 & #17 (final round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured groups (final round), the cj cup byron nelson: marquee group (final round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured hole #14 (final round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured group 2 (final round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured hole #17 (final round), the cj cup byron nelson: featured group 1 (final round), wells fargo championship: main feed (first round), wells fargo championship: featured holes #4, #6, #14 & #17 (first round), wells fargo championship: featured groups (first round), wells fargo championship: marquee groups (first round), wells fargo championship: featured group 1 (first round), wells fargo championship: featured hole #6 (first round), wells fargo championship: featured group 2 (first round), wells fargo championship: featured hole #17 (first round), wells fargo championship: main feed (second round), wells fargo championship: featured groups (second round), wells fargo championship: featured holes #4, #6, #14 & #17 (second round), wells fargo championship: marquee groups (second round), wells fargo championship: featured group 1 (second round), wells fargo championship: featured group 2 (second round), wells fargo championship: featured hole #17 (second round), wells fargo championship: featured hole #6 (second round), wells fargo championship: main feed (third round), wells fargo championship: featured groups (third round), zurich classic of new orleans: featured hole #14 (final round), zurich classic of new orleans: meissner & hoffman teams (final round), zurich classic of new orleans: zach johnson & malnati teams (final round), zurich classic of new orleans: featured hole #17 (final round), zurich classic of new orleans: tway & morikawa featured groups (final round), zurich classic of new orleans: featured holes #3, #9, #14 & #17 (final round), zurich classic of new orleans: schauffele & hardy teams (final round), zurich classic of new orleans: main feed (final round), zurich classic of new orleans: featured hole #17 (third round), zurich classic of new orleans: hall & dahman teams (third round), zurich classic of new orleans: morikawa & malnati (third round), zurich classic of new orleans: featured hole #14 (third round), zurich classic of new orleans: featured holes #3, #9, #14 & #17 (third round), zurich classic of new orleans: morikawa & malnati teams (third round), zurich classic of new orleans: reavie & matt fitzpatrick featured groups (third round), zurich classic of new orleans: main feed (third round), zurich classic of new orleans: featured hole #17 (second round), zurich classic of new orleans: theegala & schauffele teams (second round), zurich classic of new orleans: hardy & straka teams (second round), zurich classic of new orleans: featured hole #9 (second round), zurich classic of new orleans: taylor & fitzpatrick featured groups (second round), zurich classic of new orleans: featured holes #3, #9, #14 & #17 (second round), zurich classic of new orleans: mcilroy & morikawa teams (second round), zurich classic of new orleans: main feed (second round), zurich classic of new orleans: horschel & taylor teams (first round), zurich classic of new orleans: mcilroy & morikawa teams (first round), zurich classic of new orleans: featured hole #9 (first round), zurich classic of new orleans: featured hole #17 (first round), zurich classic of new orleans: straka & kisner featured groups (first round), zurich classic of new orleans: featured holes #3, #9, #14 & #17 (first round), zurich classic of new orleans: theegala & schauffele teams (first round), zurich classic of new orleans: main feed (first round), rbc heritage: tv coverage (final round), rbc heritage: poston featured group (final round), rbc heritage: featured hole #14 (final round), rbc heritage: featured hole #17 (final round), rbc heritage: mcilroy featured group (final round), rbc heritage: featured holes #4, #7, #14 & #17 (final round), rbc heritage: fleetwood & burns featured groups (final round), rbc heritage: knapp & day marquee groups (final round), rbc heritage: main feed + spieth group (final round), rbc heritage: tv coverage (third round), rbc heritage: scheffler featured group (third round), rbc heritage: featured hole #17 (third round), rbc heritage: featured hole #14 (third round), rbc heritage: mcilroy featured group (third round), rbc heritage: homa & fowler marquee groups (third round), rbc heritage: featured holes #4, #7, #14 & #17 (third round), related videos, rory mcilroy and shane lowry win the zurich classic in a playoff, rory's stellar chip sets up lowry's birdie putt to send it to a playoff, xander schauffele goes pin seeking on par-3 ninth, rory mcilroy: pga tour equity 'never enough', scheffler birdies last hole for the lead at the rbc