Saudi Golf Tour

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

Masters week brought the entire PGA/LIV thing back freshly to my mind.   My elderly grandmother who I watched part of yesterday's round with saying... "I thought these guys that left were not allowed to play"...  I had to explain to her that the only one banning players, in the entire sport of golf, is the PGA Tour. They lobbied to have the majors ban them too but unfortunately, each major has it's own governing body.

She went on to ask why they would be allowed to play if they chose to leave... I again explained that the Masters doesn't care what the PGA Tour says or does. Golfers play on different tours all over the world. 

That's what happens when you get your feelers hurt and get upset that you're not the only game in town anymore. .... Yet many people only want to point to LIV players and call them the ones bitching and moaning. In some cases, they are. In some cases they shouldn't be because they made their decision, while being aware of the childish reaction from the PGA... But in some cases it's justified. If the PGA can bitch and moan, LIV players probably have at least some right to complain in terms of being banned from events which is fairly unprecedented in the sport of golf. 

Also had a friend bring up the tired "history and prestige" argument again.  As if any brand new league in any sport could possibly have any history associated with it. I pointed to the Fedex cup, which no one liked when the PGA first introduced it and now it is probably up there in the top 10 most desirable titles a golfer can capture. 

My father, who I also watched most of Saturday and Sunday with likes to get on my nerves and say those guys shouldn't even be there. We've argued back and forth and I think he realizes my arguments are stronger so he defaults to making comments about them playing 3 rounds and wearing shorts. 

At this point I think the only thing PGA die hards can cling to is the Saudi Money issue. Totally agree. But Norman has wanted to create a golf league for a long time and the PGA always squashed it. It was going to take big $$$ to ever get it off the ground. 

All I hate is the fact that the best in the world are not all playing together more often. I wish the PGA had been proactive versus reactive. I still believe contracting players would have solved a lot of issues. 

2 LIV Golfers were in the top 10  (3 in the top 12 and 7 made the cut out of 60... which is reasonable compared to the size of each league).. I am sure the PGA was very happy that Sunday's battle was between 4 PGA guys after Brooks and Phil finished t2 last year and then Rahm left. 

 

 

i know

TLDR

[listen2me 23 1,951]

4 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

Masters week brought the entire PGA/LIV thing back freshly to my mind.   My elderly grandmother who I watched part of yesterday's round with saying... "I thought these guys that left were not allowed to play"...  I had to explain to her that the only one banning players, in the entire sport of golf, is the PGA Tour. They lobbied to have the majors ban them too but unfortunately, each major has it's own governing body.

She went on to ask why they would be allowed to play if they chose to leave... I again explained that the Masters doesn't care what the PGA Tour says or does. Golfers play on different tours all over the world. 

That's what happens when you get your feelers hurt and get upset that you're not the only game in town anymore. .... Yet many people only want to point to LIV players and call them the ones bitching and moaning. In some cases, they are. In some cases they shouldn't be because they made their decision, while being aware of the childish reaction from the PGA... But in some cases it's justified. If the PGA can bitch and moan, LIV players probably have at least some right to complain in terms of being banned from events which is fairly unprecedented in the sport of golf. 

Also had a friend bring up the tired "history and prestige" argument again.  As if any brand new league in any sport could possibly have any history associated with it. I pointed to the Fedex cup, which no one liked when the PGA first introduced it and now it is probably up there in the top 10 most desirable titles a golfer can capture. 

My father, who I also watched most of Saturday and Sunday with likes to get on my nerves and say those guys shouldn't even be there. We've argued back and forth and I think he realizes my arguments are stronger so he defaults to making comments about them playing 3 rounds and wearing shorts. 

At this point I think the only thing PGA die hards can cling to is the Saudi Money issue. Totally agree. But Norman has wanted to create a golf league for a long time and the PGA always squashed it. It was going to take big $$$ to ever get it off the ground. 

All I hate is the fact that the best in the world are not all playing together more often. I wish the PGA had been proactive versus reactive. I still believe contracting players would have solved a lot of issues. 

