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LIV Tour

LIV Tour: Hong Kong 2024 Live Blog – Abraham Ancer secures maiden win after playoff drama

Hong Kong 2024 Live Scores

The Hong Kong in the season 2024 is being played in Sheung Shui, Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Golf Club. The tournament starts at the Friday, 8th of March and ends at the Sunday, 10th of March 2024.
The Hong Kong is part of the LIV Tour in the season 2024. In 2024 all players competing for a total prize money of $20,000,000.
The course for the tournament at Hong Kong Golf Club plays at Par 70.

The LIV Golf Tour plays its first tournament in Hong Kong. As usual, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Co. will compete against each other in the individual and team competitions.

LIV Golf League live

LIV Golf is a relatively new tournament series that differs from traditional golf tournaments. Financially supported by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, LIV Golf is characterised by high prize money and a unique format. The tournaments are shorter, often only three rounds, and include both individual and team competitions, which is a departure from traditional golf.

The tournaments are conducted in a shotgun format with all players playing at the same time. The league consists of 13 teams, each one with four players including usually one team captain. LIV Golf hosts tournaments all over the world.

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LIV Tour Uncategorized

LIV Golf gives up fight for world ranking points

LIV Golf’s endeavours to obtain world ranking points have come to an end. In a letter to the players, Greg Norman explains the cancellation.

The LIV Golf League is giving up its aim of obtaining world ranking points for its tournaments. Greg Norman, CEO of the tour financed by Saudi Arabia, wrote this in a letter to his players, which was first quoted by Sports Illustrated. According to the letter, it is now hopeless that there will be any points for the LIV players in the near future. LIV Golf had applied to the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) for inclusion shortly after it was founded. The application was last rejected in October 2023.

In his letter, Norman accuses those responsible at the OGWR of having no interest in clarifying the current situation: “A resolution which protects the accuracy, credibility and integrity of the OWGR rankings no longer exists”, SI quotes Normans letter. “We have made significant efforts to fight for you and ensure your accomplishments are recognized within the existing ranking system. Unfortunately, OWGR has shown little willingness to productively work with us.”

No points for LIV Golf – “Even if…”

Even more than the refusal of the seven-member committee of OWGR directors to recognise LIV Golf as eligible to participate, Norman now also sees inclusion in the OWGR system as pointless: “Even if LIV Golf events were immediately awarded points, the OWGR system is designed such that it would be functionally impossible for you to regain positions close to the summit of the ranking, where so many of you belong.”

Peter Dawson, Chairman of the OWGR committee, which also includes the PGA Tour Commissioner, the DP World Tour CEO and representatives of the four majors, explained in October that inclusion would fail in particular due to the Tour’s lack of qualification criteria. Although LIV Golf recently held a kind of Q-School, only three players qualified. In addition, the winner of the Asian Tour ranking is eligible to compete. Others, e.g. Jon Rahm or Anthony Kim, are simply bought in and declared eligible to compete. Dawson has not yet issued a statement on Norman’s statements. A total of 24 tours worldwide with thousands of players are eligible to collect world ranking points. Every single LIV player was aware when they switched to the Invitational Series that they would not receive any points for the World Golf Ranking.

This week, LIV Golf will play its fourth tournament of the current season. The event takes place in Hong Kong. Jon Rahm criticised the basis for calculating the world golf rankings during the tournament: “”I’m going to go back to what I said two years ago. I didn’t think it was a good system back then”, Rahm told AFP ahead of the event, which begins on Friday. “If anything, the more time goes on, the more it proves to be wrong”, added the 29-year-old, who is still number three in the world rankings.

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LIV Tour

LIV Golf Live Blog: Joaquin Niemann wins in Jeddah 2024

LIV Golf Jeddah 2024 Live Scores

The LIV Golf Jeddah in the season 2024 is being played in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club. The tournament starts at the Friday, 1st of March and ends at the Sunday, 3rd of March 2024.
The LIV Golf Jeddah is part of the LIV Tour in the season 2024 with a total prize money of $20,000,000.
The course for the tournament at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club plays at Par 70.

After 2023, the LIV Tour is hosting LIV Golf Jeddah for the second time in a row. In Saudi Arabia, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Co. will have to deal with a surprise guest: Anthony Kim is returning to professional golf after almost ten years.

