I told you; LIV is for lawyers...

[Steve Lang]

Hasn't teh LPGA been paying for tv coverage years???

[Tim_Cronin]

Hasn't teh LPGA been paying for tv coverage years???

LPGA gets a rights fee. The PGA Tour took over as the LPGA’s agent a few years ago.

[Pat Burke]

I’m not sure if true, but I was told many years ago when I was playing, much of the Australia tour TV was paid for by the tournaments?


I do not/can not remember the details, but was surprised coming from us tour that wa happening at some events.


Back when I was playing there, the course and tournaments were as good as anything in played here in the USA. I’ve always prayed that some huge sponsor would “discover” the tour down there and provide backing the country deserves

[Bruce Katona]

FWIW I just saw that LIV attracted Cam Smith and Leishman by offering part ownership.

But a share of what, exactly?


An equity interest in a potential new venture; especially if one does not have to actually invest one's own out-of-pocket cash; has a huge financial upside with very little downside; as many VC's know.




Back in 2009-2010 the VC investment firm Elevation Partners (yep that guy - no not DJT, the Irish rock star) injected $210 million in a social media platform company called Facebook (Meta). Lots of folks snickered. 13 months later the investment was worth $1.05 Billion - a 5x in a little more than a year.


That's what can happen on the upside.

[Rob Marshall]

I’m not sure if true, but I was told many years ago when I was playing, much of the Australia tour TV was paid for by the tournaments?


I do not/can not remember the details, but was surprised coming from us tour that wa happening at some events.


Back when I was playing there, the course and tournaments were as good as anything in played here in the USA. I’ve always prayed that some huge sponsor would “discover” the tour down there and provide backing the country deserves

Wonder why Norman didn't do it with LIV? He has the name and the backing.

[Ken Moum]

FWIW I just saw that LIV attracted Cam Smith and Leishman by offering part ownership.

But a share of what, exactly?

An equity interest in a potential new venture; especially if one does not have to actually invest one's own out-of-pocket cash; has a huge financial upside with very little downside; as many VC's know.




Back in 2009-2010 the VC investment firm Elevation Partners (yep that guy - no not DJT, the Irish rock star) injected $210 million in a social media platform company called Facebook (Meta). Lots of folks snickered. 13 months later the investment was worth $1.05 Billion - a 5x in a little more than a year.


That's what can happen on the upside.

Of course it can, but my question was, "A share of what?"


A share of the cost of buying new players for LIV? A share of the cost of buying time on TV?


FB didn't look like much 13 years ago, but it was a functioning thing.


I actually am interested in what the players who got a "share" are being told they're getting. I suspect it's being part owner of a team, given that selling team sponsorships has come up several times in discussions, and Poulter did say he was wearing the logos because he was and owner.

[Ken Moum]

I’m not sure if true, but I was told many years ago when I was playing, much of the Australia tour TV was paid for by the tournaments?


I do not/can not remember the details, but was surprised coming from us tour that wa happening at some events.


Back when I was playing there, the course and tournaments were as good as anything in played here in the USA. I’ve always prayed that some huge sponsor would “discover” the tour down there and provide backing the country deserves

Wonder why Norman didn't do it with LIV? He has the name and the backing.

You'd have to guess that it's because his primary goal has little to do with with building anything as beneficent as an Aussie Tour and completely to do with damaging the PGA Tour as much as possible.  This is, after all, the end of 30 years of him being pissed at Finchem.


And as regards buying TV time, it's pretty common.  I didn't realize it until now, the the LPGA has been buying time for years, and still has some tournaments under that system.  Then they are stuck finding sponsors to pay for it.  It's why sometimes their events that run over the allotted time don't get finished on-air.


FWIW, when I was in the outdoors writing business, I knew some guys who had fishing and hunting shows in the Midwest who did the same thing. It's a tough way to make a living, IMHO.

[Pat Burke]

I’m not sure if true, but I was told many years ago when I was playing, much of the Australia tour TV was paid for by the tournaments?







I do not/can not remember the details, but was surprised coming from us tour that wa happening at some events.


Back when I was playing there, the course and tournaments were as good as anything in played here in the USA. I’ve always prayed that some huge sponsor would “discover” the tour down there and provide backing the country deserves

Wonder why Norman didn't do it with LIV? He has the name and the backing.

I was somewhat hoping. But would not surprise me if the Aus Tour rebuffed any overtures.

[Pete_Pittock]

Some time ago I read that Norman was selling his US properties to move back to Australia? Too bad that didn't work out.