2 LIV Golfers were in the top 10  (3 in the top 12 and 7 made the cut out of 60... which is reasonable compared to the size of each league).. I am sure the PGA was very happy that Sunday's battle was between 4 PGA guys after Brooks and Phil finished t2 last year and then Rahm left. 

 

 

i know

TLDR

You have so many LIV testicles in your mouth lol

[Fireballer 2,677]

4 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

Masters week brought the entire PGA/LIV thing back freshly to my mind.   My elderly grandmother who I watched part of yesterday's round with saying... "I thought these guys that left were not allowed to play"...  I had to explain to her that the only one banning players, in the entire sport of golf, is the PGA Tour. They lobbied to have the majors ban them too but unfortunately, each major has it's own governing body.

She went on to ask why they would be allowed to play if they chose to leave... I again explained that the Masters doesn't care what the PGA Tour says or does. Golfers play on different tours all over the world. 

That's what happens when you get your feelers hurt and get upset that you're not the only game in town anymore. .... Yet many people only want to point to LIV players and call them the ones bitching and moaning. In some cases, they are. In some cases they shouldn't be because they made their decision, while being aware of the childish reaction from the PGA... But in some cases it's justified. If the PGA can bitch and moan, LIV players probably have at least some right to complain in terms of being banned from events which is fairly unprecedented in the sport of golf. 

Also had a friend bring up the tired "history and prestige" argument again.  As if any brand new league in any sport could possibly have any history associated with it. I pointed to the Fedex cup, which no one liked when the PGA first introduced it and now it is probably up there in the top 10 most desirable titles a golfer can capture. 

My father, who I also watched most of Saturday and Sunday with likes to get on my nerves and say those guys shouldn't even be there. We've argued back and forth and I think he realizes my arguments are stronger so he defaults to making comments about them playing 3 rounds and wearing shorts. 

At this point I think the only thing PGA die hards can cling to is the Saudi Money issue. Totally agree. But Norman has wanted to create a golf league for a long time and the PGA always squashed it. It was going to take big $$$ to ever get it off the ground. 

All I hate is the fact that the best in the world are not all playing together more often. I wish the PGA had been proactive versus reactive. I still believe contracting players would have solved a lot of issues. 

2 LIV Golfers were in the top 10  (3 in the top 12 and 7 made the cut out of 60... which is reasonable compared to the size of each league).. I am sure the PGA was very happy that Sunday's battle was between 4 PGA guys after Brooks and Phil finished t2 last year and then Rahm left. 

 

 

i know

TLDR

Pretty sound rationale.  I didn’t follow it that closely when they first left, but did the OWGR take the immediate stance to not award points?  Obviously the writing was on the wall, Monohan is on OWGRs board, but did they say specifically that they would not award points?  

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

1 minute ago, listen2me 23 said:

You have so many LIV testicles in your mouth lol

I'm just able to step back and analyze the situation without getting bent out of shape over "the state of golf". I watch PGA. I have watched a little bit of LIV here and there but I will always default to PGA. It's what I grew up watching.  I'd prefer if none of this ever happened but I'm also willing to admit that LIV did a great job exposing the flaws of the PGA. 

I just laugh at the anti LIV crew who all sound like Bandel Chamblee ... it's a vicious attack on the sport   

[listen2me 23 1,951]

8 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

I'm just able to step back and analyze the situation without getting bent out of shape over "the state of golf". I watch PGA. I have watched a little bit of LIV here and there but I will always default to PGA. It's what I grew up watching.  I'd prefer if none of this ever happened but I'm also willing to admit that LIV did a great job exposing the flaws of the PGA. 

I just laugh at the anti LIV crew who all sound like Bandel Chamblee ... it's a vicious attack on the sport   

Someone says one thing about Rahm and each time you get up on your soapbox and rehash all the reasons the PGA messed this up.  I know you deliberately didnt quote me.  But you will literally argue with yourself anytime this thread is bumped.   

The split is old news and has already been discussed at nauseum.

I just laugh at Rahm.  "Boo hoo someone gave me a cold shoulder".  