LIV Golf League live

LIV Golf is a relatively new tournament series that differs from traditional golf tournaments. Financially supported by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, LIV Golf is characterised by high prize money and a unique format. The tournaments are shorter, often only three rounds, and include both individual and team competitions, which is a departure from traditional golf.

The tournaments are conducted in a shotgun format with all players playing at the same time. The league consists of 13 teams, each one with four players including usually one team captain. LIV Golf hosts tournaments all over the world.

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LIV Tour

LIV Golf: Rahm’s Team Name and Members Confirmed

Three days before the start of the 2024 season in Mayakoba, LIV Golf announces the line-up and team name for the 13th team, which will be under the direction of Jon Rahm. Under the name “Legion XIII”, inspired by the Legion XIII Gemina in Ceasar’s Army, the new team will play with the mantra “Together we play. Together we conquer.” Captain Jon Rahm will be joined by Tyrrell Hatton, former amateur Caleb Surratt and Kieran Vincent. There are no more big surprises, the details have already been circulating in the social and traditional golf media with varying degrees of certainty. It was only on Monday that the apparently recent signing of Tyrrell Hatton attracted a great deal of attention.

LIV Golf: Jon Rahm and his 13th Legion

Legion XIII is the first new team to join LIV Golf since the tour’s inception.“We’ve come a long way in a short period of time and are extremely proud of the team and brand we are building,” said Rahm. “As we were developing the team’s brand it became clear that I wanted to fight alongside a group of guys who aligned perfectly with what the team stands for. Tyrrell is a fierce competitor, proven champion, and of course my Ryder Cup teammate. Caleb is one of the brightest next gen stars of the game. And Kieran is a steady, talented ball striker who earned his promotion to LIV and is elevating his game every day.”

Rahm explained more about the meaning he sees in the team name: “The XIII portion of the name was appealing early in the process as it fit the structure of captain (X) and the three players in the lineup (III),” said Rahm. “Plus, we are the 13th team in the league. As for the logo, that was something I was also very passionate about. The soccer team I grew up following (Athletic Bilbao) is called the Lions. It’s just a fierce animal that everybody respects and fears at the same time.”

Rahm’s Legion XIII will consist of:

Jon Rahm, two-time major winner and reigning Masters champion with a total of 20 wins in his professional career.

Tyrrell Hatton, Rahm’s Ryder Cup teammate and 6-time winner on the DP World Tour. “I’m really looking forward to this next chapter, working with Jon Rahm and Legion XIII and getting started this week in Mexico,” said Hatton.

Caleb Surratt, number 10 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking with a successful performance at the Walker Cup 2023

Kieran Vincent, who qualified for the league via the LIV Golf Promotions event and whose brother Scott is already a permanent member of the Iron Heads team.

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LIV Tour

LIV Golf: A look at the 2024 tournament calendar

LIV Golf enters its third round: After the tour was launched in 2022, the third season will begin in 2024. The league recently announced the locations where the 54-hole tournaments will take place next year. From Mexico to Australia and Saudi Arabia, the tour players will travel around the world. While not all the venues have been confirmed yet, it is certain that there will be 14 tournaments at which the players will compete for an individual and team championship.

LIV Golf: old acquaintances and new courses

The new schedule was published at the insistence of LIV player Brooks Koepka. On social media, the reigning Major winner was impatient about the scheduling of next year’s tournaments. But even after the dates have been published, players and fans will have to be patient. Not all venues have been confirmed yet. In addition to the venues, the exact dates for the season finals are still open.

  • 2/2-4: LIV Mayakoba — El Cameleon Country Club
  • 2/8-10: LIV Las Vegas — Las Vegas Country Club
  • 3/1-3: LIV Saudi Arabia — TBD
  • 3/8-10: LIV Hong Kong — Hong Kong Golf Club
  • 4/5-7: LIV “USA” — Location and course TBD
  • 4/26-28: LIV Adelaide — The Grange Golf Club
  • 5/3-5: LIV Singapore — The Serapong Golf Club
  • 6/7-9: LIV Houston — The Golf Club of Houston
  • 6/21-23: LIV Nashville — The Grove Golf Club
  • 7/12-14: LIV Andalucia — Real Club Valderrama
  • 7/25-28: LIV UK: Staffordshire — JCB Golf and Country Club
  • 8/16-19: LIV Greenbrier — The Old White Course at the Greenbrier
  • Date, Course and Location TBD: LIV Golf Individual Championships
  • Date, Course and Location TBD: LIV Golf Team Championships

