KZRG SPORTS – LIV VS. PGA
Professional Golf is not always known for its off-the-field drama outside of the Tiger Woods saga throughout the 2010’s, but it appears all of that is about to change at least for the near future. The PGA Tour has been the premier league for professional golfers for years and it has never been up in the air until now. There appears to be a new challenger in town who is already making a big name for itself.
The LIV Golf League, founded in 2021 and began its’ inaugural season beginning in 2022, has thrown the golf world completely upside down. The series is taking a new approach to the golf scene by having 12 teams made up of 48 individuals playing 54 holes throughout the three rounds. The rounds will include “shotgun starts” which means every hole will be occupied by a player or team throughout the entire day. The events will also feature no cuts to keep as many of your favorite golfers in contention every day. Eight events will make up the coined “real season” to provide a feel for every tournament matters. The purpose of the new approach is to provide more action and a fan-friendly appeal to every round and event.
The new league has been backed by the sovereign with fund of Saudi Arabia financially and plans to invest ludicrous amounts of money to sport the biggest purses in professional golfing history. This brings an immediate draw to participation for PGA golfers. The first official tournament is to be played beginning on June 9th, 2022, in London. Some familiar names participating in this tournament include for PGA golfers Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.
Phil Mickelson is one of the biggest and most vocal names to leave the PGA Tour for the newly established league. Mickelson has been in the news multiple times throughout his career criticizing the PGA Tour and for various other comments and actions he has made on the public level. Mickelson has also received backlash after originally making negative comments about the LIV series before later joining the league.
Potential nine figure payouts, big names with bigger comments, and forming rivalries all lead to potential insane developments in the golfing world. As the US Open is underway and the first LIV invitational has recently concluded, we will get to sit back and watch the most dramatic era in golf unfold right in front of our eyes.
Nathan Massey, KZRG