By Mac Engel
Fort Price Star-Telegram
INDIANAPOLIS — Saudi Arabia’s try to whiten its popularity by way of skilled golf is the instance of the horrible golfer who has all the costly tools, newest gear and shoots 19-over par.
The $500 driver doesn’t persuade anybody the man swinging the membership has a clue easy methods to use it.
It’s applicable that the third yr of LIV Golf is winding down its 2025 season within the metropolis generally known as the Crossroads of America, which is precisely the place this bold/costly/controversial startup sits. Its second-to-last match of its season is that this weekend in Indianapolis, performed at a course you’ve by no means heard of in an occasion that you just didn’t know, or care, exists.
Gauged by the locals in Indianapolis, a metropolis (and state) that seldom has hosted main professional golf tournaments was extra desirous about, so as, Indiana Fever video games, Caitlin Clark damage updates, Indianapolis Colts preseason information, Indiana Pacers 2025 NBA playoff highlights, Indiana Hoosiers soccer, Notre Dame ladies’s basketball, Purdue males’s basketball recruiting, Indiana State baseball, Ball State kickball, DePauw College ladies’s golf, Wabash Faculty wrestling and LIV Golf.
Whereas the backlash of this tour funded by Saudi Arabia’s large pile of cash has largely pale, the viewers stays largely a crowd searching for one thing to do. They don’t care who wins. They aren’t taking note of the brand new guidelines. They in all probability don’t even know who’s enjoying.
As a result of it’s supported by Saudi Arabia’s inexhaustible PIF fund, LIV Golf can outlive each Keith Richards and the heartiest cockroach. And the PGA Tour will in the end win this boring battles of millionaires versus millionaires, attorneys versus attorneys, a Royal household and a president, too.
Roughly one yr in the past, former PGA Tour and present LIV golfer Ian Poulter issued this dire warning to myself on the finish of an interview: “Not subsequent yr.” This was in response to an harmless query about when the as soon as imminent merger between the PGA Tour and LIV would truly be full.
It’s a yr later, and Poulter’s reply nonetheless applies.
Norman, Mickelson win. However who else?
In June 2023, a couple of highly effective members of the PGA Tour succumbed to the perceived monetary stress wielded by LIV to announce it will merge with the brand new league that was shopping for the highest names within the sport. The announcement was a serious win for the Saudi household, former PGA Tour star Greg Norman and the Tour gamers who left for LIV in trade for quantities of cash that didn’t appear potential.
We’re greater than two years faraway from that announcement, and nonetheless no nearer to The Announcement. We should always now not count on one.
The winners listed here are Norman and his buddy Phil Mickelson. Norman already hated the PGA Tour lengthy earlier than he turned a outstanding face of LIV; Mickelson bailed on the Tour due to … ”spending habits.”
LIV has added extra tournaments to its schedule, and it’s aggressive within the markets that host occasions to strive to usher in the crowds. As a golf product, it’s not dangerous.
It negotiated a multi-year broadcast settlement with Fox Sports activities to air half of its tournaments throughout a number of of that community’s channels. Not like LIV’s earlier broadcast proper’s settlement with the CW, which was a revenue-sharing deal, Fox reportedly did pay a charge to hold these tournaments.
DeChambeau, others lose highlight
That is all progress for a startup sports activities league. To the typical golf fan, all of this progress means they now see the names that had been as soon as probably the most outstanding within the sport however three to 4 instances a yr. Golf followers aren’t taking LIV critically, and the irrelevance of the league is inconceivable to dismiss.
The opposite PGA Tour stars who left, like Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed and the few others, bought their cash, and inclusion to the majors. These are huge wins, however in return they turned obscure golfers who provide nothing to potential sponsors.
This has been the one factor to this crippling journey that the LIV golfers badly misinterpret. As a lot cash as a professional golfer could make in prize cash, the large, simple, money is in endorsements. LIV golfers aren’t discovering the identical sorts, or any, alternative to endorse something.
Sponsors need eyeballs, and LIV isn’t attracting many. Successful an LIV match doesn’t make a participant a star, or improve a resume. Plus, there are simply sufficient remnants of anger at gamers taking Saudi cash that some potential sponsors don’t need something to do with it. There’s a cause no firm is a title sponsor of any of LIV’s tournaments.
As a lot deserved anger and criticism that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan obtained for his butchering of this entire state of affairs from Day 1, within the final year-plus he has proven the nice sense to learn the room on this “merger.”
There isn’t any cause to maneuver on a partnership, so he received’t. He has one yr remaining on his contract as commissioner, and it’s seemingly he’ll depart this concern to his successor.
Essentially the most seen LIV gamers signed contracts that must be expiring within the subsequent yr, which suggests we’re more likely to see a few of these names ask to rejoin the PGA Tour. Count on to listen to grumblings about that early in 2026.
That reunion would probably be messy, and result in some nasty name-calling, however skilled golf is healthier when all the names are concentrated in the identical match fairly than unfold out over two leagues.
There’s virtually zero public help, or stress, on the PGA Tour to make this merger occur.
Former PGA Tour participant turned LIV golfer Lee Westwood’s hope was the 2 leagues might “be side-by-side and occupy a few of the golf ecosystem area.” Golf is a distinct segment sport and never large enough for competing leagues.
LIV Golf could dwell endlessly, nevertheless it’s obvious it’s going to by no means merge with the PGA Tour.
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