“LIV Golf is the truly global golf league that the sport and its fans deserve,” said LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman. “We’re thrilled to announce an exciting slate of events that reflects our commitment to bringing world-class players and premier competition to new and repeat markets every year. Launching a new league is a massive undertaking, and we’re full steam ahead building off our incredibly successful first full season in 2023. Our goal has always been to create a worldwide league that inspires progress and attracts new fans to the sport that we love. LIV Golf is stronger than ever, and next season will accomplish that goal and more.”

A look at the schedule

In addition to the courses already familiar to LIV players, such as the Old White Course in Greenbrier or the Grange Golf Club in Australia, there are some new venues on the schedule. In February, for example, the tour will make a guest appearance at the Las Vegas Country Club in the middle of Las Vegas – on the same weekend as the Super Bowl, the final game of the National Football League. The courses on which the LIV tournaments will take place in Saudi Arabia and the USA have not yet been decided. The latter venue should be particularly interesting for the players, as it is the last tournament before the first Major of the year just one week before the Masters 2024.

It is also notable that this is the first schedule that has no connection to Trump Golf. In the first two seasons, the league repeatedly played on courses owned by the former president – as things stand, the tour will not be visiting any of Donald Trump’s well-known courses next year.

Saudi Arabia, the home of the LIV Golf League, has found its place in the schedule at the start of the season. Following the recent uproar over Saudi Arabia as the venue for the team final, which was ultimately played in Miami, the LIV players will travel to Saudi Arabia in March next year. This date overlaps with the traditional Saudi International, which shows the league’s efforts to reduce the travel burden for its players in 2024.

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LIV Tour

LIV Golf: Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces in search for new player in Free Agency

The first transfer period in the history of golf is entering the hot phase – free agency. In this phase, teams with open roster spots can sign unsigned players from the Lock Zone and Open Zone. Players from the Lock Zone have completed the previous season in positions 1-24 and are therefore guaranteed a place in the coming season. These players can voluntarily become free agents and negotiate a new contract. Open Zone players who finished the season in 25th-44th place are automatically free agents and must sign a new contract. At the moment, ten roster spots are still vacant – four of the 12 teams are already complete. 4Aces GC captain Dustin Johnson among others is still in search for a new player.

LIV Golf: An overview of free agency

The situation in the second phase of the LIV Golf transfer period for the individual teams is explained below.

The overview of the current LIV Golf rosters. (Photo: LIV Golf)

4Aces GC

The 2022 LIV Golf Team Champions have one roster spot available with Pat Perez no longer under contract after finishing 28th in the points list, leaving Captain Dustin Johnson with the decision to either re-sign Perez or look for another player. Peter Uihlein, who joined the team from Smash GC last offseason, secured and accepted a contract extension with the 4Aces after his 12th place finish in this year’s Individual Standings. Rounding out the formidable squad is Patrick Reed, who finished 6th.

Cleeks GC

Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks have two open roster spots after Bernd Wiesberger and Graeme McDowell finished 41st and 42nd respectively in the Individual Standing and are now free agents. Kaymer remains as captain, receiving exempt status despite finishing in the Drop Zone (45th or below). Richard Bland re-signed with the Cleeks after his late-season surge locked up a spot with a 20th place finish.

Crushers GC

The reigning 2023 Team Champions, led by Captain Bryson DeChambeau, will return their entire roster. Anirban Lahiri, the team’s only player with an expiring contract, accepted his extension offer after finishing 11th in the Individual Standings. Charles Howell III, the winner of LIV Golf Mayakoba, finished 10th while Paul Casey remains under contract after finishing 35th.

Fireballs GC

Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs have one open roster spot after Carlos Ortiz, who finished 15th in the Individual Standings, opted for free agency after declining a contract extension offer. Abraham Ancer and Eugenio Chacarra, each under contract for at least one more season, finished in 26th and 32nd respectively.

