LIV free 5th Major

[JLahrman]

I was a member of a course where we held a Korn Ferry tournament. No one watched, no one bought tickets. It existed solely because a single individual who had the money wished it too.

To say something related to golf is going away because it provides no logical monetary return doesn’t fit with my personal experience.

JK I agree with you, I don't think how many people watch LIV events or how much money the Saudis lose has anything to do with whether LIV will survive, die, or need to adapt.


I just find the TV ratings amusing.

[Kalen Braley]

I was a member of a course where we held a Korn Ferry tournament. No one watched, no one bought tickets. It existed solely because a single individual who had the money wished it too.

To say something related to golf is going away because it provides no logical monetary return doesn’t fit with my personal experience.

JK I agree with you, I don't think how many people watch LIV events or how much money the Saudis lose has anything to do with whether LIV will survive, die, or need to adapt.

I just find the TV ratings amusing.

JLhar,

While I understand your point, nearly everything on TV is ratings and ad revenue driven or it gets cancelled.

I know the Saudis have insane deep pockets, but even this one is tough to see going beyond a few years given the massive size of the losses. They're already ~ 1.5 billion in the hole, (granted they won't be paying out those massive signing bonuses anymore), but they've already made skimpy moves like chopping benefits for behind the scenes workers.

[Tim_Cronin]

The LIV tournament in Tucson didn't even show up in the weekly sports TV ratings compiled by showbuzzdaily.com from Nielsen data. Only six golf telecasts did: the NBC weekend coverage of Valspar (the high was a 1.62 rating and about 2.6 million viewers on Sunday), Golf Channel's weekday coverage, Golf Channel's early Saturday show, and the Golf Channel late Friday telecast of the Champions Tour (a 0.09 rating and 154,000 viewers). Everything else golf-related didn't make the cut.


Overall, 163 programs were rated, down to two shows with 100,000 viewers: the sports car race in Sebring and a World Baseball Classic game.


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Update: According to Sports Business Journal, LIV Golf averaged 274,000 viewers for its final round on CW. Saturday's second round averaged 284,000. Twenty-four percent of households, or 29 million homes, were unable to view the telecast because their affiliate did not carry it.

[Jim_Coleman]

Baseball deserves better. Been great.

[Tim_Cronin]

Baseball deserves better. Been great.

That game was on FS2 on Tuesday afternoon. The U.S.-Venezuela WBC game on Fox on Saturday night had 2.26 million viewers against the NCAA Tournament, and more than twice the viewers as an NHL game on ABC at the same time.

[Bruce Katona]

Because he "walked the walk" and made a living on The Tour, I'm curious of what Pat Burke's opinion on this topic is?  He may have some behind the curtains thoughts of what the guys inside the ropes think about "The Fifth Major."




As for a larger guaranteed paycheck from doing the same thing one was doing; who on this Board hasn't worked for a terrible miserable a$$hat client/boss for what may have been much more compensation that the job warranted; especially if things were tight at home or if the compensation was enough to make a world of difference in one's family life?  The travesty of the Khashoggi killing is just that, a travesty.


I work in real estate.  There are lots of scummy people in this industry. All you can hope for is that your contract is solid enough, your lawyer good enough and the client has enough unencumbered assets to lien if they attempt to $crew and not pay you.

[Charlie Goerges]

The travesty of the Khashoggi killing is just that, a travesty.

And usually when a travesty occurs, one changes one's behavior as a result. Not sure where you're going with that one.

[Michael Morandi]

Few things are beyond reproach, least the PGA Tour and our own government. But there is a particular honor that goes along with a game in which the participants are asked to call penalties on themselves. I get it that some LIV golfers might need the money, though I doubt  any are destitute. But for the great majority who do not, they are engaged in an unplayable lie that LIV is meant to expand the game when it is clearly a sport washing  vehicle  for the Crown Prince and a money grab for the Shark, who, despite all his grievances, did not participate in trying to change the tour when he was the number 1 golfer in the world.

[Tim Leahy]

The LIV tournament in Tucson didn't even show up in the weekly sports TV ratings compiled by showbuzzdaily.com from Nielsen data. Only six golf telecasts did: the NBC weekend coverage of Valspar (the high was a 1.62 rating and about 2.6 million viewers on Sunday), Golf Channel's weekday coverage, Golf Channel's early Saturday show, and the Golf Channel late Friday telecast of the Champions Tour (a 0.09 rating and 154,000 viewers). Everything else golf-related didn't make the cut.


Overall, 163 programs were rated, down to two shows with 100,000 viewers: the sports car race in Sebring and a World Baseball Classic game.


----


Update: According to Sports Business Journal, LIV Golf averaged 274,000 viewers for its final round on CW. Saturday's second round averaged 284,000. Twenty-four percent of households, or 29 million homes, were unable to view the telecast because their affiliate did not carry it.

Ouch, an accident on an LA freeway gets more views than LIV.

[Pat Burke]

Because he "walked the walk" and made a living on The Tour, I'm curious of what Pat Burke's opinion on this topic is?  He may have some behind the curtains thoughts of what the guys inside the ropes think about "The Fifth Major."




As for a larger guaranteed paycheck from doing the same thing one was doing; who on this Board hasn't worked for a terrible miserable a$$hat client/boss for what may have been much more compensation that the job warranted; especially if things were tight at home or if the compensation was enough to make a world of difference in one's family life?  The travesty of the Khashoggi killing is just that, a travesty.


I work in real estate.  There are lots of scummy people in this industry. All you can hope for is that your contract is solid enough, your lawyer good enough and the client has enough unencumbered assets to lien if they attempt to $crew and not pay you.

Bruce,
Playing just means I played decently. Opinions? For sure.
I only played two Players Championships and majors at Pebble Beach and St Andrews.


The Players was unique. A big event, but did not have the same feel or pressure as the Opens.
For me, the Players felt a lot like the Australian Open I played at Royal Melbourne. A different type but tournament ready course with a lot of energy for the contestants.
The Players had a purse that was almost like having two events in one week financially.  That was very important given the money list carrots always dangled before us.
The big exemption was huge as well, and the tournament was no doubt big. 


To me, a top of the next tier event more than a major fwiw.  Selfishly, I loved the course, I felt my game was very well suited for it, so I was fired up to play there!

[Marty Bonnar]

Bruce,
Playing just means I played decently. Opinions? For sure.
I only played two Players Championships and majors at Pebble Beach and St Andrews.

And a Senior Open at Carnoustie! 

[Garland Bayley]

... a money grab for the Shark, who, despite all his grievances, did not participate in trying to change the tour when he was the number 1 golfer in the world.

the Shark did propose changes to the tour that were rejected by the tour only to have the tour shortly thereafter create the World Golf Championships. I can't say for sure that he did it while he was "the number 1 golfer in the world."

[Kalen Braley]

... a money grab for the Shark, who, despite all his grievances, did not participate in trying to change the tour when he was the number 1 golfer in the world.

the Shark did propose changes to the tour that were rejected by the tour only to have the tour shortly thereafter create the World Golf Championships. I can't say for sure that he did it while he was "the number 1 golfer in the world."

Garland he was close enough I'd think

He went public with his proposal at his Shark Shoot-out in mid-November 1994.  At the time he was ranked #2 in the world, just a hair behind Nick Price

[Pat Burke]

Greg certainly tried, as did a number of other players.
Finchem was a great political operator and circled the wagons to fight Greg


Net effect was a WGC scheduled controlled by and centered around the USA tour