(07-03-2022, 05:03 AM)The Real Marty Wrote: Okay, HB, I promise I won't pound this thing into the ground, but I think there are some legitimate questions about LIV that are worthy of discussion.

1) Sustainability.  Is there a business plan that would make this thing self-funding?  If Saudi Arabia decides they've lost enough money and LIV is not giving them what they want, is there any business plan that would allow LIV to survive?

2) How do they get players?  Right now, they leech them off the PGA and DP tours.  In contrast, the PGA Tour has a feeder league- the Korn Ferry tour.  So the PGA Tour has a flow of new players.  And the PGA Tour has other ways a player can qualify for a tournament.  A player can force his way onto the PGA Tour by being a great player.  He doesn't have to wait for Greg Norman to invite him.  

3) At what point does LIV start cutting players?  What happens when the field is full, and there's another big name that wants to join?  Phil finished 42nd in Portland out of 48 players.  Would they ever cut Phil loose if a better player wanted to join?  The PGA Tour is a meritocracy.  There are rules, and you make it or you don't.  No favoritism.  So, if you look at #2 and #3, you see younger, better players pushing the older players out on the PGA Tour.  Do fans want to see weekly invitational tournaments when every player is guaranteed to earn money? 

4) What happens when all these big name players have fulfilled their 3-year obligations?  Are they going to offer DJ another $100 million to stay?  What do they do if, when his enlistment is up, DJ says, I'd like to go back to the PGA Tour?  Does he take his $150 million and petition for re-admission to the PGA Tour?

5) 3-rounds, with shotgun start.  If an average round in a professional tournament is 5 hours max, that's 15 hours of LIV golf.  And only 8 tournaments.  A PGA tournament is 4 rounds, and the rounds last all day, because there are more players, and they usually all tee off on the first hole.  That's a lot more advertising space than LIV has.  More ads = more money.  This goes directly to the question of sustainability. 

6) The product itself.  "Golf, only louder" is their slogan.  Do we need louder golf?  And with the shotgun starts, do we want to see the winner end his round and win on the 15th hole?  Where are the fans when the winner ends his round?  In a PGA tournament, the fans are gathered up from previous holes and there's a huge crowd on the 18th hole at the end of the tournament.  Look at the Canadian Open this year, when the entire crowd was around the 18th green when Rory McIlroy finished.  That adds to the TV drama.

7) Official World Golf Rankings.  If LIV doesn't get a lot more strong players, then because of the weak fields that play their tournaments, their players will start sinking in the OWGR.  The OWGR is how players qualify for major championships without having to go through qualifying tournaments.  

Right now, LIV is a parasite that feeds off of Saudi Arabia and poaches players from other tours.  Is that really sustainable?  

I know this post is dripping with negativity, but these are legitimate questions.

I haven't watched any LIV golf yet, but that's mostly because of family vacation, other events, etc.  Haven't watched much PGA either during the same timeframe, so........first thoughts.

1)  The Saudi's are floating in money.  The regular business rules of sustainability don't really apply, and the LIV doesn't need to make money.  It could (theoretically) continue indefinitely.

2)  Most of the players are going to follow the money (just like free agents in any other sport).

3)  Good question.  Maybe they already have a plan for an internal rating system, probably based on media draw, rather than scoring/finishes. 

4)   If a guy has already made 100M, he doesn't need to play anywhere, but as mentioned in #1, they can write checks forever if they want to.  Will the PGA be the first to blink?

5)  Same as # 1, they don't have to make money.  Same as #6, a significant portion of PGA airtime is a weak product.

6)  The 15th hole will actually be the 18th in that player's round, so I don't see this as a factor.  Spectators will follow the leader, wherever he is on the course, just like they do now.  The shotgun start formats provides better commercial airtime from the beginning of the round, with players over the entire course.  I can see the possibility for much greater drama at the end, with leaders on different holes, rather than a score in the clubhouse.

7)  Is the OWGR the LIV's problem?  

All good questions.  I'm sure the PGA is more than a little nervous because this is uncharted territory.  It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

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