Hyflyers GC

Phil Mickelson’s team has one open spot after James Piot was relegated after finishing 47th in the Drop Zone. Both Cameron Tringale (16th) and Brendan Steele (19th) are under contract and will return. Mickelson will look to add a player through free agency or the draft.

Iron Heads GC

Captain Kevin Na will add at least one new player due to Sihwan Kim’s relegation. Scott Vincent played his way into the Lock Zone in the regular-season finale in Jeddah and accepted his extension offer. Danny Lee, winner of LIV Golf Tucson, is under contract for next season.

Majesticks GC

Co-captains Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood return, as does Sam Horsfield, who rejoined the lineup late in the season following an injury and remains under contract.

RangeGoats GC

Captain Bubba Watson’s decision to acquire Talor Gooch last offseason proved successful after Gooch hoisted the 2023 Individual Championship trophy. The addition of Gooch helped the RangeGoats finish runners-up at this year’s Team Championship in Miami. Watson’s lineup is set as both Harold Varner III (7th) and Thomas Pieters (33rd) are under contract.

Ripper GC

With Matt Jones (37th) now a free agent and Jediah Morgan (46th) relegated, Captain Cameron Smith has the option to either re-sign Jones or look to add two new players via free agency or the draft. Marc Leishman, who completes the team, finished 18th in the 2023 Individual Standings.

Smash GC

Captain Brooks Koepka has one open roster spot following Chase Koepka’s relegation while Jason Kokrak (23rd) and Matt Wolff (27th) are under contract for another season.

Stinger GC

Captain Louis Oosthuizen’s team is set with Branden Grace (9th), Dean Burmester (14th) and Charl Schwartzel (38th) under contract.

Torque GC

Four-time tournament champions and third-place finishers at this year’s Team Championship, Joaquin Niemann’s Torque has one open roster spot heading into this offseason. Mito Pereira (8th) and Sebastian Muñoz (11th) secured their spots for next year while David Puig is a free agent, having finished 31st in this year’s Individual Standings. Thus, Niemann will look to add one player via free agency or the draft

LIV Golf: The remainder of the transfer period

Free agency will conclude when four league roster spots remain. These open spots are reserved for the winner of The International Series 2023 Rankings – claimed by Andy Ogletree this past weekend in Hong Kong – and the top three finishers from LIV Golf Promotions, which will be staged December 8-10 at the iconic Abu Dhabi Golf Club in United Arab Emirates. Following the qualifying tournament, the league will host the LIV Golf Draft through which these players will be drafted onto the remaining teams that have an open spot on their roster.

Additionally, to support opportunities for teams to strengthen their rosters once the season has begun, a mid-season trading window will take place in 2024 (exact dates to be announced) where teams and players will be free to negotiate trades as well as extensions to their existing contracts if a player is in the last year of his contract.

Text: With material from LIV Golf

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LIV Tour

US Open and British Open will not exclude LIV Golf players

Quietly, the US Open and the 2023 Open Championship are allowing LIV golfers to participate. Back in December, Augusta National announced that it would not exclude LIV players from the Masters, and now the US Open at LA Country Club and the British Open at Royal Liverpool are following suit. The major tournaments announced their qualifying criteria in February and the lists of players who have already qualified include LIV players.

The qualified LIV players get their eligibility mostly through past major victories, for example Martin Kaymer is still qualified for the US Open after his victory in 2014. However, due to the lack of world ranking points and the exclusion from the PGA Tour, it will be harder and harder for LIV players to qualify for the majors as long as there is no separate LIV criterion. However, the way is open for them, especially for US Open and British Open, via the qualifying tournaments.

LIV players at the US Open

Prior to last year’s edition, a statement from the USGA said, “We are proud to be the most open championship in the world, and those players who have earned the right to participate in this year’s championship, both by exemption and qualification, will have the opportunity to do so.” The same is true for 2023. The following LIV players are currently qualified for the US Open: Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Martin Kaymer (former U.S. Open winners for the past decade), Phil Mickelson (because of his 2021 PGA Championship victory), Cameron Smith (2022 Open Championship) and Joaquin Niemann (qualified for the 2022 Tour Championship).

In addition to major victories and the world rankings, there is the possibility of securing a place in the tournament via tournament victories, FedExCup and Race to Dubai, and for amateurs via various amateur competitions. In addition, the qualifying tournaments are open to all.

