LIV with some big money announcements (*** TOPIC MODERATED ***)

[NoFancyUsername.]

18 hours ago, philly2kuk said:

Fisher is playing the European tour at hillside this week. No fuss being made there either so obviously reserved for the big names.

So are Bekker and Ritchie....no DPT bans there.

[PorkChopExpress]

11 minutes ago, Titleist99 said:

Especially if he wins that $18M FedEx Cup.......I'd hold out for $200M minimum......

Team54 Exhibition Series will be right up his ally......he loves to party, and he admitted that he's lazy. Only bad part is that he won't be able to choose his tournaments. Retirement after 4-5 years......Sweet! One hit wonder.

 

He'll never get #1, Shefller as long as he continues to play as he has, no one is catching him.

 

 

[idrive]

Phil welcoming Feherty.

 

Phil Mickelson welcomed David Feherty to LIV Golf from a Rwandan gorilla refuge (msn.com)

 

Like they (keep) saying, you can't make this stuff up.

 

I wonder if Phil's picking up any swing tips.  lol

[aus10KC]

I was thinking about this today, and it would not hurt the PGAT to have some of these LIV guys play some PGAT events. Maybe give exemptions to 5 LIV players per event. 

[Ghost of Snead]

45 minutes ago, oikos1 said:

Completely agree with this.  He's one of the very few who can benefit the most by staying on the PGA Tour.

 

Now if he wants the guaranteed money, he's also one of the few in the best position to negotiate his terms.

 

Gotta be pretty nice to be Cam right now!

 

If Cam wants to continue playing against the best, he should stay on the PGA TOUR. It is highly doubtful that the SGL will get many of the top 15 if one believes what they've said to date.

[Ghost of Snead]

1 hour ago, oikos1 said:

To answer your question, absolutely not.

 

However, this is yet another example of the anti LIV argument and it's circularity.  So which is it.  Is the PGA Tour being "cheapened" or is it "improving for continued growth in the future"?

 

 

 

You didn't hear the word "cheapened" from me ... the PGA Tour has been improving and evolving since its inception. The only complaints I'm hearing over and over here are the lack of guaranteed money for anyone playing in a Tour event and the TV coverage. Nothing about meritocracy, charities, event organizations, pension fund, player reps, etc. 

 

What's "cheapening" the game is the use of a sport by a country with a horrendous civil rights record to "cleanse" their reputation and invest billions to do so where the chosen players are just pawns in the grand scheme and there really is no intent to "grow the game". 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by Ghost of Snead

[Krt22]

27 minutes ago, PorkChopExpress said:

 

He'll never get #1, Shefller as long as he continues to play as he has, no one is catching him.

 

 

Unless Shuffler goes to the LIV tour...

[tiderider]

26 minutes ago, PorkChopExpress said:

 

He'll never get #1, Shefller as long as he continues to play as he has, no one is catching him.

 

 

[Ghost of Snead]

33 minutes ago, NoFancyUsername. said:

So are Bekker and Ritchie....no DPT bans there.

 

There's a difference between a ban and a suspension. 

[stinger_gc]

4 hours ago, Titleist99 said:

Cam Smith is second in the FedEx Cup standing. He was very smart to try for the top money before going to the Saudi Golf League. He will retire after the Tour Championship.

 

He gave a tell when he didn't deny the fact in one of his interviews....that's the MO of all the defectors.....IMO  Think that I'll put a little money on it.

I could Cam & Hideki jumping ship soon. I think Hideki will hold until he defends his Zozo title. There's a Greg Norman course in Japan about 350 miles from Tokyo and I could see that being on the schedule to cater to Hideki

[theodoreb]

40 minutes ago, Ghost of Snead said:

 

If Cam wants to continue playing against the best, he should stay on the PGA TOUR. It is highly doubtful that the SGL will get many of the top 15 if one believes what they've said to date.

I don’t think we can believe the top 15 players commitment to stay with the pga tour after the fedex. A lot of guys will be doing some soul searching and a lot of players wives will be looking at new 2’nd homes.

Edited July 23, 2022 by theodoreb

[bekgolf]

Remember when $10 million a year was good money and only a fool could squander that much away in a lifetime?

 

I don't remember it because it is now.  A million for winning a tournament isn't enough?  PGA winners are well compensated.

 

I'm starting to feel sorry for the liv jumpers.  IMO they have no concept of what working people go through just to live.  They also don't have a clue about how well off they were playing on the PGA tour.

