Backed by eye-watering cash from Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund (PIF), the brand new enterprise has threatened to unsettle golf’s conventional arrange, one thing to which the PGA Tour reacted to strongly on Thursday, banning 17 of its gamers — together with lifetime member Phil Mickelson — for collaborating.
LIV Golf’s assertion in reply to the punishment doled out was nothing however foreboding.
“The period of free company is starting,” it mentioned.
And with the funding behind it, the flurry of stars signing up and the lengths the brand new tour has gone to enchantment to followers, on the bottom in St Albans, it certain looks like the start of one thing, not a flash within the pan.
Controversy
Simply meters from an enormous bar and with loud music enjoying within the background, a bunch of younger males strive their hand at a placing problem for an all-expenses paid journey to Miami whereas two entertainers, each on stilts and wearing conventional nineteenth century British clothes, pose for images with followers ready to strive their hand.
Only a few meters away, multi-time main winners Mickelson and Dustin Johnson tee off. The LIV Golf collection is definitely making noise.
It is taken a number of years to get so far, however, fronted by former world No. 1 Greg Norman and with some astonishing sum of money behind it — together with $250 million in whole prize cash — the brand new golf league is right here.
It hasn’t come with out its bumps within the highway. Warnings from the established excursions — the PGA Tour and DP World Tour (previously the European Tour) — have come and gone, whereas many gamers have expressed their reluctance to desert the preeminent {golfing} institutions and their disappointment of their colleagues for leaving.
“I got here to look at the golfers,” James Bowman mentioned. “I comply with golf, so I got here to look at among the greatest golfers on the planet. I admire the problems concerned however, personally, not for me.
“I am supportive of extra excursions. I believe extra alternative for extra individuals to look at extra golf. That is the closest an enormous golf occasion has ever been to my house, so I believe it is a good alternative for extra individuals to look at golf.”
One other informed CNN that he believes that whereas the PGA Tour has been “nice” for the sport, golfers are “unbiased contractors” and will be capable of ply their commerce as and the place they like.
‘Golf, however louder’
A row of black taxis sit idle ready to move a collection of golf’s greatest names to their respective tees for the shotgun begin — the place all opponents begin on the identical time — one other change carried out to make the product extra interesting to followers.
Regardless of the breathtaking quantities of cash behind it, it isn’t all glamorous for the 48-man discipline as they sit and wait jammed into the again of the cabs alongside their luggage.
As essentially the most bold enterprise in golf nears its starting, spectators are bombarded by a variety of sights and sounds.
There is a flyover from some outdated planes and trumpet blasts from some British military band members. They’re even handled to a Greg Norman sighting who got here to witness the inaugural teeing off.
As its self-proclaimed motto says: “Golf, however louder.”
And at round about 2:15 p.m. UK time, they’re lastly prepared to start.
A whole bunch of followers collect across the first tee to witness Mickelson, Johnson and Scott Vincent tee off. Nonetheless, round the remainder of the course, the story could be very totally different. Mickelson and Johnson on the primary tee are a transparent draw for followers. However for different gamers beginning on totally different tees, it was lots quieter.
“Simply the place you began, I used to be standing on the third tee field for about 10 minutes, and there was no person with me,” Charl Schartzel mentioned after the primary spherical. “And finally I took my telephone out and I used to be phoning Graeme (McDowell). I mentioned, ‘Graeme, mate, the place are you? Am I on the correct tee field?’
“That made it very totally different for me than what you’ll be used to being introduced on the primary tee.”
Ticket gross sales for the occasion have been sluggish, with gamers providing tons of of followers the chance to win free tickets to attend. The event has a cap on 8,000 tickets per day and the official ticket sale numbers haven’t been launched.
It is onerous to say whether or not there are shut to eight,000 followers in attendance, however everyone seems to be in excessive spirits, specifically at with the ability to see a legend of the sport equivalent to Mickelson work his magic. He is met by his customary chants of “Phil!” as he makes his approach across the course.
Between its fan zone, group format, fewer rounds and post-round concert events, organizers have tried to tug out all of the stops to enchantment to a large demographic. However not everyone seems to be impressed.
For Paul Stubbens, who says he is attended US Opens, PGA Championships and been to the Masters, the “immersive” fan zone space maybe is not as particular as he was anticipating.
“It is cool, however it’s no totally different to the PGA,” he mentioned. “It is not dissimilar. In actual fact, possibly I used to be anticipating somewhat extra from this one.”
Uncomfortable questions
Simply when it appeared the golf would possibly changing into the primary storyline, the PGA Tour dropped the hammer, handing out suspensions to 17 gamers for enjoying within the LIV Golf collection, minutes into Thursday’s opening spherical.
Lots of the gamers affected have been quizzed on it instantly following their spherical, with some, equivalent to Mickelson, preferring to not remark, whereas others have been solely discovering out about it then and there.
Meters away from the combined zone the place Mickelson was being grilled, golf writer and journalist Alan Shipnuck — whose quoting of the six-time main winner on probably becoming a member of the LIV Golf collection, making disparaging feedback about Saudi Arabia’s human rights file and asserting the dominion was accountable for the 2018 homicide of journalist Jamal Khashoggi for his upcoming ebook led to the golfer taking a break from the game — was being requested to go away the premises.
Norman mentioned he hadn’t heard, earlier than Shipnuck replied with a screenshot of the video with Norman wanting on on the incident within the background.
“You can not make this sh*t up! I texted Greg Norman earlier than somebody despatched me this video — I had no thought he was lurking behind me,” he tweeted.
The incident wasn’t the glamorous finish to the day that the LIV Golf collection can have wished — and there will probably be many extra uncomfortable questions to come back — however golf’s new competitors seems to be dwelling as much as its motto.