heritage, webb simpson lofts one over the trees for an eagle, scottie scheffler taps in par putt for 2nd career masters title, scottie scheffler receives second green jacket after masters win, scheffler's miraculous approach shot sets up easy birdie, tiger shakes hands with verne lundquist during round, tiger tips his hat to the patrons after walking off hole 18, rahm holes out from the fairway for birdie, tiger gets bad break as approach shot bounces off flagstick, tiger birdies hole 2 for the first time this week, scottie scheffler takes solo lead at masters with birdie on 18, "can you believe it" dechambeau wows with stunning birdie, scheffler hypes spectators after eagle on hole no. 13, tiger 3-putts, gets a double bogey on no. 8, tiger's nice approach and putt give him his 1st birdie of the day, rickie fowler chips in for birdie on no. 12, tyrrell hatton hears crowd roar after birdie putt from off green, tiger waits out booming winds to make 24th straight cut at masters, tiger on 23-hole day at masters: 'i'm still right there in the ballgame', bryson dechambeau sinks birdie putt to take 2-stroke lead, bryson dechambeau takes solo lead with a birdie on 7, tiger chips in for birdie on hole 6, homa takes co-lead with long birdie putt on hole 4, tiger moves back to even with birdie putt on hole 3, hovland sinks putt from off the green for 3rd birdie in a row, tiger birdies first hole at the 2024 masters, nick taylor gets rough break as tee shot hits flagstick and rolls off green, harris english nearly sinks the ace on hole 6, dechambeau drive and pitch sets up third straight birdie, gary player, jack nicklaus and tom watson tee off to open the 2024 masters, dechambeau celebrates a slam dunk tee shot, viktor hovland sees his ball fall for an ace, gary woodland rolls in the ace, bubba watson's daughter thrills crowd with a long putt, luke list cashes in the ace, jon rahm relives the emotions of winning the masters, can scottie scheffler live up to the hype at the masters, akshay bhatia hangs on in playoff to clinch masters berth, jon rahm: there's room for both pga tour and liv golf, nelly korda makes history by winning t-mobile match play, denny mccarthy charges back with 6 birdies in a row for co-lead, jordan spieth goes from the gutter to the clubhouse roof, stewart cink picks up the eagle from the bunker, max homa caps off opening round 68 with a 39-foot birdie putt, jaeger wins houston open as scheffler misses putt to force playoff, peter malnati rolls in a hole-in-one from 223 yards out, scheffler goes 5 under in 7 holes to take a share of the lead, chan kim dazzles with impressive one-hop ace, tony finau chips in for eagle to extend lead, scheffler's approach sets up go-ahead birdie, akshay bhatia spins home eagle from fairway, peter malnati celebrates valspar championship win with family, keith mitchell cannot believe he holed out from the fairway, jordan spieth goes lefty to escape tough lie in the woods, jordan spieth starts birdie, birdie at the valspar championship, mcafee proud of jon rahm for admitting his pga tour 'fomo', justin thomas hits a dart to set up birdie, scottie scheffler defends title after wyndham clark lips out on 18, austin eckroat assessed 1-stroke penalty as ball takes too long to drop, 'unbelievable' scottie scheffler wows with hole-out eagle, wyndham clark loses share of lead after costly shot into water, maverick mcnealy one-hop dunks in a birdie, doug ghim gets the crowd going with electric chip-in, how's your luck sungjae im somehow denies himself an eagle, 'how about that': sam burns slow-rolls a 38-foot birdie putt, 'miraculous' rory mcilroy skips it through the bunker to save par, wyndham clark gets an assist from brian harman's ball for birdie, scottie scheffler receives treatment for neck discomfort, spieth and hovland question mcilroy's ball drop, ryan fox aces hole 17 at players championship, rory mcilroy opens the players championship with three straight birdies, rory mcilroy opens with a birdie at the players championship, mcilroy: unifying golf would be great for fans, scheffler: players leaving pga tour are causing the splintering of golf, pga commissioner: pif talks are 'accelerating', scheffler takes solo lead with birdie at hole 1, 'here he comes': mcilroy moves into contention with 3 straight birdies, mcilroy first player to drive bay hill 10th green since 2003, sahith theegala uses toe of putter to make birdie, spieth predicts scheffler's chip-in eagle, rory mcilroy chips in for birdie to get back to par, 'he's walking on water': matsuyama nearly eagles it from the drink, spieth cashes long birdie putt to end round, 'that's so bad': viktor hovland chides himself on beautiful approach shot, rory mcilroy on liv golf: 'it's not for me', is this the luckiest golf shot of the year, luke list makes miraculous birdie after shooting from the water.

