The fourth Liv golf season hits the lights under the lights of the Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia on Thursday
The league’s most accomplished golfers include major champions Bryson Dechambeau, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith Smith), although Saudi Arabia-funded Tour has not brought any high-profile players after raiding the PGA Tour over the past three years.
That’s not the only thing that changes from the league. Liv Golf has a new CEO, scoring format, online TV deals and six new full-time players.
Here are some storylines when Liv Golf kicks off its fourth season.
Bottle opener under the light
All three rounds of the LIV golf season opener will be played under the lights of Saudi Arabia, with shotguns starting at 6:15 pm local time (10:15 AM ET), Thursday and Friday and 6 : 05 PM (10:05 ET) on Saturday.
“Obviously, we all have our own shortcomings because we are not used to it,” Ram, the captain of the 12th Legion, said in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. “We never did it. There is a par-3 course to go to at night when we get home, but there is a difference between trying to touch the pitch wedge and the driver. It’s a completely different feeling. But, It feels completely different. But I think it will be very special.”
In addition to adapting to time zone differences, LIV golfers must face shadow and depth perception challenges with the glowing floodlights at Riyadh Golf Club.
“The perception of depth is different from the daytime, so you have to adapt to that,” said Torque GC GC captain Joaquín Niemann. “I think everything you play at night is a little different. It’s not normal to look up at the moon instead of the sun. I think that must Change a little. You might ask Bryson [DeChambeau] If that would change the air density, or…”
New format
For the first time in Tour history, the LIV Golf team had to calculate each of the four players’ scores in three rounds of the entire team’s total. Last season, the team was able to score the highest score in each of the first two rounds, but must include all three rounds in the final round.
“I like it,” Ram said. “I think it benefits a team like us. I think we have four really strong players. So I think every day is important for the league, because Sunday is usually very, very interesting. In that regard, Last year at least it was very interesting.”
Liv Golf said last season, there were 31 non-count scores of 77 or worse. The league said if all four points are counted in the three rounds of 2024, six games will have different winners, and in the playoffs, another tournament will decide.
“I think it will put more pressure on every team,” Neiman said. “I feel like everyone is going to bring the best version of every player in their own best form and the number of shots at each shot. I think it will be great. The level of competition will get higher.”
There is a new guy
New Liv Golf CEO Scott O’Neil replaces Greg Norman, who has been launching and overseeing the tour since its inception in 2021.
O’Neil was previously CEO of Merlin Entertainment and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which controls the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils.
PGA Tour star Rory McIlroy is a blunt critic of Norman over the past few years, calling his departure a “good move.”
“Greg spent a lot of time in the first few years,” McIlroy said at the Dubai Desert Classic last month. “He was probably one of the only people who could take the role. He made it stand out and you have to Appreciate for this. Now it’s time for someone with more experience to take over him.
“Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on in the future [LIV]but the actions they are making, especially from an execution perspective, look like they won’t disappear soon. ”
More than a year has passed since the PGA Tour’s framework agreement with DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund expired on December 31, 2023. The parties continue to negotiate a potential deal in which PIF will invest approximately $1.5 billion in PGA Tour Enterprises.
Sources told ESPN that the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division is reviewing potential agreements. Both sides are continuing to finalize exactly how LIV golfers are allowed to return to the PGA Tour game and how golf can adapt to the game in the future.
Norman is a two-time open title champion and is expected to take part in a role at Liv Golf. He recently joined the Organizing Committee of the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane, Australia.
“Yes, it’s weird for me, obviously, and the last few years are very close to Greg,” Ripper GC captain Smith said Wednesday. “I think he did a great job. He brought this tour to the There were a lot of bullets, and I don’t know a lot of other people who could do it, to be honest.”
There are alternatives
Since the team must record four points per game in three rounds, Liv Golf has a new alternative policy. If the player exits in a round, his team can select an available reserve player to complete the round. If the player exits before completing a hole, the reserve will keep his ball in the same place as the original player.
If the player quits in a round, he can return to the game. He will only be able to compete in team competitions, not in individual competitions.
New (but not very familiar) faces
Liv Golf is not like the high-profile golfer who poached the PGA Tour in late 2023. Luis Masaveu (Fireballs GC), Yubin Jang (Iron Heads GC), Tom McKibbin (Legion XIII) in Northern Ireland, Ben Campbell (Rangegatats GC) in New Zealand and Chieh-Po Lee (Wild) in Taiwan goate Lee (Wildgoate) .
McKibbin, 22, is perhaps Liv Golf’s biggest offseason award. He won the DP World Tour title at the Porsche European Open in June 2023, before winning the PGA Tour through Dubai last fall.
McKibbin took the same course with Rory McIlroy, the PGA Tour of the Holywood Golf Club in Northern Ireland. But McGibbin ignored McIlroy’s advice by signing with Liv Golf.