So the Saudis, OPEC and partners agreed to cut oil production to increase oil prices. Nice going, LIV by extension.  Been driving, Oregon was $5.40, Los Angeles was $7.45 and in Tucson its $3.50

[Anthony Butler]

So the Saudis, OPEC and partners agreed to cut oil production to increase oil prices.

Every day I'm more convinced that LIV Golf is a way for the Saudis to launder money to the Trumps... in return for what?

Maybe a classified report on Israel and Iran's nuclear capabilities fell out of the box on the way from DC to Mara Lago. Will we ever find out how much Trump got from the Saudi Govt. for renting his courses to the two LIV events this year? I'll bet $1000 it was WAAAY over standard commercial rates.

Meanwhile reports are surfacing about a 'privately owned' club in Victoria hosting the Australian LIV even in 2023. Some have speculated it might be Cathedral Lodge. If that turns out to be true, at least it means Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath  etc. and thank god NSW Golf Club will not have their names besmirched by the stink of Saudi oil money.

[Cliff Hamm]

https://golf.com/news/judge-deals-liv-legal-blow-pga-tour-suit/

[V. Kmetz]

https://golf.com/news/judge-deals-liv-legal-blow-pga-tour-suit/

Sure... like my op said last summer... this all is a rich brat's rattle and whine, cooked up by the legal department as the elevator passed the marketing communications floor in some London office. There's been several more hours of court action than golf action... more billable hours of filings and copies of filings and gratuities for car service to court than the aggregate of fairways, greens and putts made by the participants.


Like Bernstein said, "It's no trick to make a lot of money, if all you want is to make a lot of money."


The handful of promising, established players defected to LIV have absolutely sacked their aspirant careers and diffused their reputations into the veritable trash barrel... only pausing to keep what was shittiest or dullest about them...


have you even "thought" one moment about the games or playing merits of recent major champions like Bryson DeChambeau or DJ or Koepka or Stenson or Bubba or Kaymer or Schwatrzl...in the last year ?!  I wouldn't know or care if they were shanking. I find they are out of sight, out of mind... never mind promising players like Varner, Wolff, Ancer, Grace...


They don't even play; there's 14 events and more than half of them will show their last live shot between 11 pm and 11 am in America...it's like here's 20+ million, throw your legacies in a dictator's toilet.


As their spiritual master would say, "So Sad."

[Stewart Abramson]

Link to opinion piece in today's Global Golf Post https://read.nxtbook.com/global_golf_post/global_golf_post/20230220/nuge_col.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=READ%20NOW&utm_campaign=dm-022023

[B.Ross]

wanted to mention a few interesting LIV related things, starting with the 3 guys who just made the jump (thomas pieters, brendan steele, danny lee) and then some things that came out more recently.


- Pieters, ranked #34 in OGWR, wasn't invited to Riv and has in the past commented about how lonely it can be on tour for a european born guy like himself even if he played collegiately at Illinois. speculation, but seems like he wasn't willing to move stateside full time like other prominent Euros who played collegiately over here and LIV is better for his lifestyle. also since LIV/DP world tour suit is in limbo, he can still play the euro tour though not for Euro RC team at this point in time. the Euro RC team remains big elephant in room as to how they can field a competitive team w/ these defections coupled with how they award points for auto qualifiers.


- Brendan Steele is a longtime friend of Phil's and grew up in inland empire. believe he currently resides in orange county, so paying big state taxes unlike the pros based in florida, nevada , texas etc. at 39 and past his main earning days on pga tour, sensible that he made jump likely after Phil was in his ear.


- Danny Lee - spotted thursday afternoon at rancho range after a 76 at RIV. speculation, but i bet word got out around Riv he was leaving pga tour and the tourney operators and/or other tour pros there made him feel so uncomfortable that he'd go to one of the busiest ranges in the US instead of grinding at RIV. Hilarious.


came out today that adidas & DJ have parted ways. speculation but my guess is adidas didn't feel it was worth sponsoring him to be shown on the CW + the 4 majors. this aligns w/ how taylor made is seemingly no longer using him in any advertising these days. this will prove out to be quite interesting over time because at what point does a 3-4 year deal w/ LIV become untenable if it means you've given up all your endorsement money?


it's known that cobra/puma ended their relationship w/ bryson and now he's in cuater spikes, ping irons and a taylor driver. given his personality and new lack of exposure, i'm curious if he's even getting his gear for free?

[John Kavanaugh]

How does the talent drain from the Tour compare to WWII? Should the recent accomplishments of Jon Rahm be downgraded in the same manor as Iron Byron’s?