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Disney Ad Sales Site
• Work for ESPN
• Corrections

Bolingbrook GC to host LIV Golf League Individual Championship in September, league announces

by: Michael Johnson

Posted: Apr 30, 2024 / 12:41 PM CDT

Updated: Apr 30, 2024 / 12:51 PM CDT

The 2024 individual championship for the LIV Golf League will be decided in Chicagoland.

Golf’s newest professional circuit announced in a release Tuesday that LIV Golf Chicago will be held from Sept. 13-15 at Bolingbrook Golf Club in Chicago’s southwest suburbs.

As the 13th tournament of LIV Golf’s 2024 season, the release says, the Chicago event will see players compete for the title of 2024 LIV Golf League Individual Champion and determine final positions in the individual standings.

The Chicago event will also determine seedings for the 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship. Details on that will be announced later, according to the release.

Tickets for the Individual Championship at Bolingbrook Golf Club, located at 2001 Rodeo Drive in Bolingbrook, go on sale Wednesday, May 8, at 10 a.m. at LIVgolf.com .

“The passionate sports fans of Chicago have embraced the intense competition and fan-first experience that LIV Golf delivers, and this year it will be an incredible setting for a high-stakes event, as players battle it out for the individual title and a roster spot for 2025,” LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman said in the release.

“We’re thrilled to return to Illinois with an event at Bolingbrook Golf Club as we celebrate the season-long race and set the stage for the 2024 finale.”

As stated in the release, Bolingbrook Golf Club was designed by famed architect Arthur Hills and partner Steve Forrest. Its signature hole, No. 15, features a 156-yard island green, and the 7,104-yard layout winds around seven lakes.

Bolingbrook Golf Club was a host course in 2021 for the Forme Tour, created by the PGA Tour that year as a venue for non-Canadian PGA Tour Canada members who couldn’t travel between the U.S. and Canada at the time due to COVID-19 restrictions.

As the final event before the LIV Golf Team Championship, the Chicago event in September also serves as the final chance for players to earn points in the 2024 individual standings and secure spots in the league for 2025.

Last season, the individual championship, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, came down to a playoff in which Brooks Koepka won the tournament and Talor Gooch secured the season-long individual title.

According to the release, LIV Golf’s roster has 14 major champions, including notable names in pro golf like Koepka, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson.

Throughout the season, the release states, LIV Golf League competition airs in the U.S. on Saturdays and Sundays on The CW, The CW App and LIV Golf Plus. Friday rounds are carried on The CW App, LIV Golf Plus and Caffeine.

For more information on how to watch the LIV Golf League, visit LIVGolf.com/where-to-watch .

Suggest a Correction

Bbq grills are on sale at walmart just in time for ….

Walmart has tons of great deals on BBQ grills so you can prepare for when it officially gets too hot to light the stove.

Amazon has a bunch of highly rated outdoor patio …

Amazon has tons of highly rated patio lights for great prices.

How to pack carry-on luggage to maximize space

In this video, we’re walking through everything you need to know to take a trip without a checked bag. We cover all the tips needed to pack carry-on luggage.