A handful of LIV events in and he wants to change the 54 hole format.  Lol.  Thats just downright hilarious.  They are literally named after "54" and when it was created thr 3 round concept was a part of what made this unique and enticing.   Or so people said.  

He sounds exactly like a person who isn't secure in the decision he made.  Its sort of funny to watch him squirm.   

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

5 minutes ago, Fireballer said:

Pretty sound rationale.  I didn’t follow it that closely when they first left, but did the OWGR take the immediate stance to not award points?  Obviously the writing was on the wall, Monohan is on OWGRs board, but did they say specifically that they would not award points?  

If I recall, the league was formed, THEN the PGA in an effort to deter players from joining, implemented their bans. Players who signed with LIV knew the consequences of those bans... at least most of them. Maybe not the very first wave.

I dont believe OWGR body ever stated no world ranking points right off the bat. It was always known that LIV would need to apply for points, like any other tour. I think at some point last year, during LIV second season, the application was denied. 

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

1 minute ago, listen2me 23 said:

Someone says one thing about Rahm and each time you get up on your soapbox and rehash all the reasons the PGA messed this up.  I know you deliberately didnt quote me.  But you will literally argue with yourself anytime this thread is bumped.   

The split is old news and has already been discussed at nauseum.

I just laugh at Rahm.  "Boo hoo someone gave me a cold shoulder".  

A handful of LIV events in and he wants to change the 54 hole format.  Lol.  Thats just downright hilarious.  They are literally named after "54" and when it was created thr 3 round concept was a part of what made this unique and enticing.   Or so people said.  

He sounds exactly like a person who isn't secure in the decision he made.  Its sort of funny to watch him squirm.   

 

Actually, I didn't quote you because I don't care what you said. I didn't read what you said about Rahm. I know you won't believe me but my initial intention was to post about LIV/PGA in our Edex thread   (the one you're not a part of yet popped into anyway to give your 2 cents on someone's draft picks lol)  I saw the Saudi Golf thread on the front page and felt it was better to post in here. 

You literally argue anything and everything in sports threads... i'm pretty sure you were arguing with me about Justin Fields even though we were saying the same thing  but you were hung up on a sentence you didn't understand. 

 

Now that I am reading what you're saying about Rahm specifically, I don't disagree with you.... I think we have even discussed this before (the idea of LIV guys complaining).  Although I do believe that Rahm mentioned something about wanting to try to reshape or help shape things in his initial presser after signing. Not 100% sure on that.

[Fireballer 2,677]

35 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

If I recall, the league was formed, THEN the PGA in an effort to deter players from joining, implemented their bans. Players who signed with LIV knew the consequences of those bans... at least most of them. Maybe not the very first wave.

I dont believe OWGR body ever stated no world ranking points right off the bat. It was always known that LIV would need to apply for points, like any other tour. I think at some point last year, during LIV second season, the application was denied. 

I think if anything, I bet Norman convinced these guys that they would eventually get OWGR points. I’d be curious to know how many would have not jumped into LIV if they knew for a fact that they would never get OWGR points.  Sad, but I don’t know what you do. Reed plays enough Asian events to at least keep him relevant.  Hatton and Rahm may play enough DP events to do it.  Brooks’ play in majors has kept him up there.  Oh well, if LIV won’t budge on format, I guess the players just have to eat it.

[Fumbleweed 555]

1 hour ago, Fireballer said:

I think if anything, I bet Norman convinced these guys that they would eventually get OWGR points. I’d be curious to know how many would have not jumped into LIV if they knew for a fact that they would never get OWGR points.  Sad, but I don’t know what you do. Reed plays enough Asian events to at least keep him relevant.  Hatton and Rahm may play enough DP events to do it.  Brooks’ play in majors has kept him up there.  Oh well, if LIV won’t budge on format, I guess the players just have to eat it.

If LIV wants to be taken seriously, they need to conform to golf's standards. They can still play loud music at all times, wear shorts, and do whatever they want in terms of style. But, they need to play 72 holes and they need to have membership by merit. All the Westwoods and Poulters and Stensons in the league are just collecting checks. They never sniff the top half of LIV leaderboards. And I like Westwood and Stenson personally. I just think LIV is a bad product and I can't understand why they think it's the OWGR's responsibility to bend to their will. Play something more than exhibition golf and play it four days. If you're not willing to do that, just shut up and enjoy the ride into obscurity. 