LIV players at the Open Championship

Also at the R&A and the Open Championship the motto of open competition is still valid. 13 current or former LIV players are qualified for the tournament in Royal Liverpool according to the current status:
Louis Oosthuizen, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Cameron Smith (former winners under 60), Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau (top 10 at the 150th Open), Thomas Pieters, Adrian Otaegui, Adri Arnau, Richard Bland (top 30 in the final Race to Dubai 2022), Brooks Koepka (US Open win), Patrick Reed (Masters win), Joaquin Niemann, Talor Gooch (top 30 in the FedExCup 2022).

In addition to the qualifying criteria, there will be the Qualifying Series. There will be 16 spots across a series of Regional and Final Qualifying, as well as a total of 34 spots at tournaments on the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour, Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour. Provided they are eligible to play on the tours, these tournaments are also open to LIV golfers in an attempt to gain a Major entry.

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LIV Tour

405 Million Dollar – LIV Golf prize money reaches new heights

The sums involved can make your head spin. In its second season, the LIV Golf Invitational Series is handing out a whopping 405 million US dollars in prize money to individual players and teams. Even the last-place finisher in the individual rankings receives more for a tournament than the “average consumer” earns in a year. Four million dollars await the winners of the respective events.

25 million dollars LIV Golf prize money per event

The first of 14 events in the LIV Golf Invitational Series will start in Mexico on February 24, 2023. The Saudi circuit had already made no secret last year that the prize money would be lavish. If you add up all the prize money for the second year of the LIV Golf Tour, the total comes to 405 million US dollars. That this is significantly more than last year is due to the fact that there will now be 14 events instead of eight.

As is well known, the LIV Golf Events are played in individual and team format. Each of the 14 events will be endowed with 25 million dollars, 80 percent of which will go to the individual competition. A prize purse of $4 million awaits the winners of each individual format. By comparison, Scottie Scheffler received about $2.7 million for his victory at the 2022 Masters, perhaps the greatest of all golf tournaments. In the LIV Golf Invitational Series, there’s almost 1.5 times that for each “trade” tournament. Even 48th place, the last-place finisher in the individual standings, will receive a prize purse of $120,000 for every single LIV Golf event in 2023. In the team standings, the winning team will receive $3 million per event – so each player will get an additional $750,000 in hand money.

Bonus payments crown LIV Golf prize money

A team championship is also played out over the entire LIV Golf season. Whoever comes out on top at the end of the year will receive, who would have thought, another bonus: $16 million in prize money for the winning team – so that’s an additional $4 million for each of the four team members.

If you’re still not dizzy from all the money, you can take a look at the bonus payouts for the best individual players. Here, too, those responsible are making another 30 million dollars loose. The best player of the whole season will receive 18 million, the second best eight and the third best four. For Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson & Co., the new LIV season will bring a lot of money into the coffers.

LIV Golf Prize Money 2023

RankingPrize money in US-Dollar
1.4.000.000
2.2.125.000
3.1.500.000
4.1.050.000
5.975.000
6.800.000
7.675.000
8.625.000
9.580.000
10.560.000
11.540.000
12.450.000
13.360.000
14.270.000
15.250.000
16.240.000
17.232.000
18.226.000
19.220.000
20.200.000
21.180.000
22.172.000
23.170.000
24.168.000
25.166.000
26.164.000
27.162.000
28.160.000
29.158.000
30.156.000
31.154.000
32.152.000
33.150.000
34.148.000
35.146.000
36.144.000
37.142.000
38.140.000
39.138.000
40.136.000
41.134.000
42.132.000
43.130.000
44.128.000
45.126.000
46.124.000
47.122.000
48.120.000
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LIV Tour

Fireballs, Crushers, Rippers or Torque: LIV Golf goes global

Munich in November 2022: Bavaria’s capital is in football fever. Seven-time Super Bowl winner and GOAT Tom Brady will be playing with his Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Allianz Arena against the Seattle Seahawks, who are enormously popular here in Germany. The hype is gigantic. For days, egg reigns on the streets and in the pubs. Three million tickets could have been sold; in the end, 69,811 spectators watch the first National Football League (NFL) game in Germany.

