LIV Golf is a professional men's golf league established in 2021 with the aim to compete against the more established PGA Tour. The league is financed by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, and has attracted attention both for its financial backing and for controversies related to Saudi Arabia's human rights record. Key features of LIV Golf include:
- Tournaments are played as 54-hole events over three rounds, compared to the traditional 72 holes in other tours.
- Each tournament features a limited field of 48 to 54 players, significantly smaller than PGA Tour events.
- LIV Golf incorporates a unique team format with 13 teams of four players each competing both individually and as teams.
- Shotgun starts are used, meaning all players start simultaneously on different holes.
- Prize pools are very high, typically around $25 million per event, with some tournaments offering even larger sums; this is much higher than typical PGA Tour event purses.
- High-profile players like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson have joined LIV Golf for lucrative contracts.
The league's name "LIV" represents the Roman numeral for 54, symbolizing both the number of holes played and a "perfect" score on a par-72 golf course (birdies on every hole). In June 2023, a significant development occurred when LIV Golf and the PGA Tour announced a partnership to merge operations, allowing former PGA Tour players who joined LIV to return to the PGA Tour, aiming to unify professional golf moving forward. Overall, LIV Golf has introduced a bold new format and an infusion of capital into professional golf, generating both excitement and controversy within the sport. It also focuses on modernizing and energizing golf with team competition and enhanced prize money. This modern league runs about 14 events per season and continues to evolve in the global golf sports landscape. Let me know if you want more details on the format, teams, or notable players!