[Mike Honcho 5,415]

8 minutes ago, Fumbleweed said:

If LIV wants to be taken seriously, they need to conform to golf's standards. They can still play loud music at all times, wear shorts, and do whatever they want in terms of style. But, they need to play 72 holes and they need to have membership by merit. All the Westwoods and Poulters and Stensons in the league are just collecting checks. They never sniff the top half of LIV leaderboards. And I like Westwood and Stenson personally. I just think LIV is a bad product and I can't understand why they think it's the OWGR's responsibility to bend to their will. Play something more than exhibition golf and play it four days. If you're not willing to do that, just shut up and enjoy the ride into obscurity. 

Would they change the name to the LXXII Tour then?

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

2 hours ago, Fireballer said:

I think if anything, I bet Norman convinced these guys that they would eventually get OWGR points. I’d be curious to know how many would have not jumped into LIV if they knew for a fact that they would never get OWGR points.  Sad, but I don’t know what you do. Reed plays enough Asian events to at least keep him relevant.  Hatton and Rahm may play enough DP events to do it.  Brooks’ play in majors has kept him up there.  Oh well, if LIV won’t budge on format, I guess the players just have to eat it.

Im sure that was part of Norman's pitch, especially to the bigger names who have jumped ship more recently. It was a risk they had to be willing to take but I do think common sense says that if enough top talent in the world of golf ends up there, OWGR would consider or reconsider. 

Guys playing DP events are still mostly doing so by invitation, although as I understand it, players who were not members of the DP Tour are nut under any of their sanctions.

Going to 4 rounds would be the simplest way to just get past that hurdle

[Fireballer 2,677]

32 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

 

Going to 4 rounds would be the simplest way to just get past that hurdle

It certainly seems so.  And, I think OWGR now gives points for everyone who makes a cut, so they would have to do that too.  Also, although I’m a fan of a lot of LIV guys, the wearing of the uniforms at a major is ghey as fok.  

[Fireballer 2,677]

49 minutes ago, Mike Honcho said:

Would they change the name to the LXXII Tour then?

Licks Eyes tour?

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

25 minutes ago, Fumbleweed said:

If LIV wants to be taken seriously, they need to conform to golf's standards. They can still play loud music at all times, wear shorts, and do whatever they want in terms of style. But, they need to play 72 holes and they need to have membership by merit. All the Westwoods and Poulters and Stensons in the league are just collecting checks. They never sniff the top half of LIV leaderboards. And I like Westwood and Stenson personally. I just think LIV is a bad product and I can't understand why they think it's the OWGR's responsibility to bend to their will. Play something more than exhibition golf and play it four days. If you're not willing to do that, just shut up and enjoy the ride into obscurity. 

Because this is the way its always been done?.... What about the evolution of sport? What about prior to 1986 when OWGR didn't exist? What if golf starts trending in the direction of contracted players where "merit" only matters in terms of being released or not getting a new deal? That last part is pure speculation but it seemed to be what a lot of golfers wanted. Some sort of guarantee without grinding to make a cut for a payday.

Don't get me wrong, i'd prefer 72 hole events and a merit based system myself but I have always sympathized with some of the argument that athletes in other sports get paid if injured, sitting out a game, etc. PGA stars make plenty, even just on endorsements alone... but so do the stars in other sports. 

As far as right now, I think they probably just need 1 of the 2 things you mentioned. And I believe they are trying to implement a relegation system to sort of be their "merit" which gets an eyeroll from me but the idea behind LIV was not to just make another tour following the same mold as everything else. 

 

As to the last bolded sentence, I have read a few places that the OWGR mission statement on their website changed in 2022, conveniently. Prior to 2022 it read as follows

"The Governing Board and its Technical Committee have continuously monitored and refined the system over the years taking into account the ever changing structure of world golf and suggestions made from players and Tours alike."

it now reads

"The mission of the OWGR is to administer and publish, on a weekly basis, a transparent, credible, and accurate Ranking based on the relative performances of players participating in male Eligible Golf Tours worldwide."