Four NFL teams share Germany

This year, the spectacle is to be repeated twice: again in Munich and in Frankfurt. The Kansas City Chiefs, led by wonder playmaker Patrick Mahomes, will be the reigning champions, along with the New England Patriots. Their opponents have not yet been determined, but these two names are already set. Because they are “designated teams”, they own Germany.

And now? The keyword is IHMA, which stands for International Home Marketing Area. The background to this is the complex franchise system under which the major U.S. team sports operate. The NFL holds the rights to the league, and issues licenses to operate and market a team. So far, all marketing has been limited to a radius of 75 miles around the location of the respective team, which guarantees a unique position on one’s own doorstep.

Kansas City, Patriots, Tampa Bay, Carolina

On January 1, 2022, the existing Home Area Marketing (HMA) rule was expanded to include an international component: The 32 NFL teams were allowed to apply to expand their activities to the United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico and Germany. Kansas City, New England, Tampa Bay and the Carolina Panthers developed corresponding concepts and received exclusive permission to conduct marketing in this country.

“When we talk about international markets, Germany has always had the most passionate American football fans,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said at the time, pleased with the win. “The IHMA initiative creates many more opportunities to reach out and engage our international fan base,” said “Bucs” owner Joel Glazer in turn. “Now we can build long-term relationships with these international markets that will play a big role in the continued growth and expansion of our sport in the years to come.”

And what does that have to do with golf? A lot. Because those responsible for the LIV Golf League have looked beyond the game and copied a lot from the successful American football model. No wonder, since CEO Greg Norman’s team included two top managers with proven NFL DNA, Atul Khosla and Matt Goodman, who have since retired.

 
 
 
 
 
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Both are likely to have been important figures for the LIV business model and played a significant role in the development of the envisaged franchise system. The head office issues licenses and takes care of the big picture, the teams find their own owners, investors, sponsors, market themselves, even build their own venues and become self-sufficient in the medium term. Money is paid for participation in the LIV Golf product and for participation in the games organized by the league.

With that, the Saudis will eventually get their return on investment and a prospect of profit, after providing $2 billion in start-up funding and having “zero revenue” at least by 2022, according to LIV lawyers. So much for the plan to open a new, unprecedented chapter of commercialization for golf with this construct.

Market fixation instead of mother tongue coincidence

And when the twelve teams for the second season of the LIV League, which begins next week in Mayakoba, Mexico, and their protagonists are presented in tidbits, there are striking constellations that only superficially have something to do with friendships or compatriots and other ethnic similarities.

 
 
 
 
 
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Teams such as Fireballs, Crushers, Rippers, Stingers or Torque could be arranged on the world map in a similar way to the football franchises on the NFL chart shown earlier. This is by no means a native coincidence, but a clear market fixation. In their composition, they focus quite clearly on a specific geographic mode of operation; the captains specifically tailor the personnel constellation in the team to their own continent of origin or a desired target market.

LIV Golf: DeChambeau first to recognize potential

Bryson DeChambeau, for all his quirkiness undoubtedly a bright mind, was the first to recognize this and brought the Indian Anirban Lahiri into his Crushers crew as early as 2022 to join Paul Casey and Charles Howell III. For BDC is eyeing the golf potential of the subcontinent: “You don’t just bring in players as sporting reinforcements, but also to use their notoriety for commercial purposes,” the “Mad Scentist” pontificated months ago. “Anirban is a real force in India. With him, we want to help grow golf there by building driving ranges and maybe even courses.” With DeChambeau, the token narrative of “Growing the Game” at least takes on substance.

South Africa, South America, Australia, Latin America

The personnel portfolio can be declined at will with this factor. Louis Oosthuizen has currently secured the services of compatriot Dean Burmester and, with his all-South African stinger GC, naturally has his sights set on home. Chilean Joaquín Niemann is also clearly targeting South America with Torque and LIV newcomers Mito Pereira (Chile) and Sebastián Muñoz (Colombia), while Spain’s David Puig is back in fourth place. Cam Smith and his Aussie ripper combo with Marc Leishman and Matt Jones are looking to shake things up Down Under. The Fireballs around Sergio Garcia, Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz (both Mexico) as well as Garcia’s Iberian compatriot Eugenio Chacarra, appeal – even in the literal sense – to Latin America.