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

WGN News Daily Update

Latest videos, gov. pritzker’s office says bears’ plan for stadium …, 70s remain thursday but showers likely, questions arise after death of 10-year-old indiana …, uchicago, depaul encampment continue as northwestern …, bolingbrook auto repair shop closes unexpectedly, …, chicago’s top cop talks policing at summer events, …, food bank hopes to save products from shuttered grocers, jones college prep students stage sit-in supporting …, live nation offering $25 tickets to chicago shows …, “i’m micah frickin’ materre”, boating season is here: ‘friends of the chicago river’ …, stop and smell the roses in amazing displays on michigan …, how loneliness can create serious physical complications …, have you noticed more electric vehicles on chicago …, uchicago, depaul encampment continue as nationwide …, midday fix: dean richards chats with chaz ebert about …, midday fix: live performance from mamma mia, chicago high school seniors celebrate college decision …, lunchbreak: yukon gold focaccia with cured salmon, larry’s world: unusual may holidays, newsfeed now, back-to-back hurricanes more likely to happen: study, al-qaida chief’s ‘pattern of life’ was key to death, hospital bills $847 ‘facility fee’ for zoom call, what’s next in ‘unprecedented’ case of truck driver …, could new dna tech crack the jonbenet ramsey case, newsfeed now: president trump campaigns in nc; presidential …, newsfeed now: trump campaigns in pa; changes to thursday’s …, alabama man meets long-lost brother through dna test, friends call 911, save life of 69-year-old california …, trick-or-treating banned: los angeles announces strict …, state police returning to portland following deadly …, u.s. coast guard honors 9-year-old for saving father’s …, nev schulman of mtv’s ‘catfish’ leaves generous, …, “i hope one of y’all pick me,” 9-year-old boy desperately …, which face masks are most, least effective at stopping …, man who shot denver officer and escaped prison in …, watch: celebration of life for rep. john lewis continues …, oklahoma woman shot multiple times after being dared …, lawmakers face pressure to change mississippi state …, experts hail swift moves in wake of atlanta police …, ‘i’d fight tooth and nail for him’: florida man fights …, video shows chicago police ‘lounging’ in congressman’s …, tv helicopter crew spots, rescues missing swimmer …, arkansas man delivers donuts to officers during protests, covid-19 has potential to spread during protests, …, watch: ‘agitator’ apprehended by protesters, handed …, sports illustrated, long beach state ad says firing coach dan monson …, lebron james hails duquesne for first ncaa tournament …, draymond green calls out grizzlies coach for ‘milking’ …, michigan assistant coach resigns days after arrest, getting a grip on a more comfortable putting stroke, future acc team makes coaching change ahead of conference …, samford’s jermaine marshall puts kansas on blast …, missouri man charged with stealing $46k in equipment …, sports newsletter.

BestReviews.com - Top picks to make everyone happy

‘may the 4th be with you’ gifts for the star wars …, gifts for the man who lives alone, 50 most expensive products the wealthiest people …, wayfair’s mother’s day deals include huge savings …, amazon’s mother’s day shop has all the gifting inspo …, these are the best mother’s day gifts you can buy …, officer huesca’s suspected killer captured, auto shop closes, leaving customers without vehicles, live nation offers $25 tickets for concert week, student shot, killed by police outside wi school, cicadas ahead of schedule, expected soon, ex-coo of il hospital sentenced for embezzling funds, sky rookie angel reese loves harold’s chicken, latest news, bears, gov. aides meet but stadium plan ‘non-starter’, questions arise after death of 10yo in foster care, sky among in-demand wnba teams as ticket sales surge, new amtrak train to serve chicago-twin cities route.

• Skip to Navigation
• Skip to Main Content
• Skip to Related Content
• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Credit card rates
• Balance transfer credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• Rewards credit cards
• Travel credit cards
• Checking accounts
• Online checking accounts
• High-yield savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Car insurance
• Home buying
• Options pit
• Investment ideas
• Research reports
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• CA Privacy Notice

• Yahoo Sports AM
• College Sports
• Fantasy Sports
• Horse Racing
• Leaderboard
• Masters Tournament
• MLB panic meter
• Maxey has his playoff moment
• Post-NFL Draft Power Rankings
• Lengthy to-do list for Cowboys
• Purple and old: What's next for LeBron?

Monday Leaderboard: LIV Golf's big win, Rory McIlroy's legend grows

Rory's 25th win and karaoke prowess, liv's australia chaos highlight the best of the week in golf.

Welcome to the Monday Leaderboard, where we run down the weekend’s top stories in the wonderful world of golf. Grab an Arnold Palmer, pull up a chair, and assemble your crew …

1. LIV Golf’s finest hour

For most of its existence, LIV Golf has been an extremely expensive punch line: Many of the world’s best players competing for millions while almost no one watches, either in person or on screens.