 

I find that interesting.

[listen2me 23 1,951]

6 hours ago, WhiteWonder said:

 

Now that I am reading what you're saying about Rahm specifically, I don't disagree with you.... I think we have even discussed this before (the idea of LIV guys complaining).  Although I do believe that Rahm mentioned something about wanting to try to reshape or help shape things in his initial presser after signing. Not 100% sure on that.

I just find a guy like Rahm funny.  At least guys like Brooks DJ and Cam live with their decision.   

Rahm when guys were jumping and he was staying said he never played golf for monetary purposes.  Asked out loud if 400 million would change how he lives, and said no it wouldnt.  

Then jumped anyway.  Took the money and now wants to change the league as the brand new guy.  

Just say it was about money.  Clearly Rahm doesn't get off on competing in LIV events.  

At least some of the guys would give it to you straight.  Hey they offered me 150 mill.  I took it.  

Seems to me Rahm isnt comfortable with the decision he made even if he says he is.  Seems clear he isn't.   

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

54 minutes ago, listen2me 23 said:

I just find a guy like Rahm funny.  At least guys like Brooks DJ and Cam live with their decision.   

Rahm when guys were jumping and he was staying said he never played golf for monetary purposes.  Asked out loud if 400 million would change how he lives, and said no it wouldnt.  

Then jumped anyway.  Took the money and now wants to change the league as the brand new guy.  

Just say it was about money.  Clearly Rahm doesn't get off on competing in LIV events.  

At least some of the guys would give it to you straight.  Hey they offered me 150 mill.  I took it.  

Seems to me Rahm isnt comfortable with the decision he made even if he says he is.  Seems clear he isn't.   

I don’t know if I buy it being about comfort. The initial wave of guys who may have thought there would be no ban from pga events, thought there would be owgr points, etc… I could maybe buy them regretting their decision. Rahm joined so recently that no new information has emerged. 
 

maybe I don’t read enough of their quotes for it to come off as crying to me. With the team Rahm has around him, how smart of a guy he always seemed to be and how much he claimed to care about history and the god Seve Ballesteros, I really doubt his ultimate decision to take the money wasn’t well thought out. What he said about the money previously was when Monahan and puppet Rory were still feeding the company line… we saw how that worked out. Rory regrets it and has even backtracked on multiple LIV issues. Perhaps Rahm, in light of the handshake deal between the PGA and PIF decided to take the money and assume we’d eventually have one entity anyway. Perhaps knowing he was a top 2-3 player in the world and their biggest draw, he’d have a lot of influence.  

[Bert 1,128]

Those LIV studs sure channeled their overlord's Masters failures.  

[Fireballer 2,677]

 

[bostonlager 2,678]

Tried looking up Rory’s major exemption status and couldn’t find it. 
 

PGA - lifetime 

Open - lifetime until he turns 60. 
 

US Open - he is past 10 year status 

Masters - ?

 

Pursuit of the career slam could be coming to an end if his Augusta invite is based solely on his OWGR ranking. 

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

 

[listen2me 23 1,951]

850 mill for current Rory?   Inflation?  Lol

Not that the Saudis care about the price.  They should just buy college football and baseball next.  Fun times.  

[edjr 6,896]

 

[edjr 6,896]

Not sure if anyone watches. I don't watch much, but I did make it a point to watch the final round of the team championship yesterday.

Deshamblow's team vs Rahm's team.

Needed extra holes. Rahm/Hatton beat Deshamblow/Casey.  

Awesome to watch. 

[edjr 6,896]

Financial Troubles

• Accruing Losses: LIV Golf Ltd. reported losses of $461.8 million in 2024, following losses of $244 million in 2022 and $396 million in 2023.
• Billions in Debt: The international portion of LIV's operations has accumulated losses exceeding $1 billion since its launch around 2022. 
   