Wiesberger at Kaymer’s Cleeks

Where Martin Kaymer with the Cleeks and Graeme McDowell, Richard Bland as well as recently Bernd Wiesberger and the three-captain team Majesticks of Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood (with Sam Horsfield) tend, need not be mentioned explicitly. The rest mainly divides the US market among themselves, first and foremost defending champion 4Aces GC with individual dominator Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Pat Perez and Peter Uihlein, who replaces the sorted out Talor Gooch. When Phil Mickelson, Kevin Na and Bubba Watson are the last to announce their tableau for HyFlyers, Iron Heads and the renamed RangeGoats today, the pattern is likely to continue.

Rumors about LIV-weary Brooks Koepka

That leaves Smash GC, where Matthew Wolff replaces the departing Uihlein, and the rumors surrounding team boss Brooks Koepka. The four-time major winner has never made a secret of the fact that he prefers the money of the LIV League to the merits of the PGA Tour merely because of injury-related sporting uncertainty, but he is now enjoying good health again and having corresponding fun with the game.

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LIV Tour

LIV Golf launches “12 Teams. You Choose” campaign ahead of LIV Golf Season

LIV Golf is launching a new fan-focused campaign and will unveil team rosters this week in the lead-up to the first truly global golf league that the CW Network will deliver to more than 120 million households across the U.S.

LIV Golf: “12 Teams. You Choose.”

The “12 Teams. You Choose.” campaign asks fans to pick their team ahead of the landmark season for the LIV Golf League that features 48 of the world’s best players competing in a 14-tournament schedule around the world. Set rosters for the 2023 season will be revealed this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with four teams announced each day. League play begins February 24-26 at Mayakoba’s El Camaleón Golf Course in Mexico as many of the sport’s biggest names begin pursuit of the LIV Golf League Individual Championship and Team Championship.

“12 Teams. You Choose.” is LIV Golf’s first global campaign featuring teams made up of international stars from the U.S., Europe, Latin America, South Africa, Asia and Australia.

At the heart of the multi-channel campaign is a TV spot featuring a young golf fan who asks the 12 team captains which team she should support. The players respond in turn with their own unique pitch and style in a game of one-upmanship to persuade the girl and fans across the world why they should choose their team.

“Anticipation for our league launch grows by the day as our global campaign engages fans ahead of a groundbreaking year for LIV Golf,” said LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman. “The fans have spoken: There is excitement for team golf and for the league’s innovations that are challenging the norm in the sport. Our diversity in teams that feature elite skillsets and unique personalities will help build new rivalries and fresh ways to watch professional golf as the sport enters a new era.”

The campaign features an array of global stars who are leading their respected teams this season for the league launch, including: Phil Mickelson (HyFlyers GC), Dustin Johnson (4Aces GC), Cameron Smith (Ripper GC), Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers GC), Brooks Koepka (Smash GC), Sergio Garcia (Fireballs GC), Louis Oosthuizen (Stinger GC), Bubba Watson (RangeGoats GC), Joaquin Niemann (Torque GC), Kevin Na (Iron Heads GC), Martin Kaymer (Cleeks GC), and Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson (Majesticks GC).

The LIV Golf League will showcase its innovative format featuring shotgun starts, simultaneous team and individual play, and energetic tournament experiences that include live music and fan activities for all ages. Information for tickets, hospitality packages and Pro-Am opportunities are available at LIVGolf.com.

In addition, the CW Network announced today the upcoming 2023 LIV Golf League season will air in 100% of its markets across the United States, as part of the network’s previously announced multi-year exclusive broadcast agreement with the league. The first official full season of LIV Golf will air on CW affiliates, as well as Nexstar owned and operated stations in key markets including Chicago, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

Beginning with the first tournament in Mexico, all 14 global LIV Golf League events will air exclusively from 1:00-6:00 pm ET on Saturdays and Sundays on The CW Network’s linear and digital platforms, with Friday rounds carried on The CW App. All eight U.S.-based tournaments and six international events will be delivered to more than 120 million households across the U.S. and streamed live to The CW App, which has been downloaded over 90 million times and is available on all major platforms. Details on LIV Golf’s event broadcasts in regions outside the U.S. will be announced soon.

LIV Golf is owned and operated by LIV Golf Investments whose vision and mission are centered around making holistic and sustainable investments to enhance the global golf ecosystem and unlock the sport’s untapped worldwide potential.