Leave it to Australia, then, to turn the entire enterprise on its head. LIV Golf is phenomenally popular Down Under, so much so that an estimated 94,000 golf fans flocked to Adelaide to watch home-country hero Cam Smith and his Rippers GC win the team event. (Brendan Steele took the individual honors, outlasting Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.) The entire event could go toe-to-toe, energy-wise, with anything that the PGA Tour can produce right now.

Here’s the thing with golf: Americans tend to think of it as an American game, largely because we’re Americans and think the world revolves around us. More than that, though, three of the four majors are held in America, and most of golf’s immortals (Nicklaus, Palmer, Woods) are as American as the Fourth of July.

But golf is an international game, exploding in popularity in Australia, the Middle East and particularly Asia. LIV Golf is poised to take advantage of that in a way the America-bound PGA Tour largely can’t, and that’s the pathway that LIV has for success.

Will LIV Golf establish itself as a viable long-term part of the golf world? Yet to be determined. But events like Adelaide showed that there’s an appetite out there for golf that has nothing to do with the PGA Tour … and that ought to make the Tour pay attention.

2. The legend of Rory McIlroy grows

Every so often, Rory McIlroy reminds us that in addition to being the Once and Future Face of the PGA Tour, he’s also a pretty decent player, too. At the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, he and partner Shane Lowry won in a playoff, giving McIlroy his 25th career win on Tour. (Whether team events should count as individual victories is another discussion entirely.) McIlroy now has as many career Tour wins as Johnny Miller and more than Gary Player and Raymond Floyd. Plus, as he demonstrated afterward, he can tear up a stage, too, ripping through “Don’t Stop Believin’”:

JUST A SMALL TOWN GIRL pic.twitter.com/NefSbCQjAk — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 29, 2024

Everyone’s acting all surprised that McIlroy has pipes like that, but come on, the guy grew up in pubs. That’s a mandatory skill to develop.

3. Team golf gets its moment

Every couple years, the Ryder Cup gets the golf world hyped out of its collective mind for the concept of team golf. Imagine the greatest players in the world … together! How great is that? Not all that great outside the Ryder Cup context, usually. Golf is an individual sport, and shoehorning a bunch of lone wolves into a team format often ends up as awkward as the dance floor at a wedding when “The Cupid Shuffle” comes on.

Still, there are possibilities out there. LIV players often remark on how the team format brings them back to the camaraderie of their college days. Sunday in Adelaide was the first-ever team golf playoff in LIV, and the all-Aussie Ripper GC beat the all-South African Stinger GC on the second playoff hole.

At its non-Ryder best — like Sunday at the Zurich — team golf can be fascinating and compelling. (Pity poor Martin Trainer, who would’ve gotten a two-year exemption with a win, and instead fell to McIlroy and Lowry in the playoff thanks to two sudden-death mishits.) There’s a whole lot of money riding on team golf — not just in LIV but in the yet-to-debut TGL indoor golf league, too — but it’s going to need a lot more buy-in from both players and fans to stick.

4. Hannah Green goes back-to-back in Los Angeles

With Nelly Korda off for the week , the rest of the field played in the LPGA’s JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club … so Hannah Green stepped up and won her second straight title at the tournament. Unlike last year, where she needed to win in a playoff, Green rolled to a comfortable three-stroke victory this time around. Wilshire is Green’s territory; she finished T3 in 2021, solo second in 2022, and a winner the last two years. Along with Korda, Green is the second multi-time winner on the LPGA Tour this season.

5. Tim Widing shows how you start a career

What is it with multiple winners in golf these days? While Korda and Scottie Scheffler are wrecking shop at the highest level, Tim Widing is now doing the same thing on the Korn Ferry Tour. Widing won this past week’s Veritex Banking Championship in Arlington, Texas, his second straight win on the developmental tour. At the Veritex, he finished at an astounding 31 under par, a new record for the Korn Ferry Tour relative to par. Widing is on pace to qualify for the PGA Tour at the end of the season, but if he wins once more, he’ll immediately advance thanks to Korn Ferry’s “three-victory promotion” rule. Before long, it’s just going to be Scheffler, Widing, Korda and Green winning every tournament out there.