Viewer Engagement Challenges

• Declining TV Ratings: LIV's television viewership continues to decline, contrasting sharply with a significant rebound in PGA Tour ratings.
• Sustaining Interest: Despite record attendance at some events, LIV's struggle to draw consistent viewership on TV makes its financial success uncertain. 
   

Uncertain Future and Merging Landscape

• Failed Merger: A deal to merge LIV Golf and the PGA Tour fell apart, hindering efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict.
• Loss of Players: Some of LIV's star players are reportedly past their prime, and a number of those brought in during the initial player acquisition phase may not re-sign when their contracts end.
• PGA Tour's Counter-Strategy: In response to LIV, the PGA Tour doubled purses, added new events, and strengthened its own infrastructure, regaining ground in the professional golf landscape. 

[BiffTannen 1,120]

9 minutes ago, edjr said:

Financial Troubles

• Accruing Losses: LIV Golf Ltd. reported losses of $461.8 million in 2024, following losses of $244 million in 2022 and $396 million in 2023.
• Billions in Debt: The international portion of LIV's operations has accumulated losses exceeding $1 billion since its launch around 2022. 
   

Viewer Engagement Challenges

• Declining TV Ratings: LIV's television viewership continues to decline, contrasting sharply with a significant rebound in PGA Tour ratings.
• Sustaining Interest: Despite record attendance at some events, LIV's struggle to draw consistent viewership on TV makes its financial success uncertain. 
   

Uncertain Future and Merging Landscape

• Failed Merger: A deal to merge LIV Golf and the PGA Tour fell apart, hindering efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict.
• Loss of Players: Some of LIV's star players are reportedly past their prime, and a number of those brought in during the initial player acquisition phase may not re-sign when their contracts end.
• PGA Tour's Counter-Strategy: In response to LIV, the PGA Tour doubled purses, added new events, and strengthened its own infrastructure, regaining ground in the professional golf landscape. 

Burn it down and bring them back to the tour 

[thegeneral 3,583]

John Rahm got paid like 600 million to miss a couple majors (was it even that many?).Will end up being back on tour once this shitshow closes shop.

What an amazing boondoggle.

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

3 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

John Rahm got paid like 600 million to miss a couple majors (was it even that many?).Will end up being back on tour once this shitshow closes shop.

What an amazing boondoggle.

he didn't miss any majors... at least not because he took the $

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

On 8/25/2025 at 9:44 AM, edjr said:

Not sure if anyone watches. I don't watch much, but I did make it a point to watch the final round of the team championship yesterday.

Deshamblow's team vs Rahm's team.

Needed extra holes. Rahm/Hatton beat Deshamblow/Casey.  

Awesome to watch. 

I did actually watch that and it was entertaining. 

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

41 minutes ago, edjr said:

Financial Troubles

• Accruing Losses: LIV Golf Ltd. reported losses of $461.8 million in 2024, following losses of $244 million in 2022 and $396 million in 2023.
• Billions in Debt: The international portion of LIV's operations has accumulated losses exceeding $1 billion since its launch around 2022. 
   

Viewer Engagement Challenges

• Declining TV Ratings: LIV's television viewership continues to decline, contrasting sharply with a significant rebound in PGA Tour ratings.
• Sustaining Interest: Despite record attendance at some events, LIV's struggle to draw consistent viewership on TV makes its financial success uncertain. 
   

Uncertain Future and Merging Landscape

• Failed Merger: A deal to merge LIV Golf and the PGA Tour fell apart, hindering efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict.
• Loss of Players: Some of LIV's star players are reportedly past their prime, and a number of those brought in during the initial player acquisition phase may not re-sign when their contracts end.
• PGA Tour's Counter-Strategy: In response to LIV, the PGA Tour doubled purses, added new events, and strengthened its own infrastructure, regaining ground in the professional golf landscape. 

I have a few thoughts on this  (of course ) as someone who would have preferred LIV never happen but totally understood why it happened. Now I may be a Phil fan boy but the very last bullet point shows how right he was when he said he wanted to be a part of starting LIV golf to more or less expose the flaws in the way the PGA was operating and treating their players. We basically saw this in how Jay Monahan used Rory only to turn around and announce that initial merger idea. 