 

I'm expecting a new reality program, "I was a liv golfer, now I have to work like everyone else".  They aren't coming back to the Tour, no company is going to sponsor them, and their only skill is golfing.

[Titleist99]

59 minutes ago, Ghost of Snead said:

 

If Cam wants to continue playing against the best, he should stay on the PGA TOUR. It is highly doubtful that the SGL will get many of the top 15 if one believes what they've said to date.

I don't know how many they'll get at the end of the season, but I'd bet my small bag of cash that Cam Smith is gone. The Pgatour will continue to make stars tho....

 

When asked about his departure he responded exactly like Keopka......that was proof enough for me.

[leezer99]

11 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

So... Serious question that I've been wondering about.

 

Gooch thought he could play in London and then was "surprised" that there would be a PGAT suspension. He says he hadn't intended to continue on with LIV, and planned to return to the PGAT after London. He only chose to continue with LIV after being suspended.

 

Assuming that's true (big assumption), you have to ask...

 

Does that mean he jumped to LIV w/o a big 8-figure contract to play LIV events for the next 4 years? 

 

If so, that's quite the leap of faith... 

Gooch has a four event deal. 

[Titleist99]

45 minutes ago, theodoreb said:

I don’t think we can believe the top 15 players commitment to stay with the pga tour after the fedex. A lot of guys will be doing some soul searching and a lot of players wives will be looking at new 2’nd homes.

No soul searching necessary......take the bag of cash but accept the fact your tour day are over, and you may not play in future major tournaments. Exemptions may not be a sure thing either.....

[Ghost of Snead]

26 minutes ago, Titleist99 said:

I don't know how many they'll get at the end of the season, but I'd bet my small bag of cash that Cam Smith is gone. The Pgatour will continue to make stars tho....

 

When asked about his departure he responded exactly like Keopka......that was proof enough for me.

 

I'm not convinced - also speaks volumes to me that none of the top Aussies have jumped to LIV, i.e. Scott, Leishman, Day. All of whom are better and more decorated than Pat Perez. 

[kmbean]

31 minutes ago, bekgolf said:

Remember when $10 million a year was good money and only a fool could squander that much away in a lifetime?

 

I don't remember it because it is now.  A million for winning a tournament isn't enough?  PGA winners are well compensated.

 

I'm starting to feel sorry for the liv jumpers.  IMO they have no concept of what working people go through just to live.  They also don't have a clue about how well off they were playing on the PGA tour.

 

I'm expecting a new reality program, "I was a liv golfer, now I have to work like everyone else".  They aren't coming back to the Tour, no company is going to sponsor them, and their only skill is golfing.

Come on man Lee Westwood can make a mean egg casserole.

[Go Cougs]

1 hour ago, Krt22 said:

This is my one real question about the LIV circus. Basically every top player you poach (or pre-champions back marker) is looking at this as a golden parachute path to early retirement. We only see a handful of new "great" players every year, so it very much seems like it will self-extinguish once enough players take their FU money and run.

I could see it self-extinguishing once the Saudis realize this has backfired, and only led to people bringing up their human rights record by orders of magnitude more than ever before. 

 

Maybe it goes 2 seasons and then 

[theodoreb]

Liv’s success comes down to tv viewership in the long run. Golf has not grown in the traditional format for years. TV viewership int he sport has also not grown as well. Greg knows he will abandon the traditional fans to create a new league with new fans.  Greg is going after new fans and new viewers with a new format. The traditional fans and wrx’ers who say they won’t watch are not the target. They are never going to like it, but the existing fans aren’t growing the sport or the viewership with the traditional pga format. Same stagnant sport with same stagnant viewers. Look at the sports they are emulating. You say that’s not golf, but viewership has doubled for soccer, cricket, F1, etc. Golf not so much. Maybe it’s BS that they say they are growing the game, but the traditional pga tour way has not grown the game either. A number of PGA players also feel that this is a new way forward.  Actually makes perfect sense.

Edited July 23, 2022 by theodoreb

[Frankensteins Monster]

11 hours ago, dcmidnight said:

What are the odds if you are the 101st fan to use the code that they wont give you a ticket?

 

 

Those replies…

[theodoreb]

10 minutes ago, Titleist99 said:

No soul searching necessary......take the bag of cash but accept the fact your tour day are over, and you may not play in future major tournaments. Exemptions may not be a sure thing either.....

Quickest way to make the majors irrelevant is stop inviting the champions. They will never do it IMO.

[Titleist99]

3 minutes ago, theodoreb said:

Quickest way to make the majors irrelevant is stop inviting the champions. They will never do it IMO.