“I said to him, ‘If I wear your shoes, I’ll make a different choice,'” McIlroy told reporters at the Dubai Desert Classic. “Trying to get a travel card in the United States, and achieving that last year was A huge achievement. I think he might be sacrificing and giving up on someone who is going to get into professionals, it depends on how he plays.. If I’m in his position and I have his potential, I think I used to be like this before , then I won’t make a decision.”
McGibbin, who ranked 109th in the world, said the lack of a Grand Slam and Ryder Cup was not a big factor in his decision, as he has not yet qualified anyone.
“It’s definitely my mind, but for me, I’m not one of them,” McGibbin said. “Again, having the opportunity to play with men more often here and more consistent is definitely a big factor . I’m not those professionals anyway, so this really didn’t bother me too much.”
McGibbin replaced Spanish golfer Eugenio Chacarra, who was not retained by Legion XIII.
Mickelson
In Saudi Arabia, a reserve player for Ollie Schniederjans will replace Hyflyers captain Phil Mickelson, who will not play with a shoulder injury.
Mickelson said in a statement about X that he suffered minor injuries while exercising in the gym. He is expected to compete in Australia’s second LIV golf game from February 14 to 16.
Schniederjans, who fought numerous injuries over the past few seasons, won his first victory in nine years on the Asian Tour, winning his first victory in nine years on Sunday. With a four-pointer defeat to De Hamburg, the former Georgia Tech star climbed from No. 734 in the official world golf rankings to No. 265.
Other reserves provided by Saudi Arabia include John Catlin, Wade Omsby, Max Rotlaf and Khalid Atti.
LIV Golf Team
4 ac ac: Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Harold Varner III, Thomas Pieters
2024 Completed: T2nd
Clex Golf Club: Martin Camer, Richard Bland, Adrian Meronk, Frederick Catherup
2024 Completed: 11th
Crusher GC: Bryson DeChambeau (Captain), Paul Casey, Charles Howell III, Anirban Lahiri
2024 Completed: T7th
Fireball GC: Captain, Abraham Ancer, Luis Masaveu, David Puig
Completed in 2024: Sixth
Hyflyers GC: Phil Mickelson, Andy Ogletree, Brendan Steele, Cameron Tringale
2024 Completed: T7th
Iron Head GC: Captain, Yubin Jang, Jinichiro Kozuma, Danny Lee
2024 Completed: T2nd
Legion 13: Jon Rahm (Captain), Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin
Completed in 2024: Fourth
Majestics GC: Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Sam Horsfield
2024 Completed: 9th
Rangegatats GC: Bubba Watson (Captain), Ben Campbell, Peter Uihlein, Matthew Wolff
2024 Completed: Twelfth
Ripper GC: Cameron Smith (Captain), Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones, Marc Leishman
2024 Completed: First
Smash GC: Brooks Koepka (Captain), Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak, Graeme McDowell
2024 Completed: 13
Stinger GC: Louis Oosthuizen (Captain), Dean Burmester, Branden Grace
2024 Completed: Fifth
Torque GC: Joaquin Niemann (Captain), Sebastián Muñoz, Carlos Ortiz, Mito Pereira
2024 Completed: Tenth
Wildcard players: Anthony Kim, chieh-po lee
2025 timetable
Liv Golf Riyadh
Location: Riyadh Golf Club, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Time: Thursday to Thursday
Leaf Golf Adelaide
Location: Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia
Time: February 14th to 16th
Defending champion: Brendan Steele
LIV Golf Hong Kong
Location: Hong Kong Golf Club, Fan Lin, Hong Kong
Time: March 7th to 9th
Defending champion: Abraham Ancer
Leaf Golf Singapore
Location: Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore (Serapong course)
Time: March 14th to 16th
Defending champion: Brooks Koepka
Leaf Golf Miami
Location: Trump National Doral Golf Course, Miami
Time: April 4th to 6th
Defending champion: Dean Burmester
LIV Golf Mexico City
Location: Mexico City Golf Club Chapultepec Club
Time: April 25th to 27th
Liv Golf Korea
Location: Jack Nicklaus Golf Club South Korea, South Korea, South Korea
Time: May 2-4
LIV Golf Washington DC
Location: Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia
Time: June 6th to 8th
Defending champion: Harold Varner III
Liv Golf Dallas
Location: Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas
Time: June 27th to 29th
Liv Golf Andalucia
Location: Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Spain
Time: July 11th to 13th
Defending champion: Sergio Garcia
Liv Golf UK
Location: JCB Golf and Country Club in Rost, England
Time: July 25th to 27th
Defending champion: Jon Ram
Liv Golf Chicago
Location: Bolingbrook Golf Club in Bolingbrook, Illinois
Time: August 8th to 10th
Defending champion: Jon Ram
Liv Golf Indianapolis
Location: Club in Chatham Hill, Westfield, Indiana
Time: August 15th to 17th
LIV Golf Michigan – Match
Location: Cardinal of St. John, Plymouth, Michigan
Time: August 22-23
LIV Golf Michigan – Stroke Play
Location: Cardinal of St. John, Plymouth, Michigan
Time: August 24