The Mulligan: Settle down, Australia

We’re all for a lively golf scene, but it seems the Aussies are no better at containing themselves than the galleries at the WM Phoenix Open. At this past weekend’s LIV event, somebody launched a full water bottle and nailed Lucas Herbert’s caddie right in the head as he was replacing the pin:

Someone in the crowd launched a full water bottle at Lucas Herbert’s caddie and hit him in the head at LIV Golf Adelaide. Not cool. pic.twitter.com/1wInxyRF3V — Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) April 27, 2024

Ouch. LIV: Golf, but wilder.

Swing away and roll ‘em true this week, friends, and we’ll see you back here next Monday!

Recommended Stories

Tiger woods, rory mcilroy to get pga tour loyalty payouts.

The PGA Tour is distributing equity to its players, past and present, who have helped build the Tour and remained in its ranks.

Rory McIlroy says no truth to the rumor he's joining LIV Golf

McIlroy says he's never even considered joining LIV Golf.

When will we see LIV and PGA Tour players outside of majors? Not for a year, at least

The desire for a reunified golf world is widespread, but right now it's not close to happening.

Jon Rahm returns to Augusta with perspective, regrets after joining LIV Golf

The defending Masters champion is now on the LIV side of golf, and he has both thoughts and concerns.

Bryson DeChambeau latest to call for golf reunification: 'It needs to happen fast'

Golf must bring its best back together for more than four events a year, one way or another, for the sake of the sport’s future.

Anthony Kim speaks at last: 'I played my whole career without a full deck'

In a LIV Golf-produced video, Anthony Kim talks about his way back to golf.

Report: Ryan Garcia tests positive for banned PED after win over Devin Haney

Ryan Garcia beat Devin Haney via majority decision in their bout last month in Brooklyn.

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch plans to travel with team to Denver for Game 1 after knee surgery

Chris Finch underwent surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee on Wednesday.

Former MLB player Jayson Werth preparing to be 'a nervous wreck' with horse Dornach set for Kentucky Derby

Werth's horse, Dornach, is 20-1 to win Saturday's Run for the Roses.

Kentucky Derby odds: Fierceness is the favorite, followed by Sierra Leone

The last time the favorite won the Kentucky Derby was 2018.

University of Houston blowing off NFL's cease-and-desist about Oilers-like uniform: 'We're doing it'

The University of Houston is doing something rare: publicly defying the NFL.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross reportedly declined $10 billion for team, stadium and F1 race

The value of the Dolphins and Formula One racing is enormous.

Is it time to panic about Corbin Carroll's offense, Oneil Cruz's strikeouts or Craig Kimbrel's inconsistency?

With a month of baseball in the books, we can begin to separate overreaction from legitimate cause for concern.

Browns reportedly asking taxpayers to fund half of $2.4B new stadium or $1B in upgrades to current stadium

The Browns want Cleveland taxpayers to kick in some cash for a new stadium. Just a few billion dollars or so.

Tyrese Maxey saved the Sixers' season with one of the toughest playoff performances ever

On Tuesday, Maxey — an All-Star, the league’s Most Improved Player, and now, author of one of the most legendary postseason performances in Philadelphia basketball history — helped the Sixers survive to see a Game 6 against the Knicks.

NBA playoffs: Short-handed Bucks cruise to dominant win over Pacers in Game 5, avoid elimination

Despite not having Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard available, the Bucks flew to a 23-point win over the Pacers on Tuesday night.

Twins beat White Sox again, extending team's longest winning streak since 2008 to 10 games

The Twins' winning streak and their good-luck sausage are very much still a thing.

New details emerge in alleged gambling ring behind Shohei Ohtani-Ippei Mizuhara scandal

It turns out the money was going from Ohtani's bank account to an illegal bookie to ... casinos.

NFL Draft fantasy winners and losers + Biggest debates in dynasty rookie rankings

Matt Harmon and Andy Behrens go where no pod has gone before after the NFL Draft. They identify the biggest winners and losers in the fantasy world. This is totally an original idea so don't fact check us. Behrens also reveals the four biggest debates he had when putting together his rookie dynasty rankings.

‘Extremely concerned’ Olympians will not let the Chinese doping allegations die

WADA's legitimacy as a 'steadfast regulator of global anti-doping policy' called into question.