Total nonsense.......no one will stop watching the masters because Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia and Charl Schwartzel won't be there....

[theodoreb]

13 minutes ago, Ghost of Snead said:

 

I'm not convinced - also speaks volumes to me that none of the top Aussies have jumped to LIV, i.e. Scott, Leishman, Day. All of whom are better and more decorated than Pat Perez. 

Jason Day? He's almost as bad as Stenson.

[bekgolf]

6 minutes ago, theodoreb said:

Liv’s success comes down to tv viewership in the long run. Golf has not grown in the traditional format for years. Tv viewership has also not grown as well. Greg knows he will abandon the traditional fans to create a new league with new fans.  Greg is going after adding new fans and new viewers with a new format. The traditional fans and wrx’ers who say won’t watch are not the target. They are never going to like it, but the existing fans aren’t growing the sport or the viewership with the traditional pga format. Same stagnant sport with same stagnant viewers. Look at the sports they are emulating. You say that’s not golf, but viewership has doubled for soccer, cricket, F1, etc. golf not so much. Maybe it’s BS that they say they are growing the game, but the traditional pga tour way has not grown the game either. Actually makes perfect sense.

 

You are correct imo.  The new target audience are the adults living at home with mom and dad in the basement.  They play video games and comment on social media.  No income, no money to spend and nothing a sponsor would seek out.

 

No sponsors = no monies.

 

The existing fans of golf are the ones who spend money on things advertised.  Mostly golf equipment and disposables.  They also have money and have figured out how to live on their own a long time ago.

 

Targeting liv to tik tok viewers isn't a good business practice imo.  Butt, I might be wrong about everything.

[Titleist99]

14 minutes ago, Ghost of Snead said:

 

I'm not convinced - also speaks volumes to me that none of the top Aussies have jumped to LIV, i.e. Scott, Leishman, Day. All of whom are better and more decorated than Pat Perez. 

I totally agree. I thought Adam Scott was a disciple of GN and Jason Day with the bad back is a prime candidate for Team54.....

[dcmidnight]

13 minutes ago, Frankensteins Monster said:

Those replies…

 

No kidding...and it would definitely suck if a bunch of people got free tickets but never showed up.

[bekgolf]

15 minutes ago, Go Cougs said:

I could see it self-extinguishing once the Saudis realize this has backfired, and only led to people bringing up their human rights record by orders of magnitude more than ever before. 

 

Maybe it goes 2 seasons and then 

 

It's over in less than a year.  The Saudis will receive so much backlash from their own people there won't be a choice.

[Titleist99]

4 minutes ago, bekgolf said:

 

You are correct imo.  The new target audience are the adults living at home with mom and dad in the basement.  They play video games and comment on social media.  No income, no money to spend and nothing a sponsor would seek out.

 

No sponsors = no monies.

 

The existing fans of golf are the ones who spend money on things advertised.  Mostly golf equipment and disposables.  They also have money and have figured out how to live on their own a long time ago.

 

Targeting liv to tik tok viewers isn't a good business practice imo.  Butt, I might be wrong about everything.

I think you're right.....they're done if a TV contract is not found by 2023. Youtube won't cut it.

[theodoreb]

16 minutes ago, Titleist99 said:

Total nonsense.......no one will stop watching the masters because Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia and Charl Schwartzel won't be there....

And if the defending champion is not allowed to play? Of course it looses relevance. I have said many times, these tournaments have every interest to make sure the best golfers are playing and they are putting on the best tournament possible even if it upsets you to invite DJ, and Reed.  You think the best golfers don't want to competing against ALL the best golfers, and just some of them? Ask Rory, he will tell you the same thing. If Cam goes to LIV as rumored, he still will be playing all the majors net year, count on it.

Edited July 23, 2022 by theodoreb

[theodoreb]

11 minutes ago, bekgolf said:

 

You are correct imo.  The new target audience are the adults living at home with mom and dad in the basement.  They play video games and comment on social media.  No income, no money to spend and nothing a sponsor would seek out.

 

No sponsors = no monies.

 

The existing fans of golf are the ones who spend money on things advertised.  Mostly golf equipment and disposables.  They also have money and have figured out how to live on their own a long time ago.

 

Targeting liv to tik tok viewers isn't a good business practice imo.  Butt, I might be wrong about everything.

Clearly the existing fans aren't tuning in if you look at the weekly TV ratings. Pretty sad, but golf viewership continues to decline.