LIV Golf: Not Your Daddy’s Game

Don’t tell Commissioner Monahan, Rory McIlroy, Brandel Chamblee, or other devoted PGA loyalists, but I have watched LIV tournaments and enjoyed them. In addition to PGA tournaments on NBC or CBS, I have checked out LIV tournaments on the CW Network, which still carries “Leave it to Beaver” reruns.

Both the PGA and LIV telecasts featured professionals hitting 350-yard drives, backing up irons to within several feet of the hole, and sinking 30-foot putts on greens with the same stimpmeter reading as my driveway. However, when it came to entertainment value, LIV took home the trophy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Leaderboard

When the PGA broadcasts a non-major event like the Tater Tot Invitational from Idaho, the top players stay home to balance their checkbooks and the pH level in their pools. As a result, the leaderboard has the star power of a local high school musical production. At the Zurich Classic, Cantlay and Schauffele were the only recognizable names. At the Valero Texas Open, the leaderboard read like the front door of a personal injury law firm. No notable names. It was like watching “Leave It To Beaver” without the “Beav” or even Wally.

Meanwhile, the leaderboards at the LIV tournaments in Australia and Tulsa featured Koepka, Reed, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Watson, Garcia, and other stars. In addition, you got to see supermodel wives Paulina Gretzky and Jena Sims, which is like getting the free appetizer special with any entrée at Applebee’s. Unlike the PGA, LIV always brings the first string.

Shotgun Start

LIV’s shotgun start is an advantage. Every player in a LIV tournament is on the course the entire afternoon. Even if they are not in contention, you still see cutaways to favorites like Mickelson making a brilliant bunker shot or DeChambeau crushing a 370-yard drive.  

Whereas under the PGA’s format, a player with an early start time could be putting his clubs in his trunk before you have a chance to tune in. And I prefer to see the tournament winner sinking a putt on his final hole rather than lounging in the clubhouse or on the practice range waiting to find out his fortune.

Music

When watching golf, you are often staring at a man staring at a ball surrounded by people staring at the man. It is hypnotic. If you are not careful watching this type of inaction, you can drift into a trance and do a somersault out of your Lay-Z-Boy lounger. While the PGA coverage leaves you on your own to cope with this downtime, LIV coverage gives you music. And admit it, parties, church services, elevator rides, and even golf is better with music.

At the LIV tournament in Australia, you could hear Classic Rock and Pop emanating from the rowdy 12^th hole. At the LIV tournament in Tulsa, a band provided a musical backdrop throughout the day. It was a festive atmosphere. In contrast, the only background sound during the PGA broadcasts was the rustling of my hand in a Doritos bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Commentators

Johnny Miller retired, Gary McCord was fired, and David Feherty fled to cover LIV events. Now the PGA coverage is stocked with commentators who are bland and more polite than Eddie Haskell. I prefer controversial insights and irreverent humor. I want zingers not Azingers. I enjoyed LIV’s posting of candid Snap Chats from fans, comedic spots featuring the players, and the wit of commentators such as Feherty, who once quipped, “I am sorry Nick Faldo couldn’t be here this week. He is attending the birth of his next wife.” Yea, that’s the banter I want to hear. That’s entertainment.

Team Competition

I even liked the LIV team competition. Granted, it’s an acquired taste. With team names like Stingers, Hy Flyers, Crushers, and Fireballs, it sounds like my son’s soccer league. However, it was refreshing to see a player in 37^th place still grinding late in the day to sink a putt because his team needed it.

The team concept and camaraderie are still developing, but $3,000,000 in prize money has a way of motivating and bonding players tighter than Liquid Nail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Short Pants

Not every change instituted by LIV is for the better.  LIV allows players to wear short pants. This is one toke over the line. Professionals should be dressed better than their fans and caddies. Imagine Jack Nicklaus walking up the 18^th fairway at the Masters in a pair of MC Hammer pants. Or Arnold Palmer throwing down his cigarette and hiking up his capris before hitting a drive. This is wrong. The unwritten law of sports fashion is that amateurs wear short pants, but professionals wear big boy pants.

Bottom Line

The difference between the LIV events and the PGA events is the difference between Ian Poulter’s slacks and Fred Couples’ khakis. LIV is louder, more energetic, and more entertaining. LIV has taken golf and slapped some lipstick on it while maintaining the integrity and quality of the game. It is an alternative worth watching.

LIV tournaments are also a reminder that the PGA is replaceable. It is not the only organization capable of calculating world rankings, recording history, and running tournaments. Golf clubs across the globe successfully run leagues and stage outings to benefit local high school teams, hospitals, and humanitarian causes such as “Pets with Tourette’s.”

The PGA does not make the game of golf. It is the players battling inside the ropes that produce the drama, create the history, write the records, and sustain the tradition of the game. Not the pencil pushers in blazers.

The management of professional golf has changed over time, and some unholy alliances may soon take over. But do not fear. Golf will survive as long as players can hit a ball further than God intended, and fans are willing to watch it on television. But, as LIV has demonstrated, the sport of golf needs to expand its market and enhance its entertainment value. For this purpose, I may be willing to accept players wearing shorts, just no tank tops, speedos, or cowboy chaps.

Cover Image Via SI