It does not surprise me at all that LIV has only lost money to date. When you spend that much to acquire your talent and to promote your league, the chances of you turning a profit anytime soon is almost zero. For example, just look at Draft Kings... they never turned a profit, until possibly just this year, because they had so much ad spend in an attempt to gain as much market share as possible. 

I knew their event attendance was better but at the end of the day it's going to come down to TV viewership.  Fox picked them up in 2025 for a multi-year deal. 

Everyone knows a bunch of LIV players are past their prime. Almost that entire first wave back in 2022 fit this bill. Some of those guys won't have their contracts renewed by the league itself (it wont be because they don't want to renew). 

I hope it fails from a financial standpoint and these guys go back to the new and improved PGA... although I still think the PGA is biitch for not allowing these independent contractors to play when and where they want. If you are cool with your guys playing Euro events, you should be cool with LIV events. 

[thegeneral 3,583]

28 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

he didn't miss any majors... at least not because he took the $

What a scam these guys pulled

 

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

17 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

What a scam these guys pulled

 

The PGA tour doesn't govern the Major Championships. They wanted LIV guys banned but it wasn't their call. So the most they could do was sway the OWGR board to not allow world ranking points for LIV. Which kept a bunch of guys out but not the likes of Rahm, Deshamblow, Keopka, Mickelson, Hatton, etc.  Basically guys are making it based on past majors won or getting enough ranking points just from the 4 majors alone.

Quote

Can LIV players play in majors? The full 2026 rundown

The Masters

Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton, Carlos Ortiz

PGA Championship

Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Martin Kaymer, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton

US Open

Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, Tyrrell Hatton, Carlos Ortiz

The Open Championship

Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen, Cameron Smith, Henrik Stenson, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka

 

[edjr 6,896]

48 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

I did actually watch that and it was entertaining. 

totes

[thegeneral 3,583]

19 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

The PGA tour doesn't govern the Major Championships. They wanted LIV guys banned but it wasn't their call. So the most they could do was sway the OWGR board to not allow world ranking points for LIV. Which kept a bunch of guys out but not the likes of Rahm, Deshamblow, Keopka, Mickelson, Hatton, etc.  Basically guys are making it based on past majors won or getting enough ranking points just from the 4 majors alone.

 

Some dummies who won the birth lottery with unlimited cash paid these guys billions to play some hacky format of niche sport.

What a time for these pros to be in the game. Lucky mofos. Close this thing down, go back to the Tour. Tour take some notes and improve whatever was messed up.

[WhiteWonder 2,913]

1 minute ago, thegeneral said:

Some dummies who won the birth lottery with unlimited cash paid these guys billions to play some hacky format of niche sport.

What a time for these pros to be in the game. Lucky mofos. Close this thing down, go back to the Tour. Tour take some notes and improve whatever was messed up.

I agree with all that

[thegeneral 3,583]

17 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

I agree with all that

Will be great to see these guys back. Cameron Smith was my guy to bet on and always came through for a 18 month period or so there it felt like.

I think that cash broke him tho. Didn’t like the Brooks as he seemed like a huge ballbag but his game was top notch and think the same thing for him.

[BiffTannen 1,120]

Switching to 72 hole format next season. 

 

LXXII doesn't roll off the tongue as easy as LIV

[listen2me 23 1,951]

I respect the move.   At the end of the day I want all the best in any tournament as much as possible.  But I was generally against pts for these.  72 holes hears no gripes from me.  Easy fix.   

I feel most of the guys who are relevant to competing are already in these majors for most part.   

Pts for world golf stuff helps LIVs product.  No brainer if this is what it took.  

[BiffTannen 1,120]

Just now, listen2me 23 said:

I respect the move.   At the end of the day I want all the best in any tournament as much as possible.  But I was generally against pts for these.  72 holes hears no gripes from me.  Easy fix.   

I feel most of the guys who are relevant to competing are already in these majors for most part.   

Pts for world golf stuff helps LIVs product.  No brainer if this is what it took.  

The thing I don't like about watching LIV is the shotgun starts. Does not make for an exciting final round in my opinion.