Just when you thought the Saudi Arabia-backed golf league—now titled “LIV Golf Invitational”—had lost steam, they (unfortunately) bounce right back with their official schedule.
First reported by ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, LIV Golf Invitational will play eight events starting in June.
- June 9-11: Centurion Golf Club, London, Eng.
- July 1-3: Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Portland, Org.
- July 29-31: Trump National Golf Club, Bedminister, NJ.
- September 2-4: The International, Boston, Mass.
- September 16-18: Rich Harvest Farms, Chicago, Ill.
- October 7-9: Stonehill Golf Club, Bangkok, Thailand
- October 14-16: Royal Greens Golf Club, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- October 28-30, untitled golf course (team championship)
Each event will feature 54 holes, no cut, and a whopping total of $25 million purses per event, minus the team event ($5 million) and year-end wrap up event on October 28-30 ($30 million).
A Canadian stop was initially in the cards, potentially at Caledon’s Pulpit Club, but it seems the Greg Norman-backed tour will not be heading north of the border. Unfortunately for Canadian fans, the tour debuts on Canadian Open week after a two-year hiatus. I know which event I’ll be tuning into!
It is not exactly a very attractive schedule, with less-than venues when you compare the PGA TOUR stops at Riviera, Pebble Beach, St. George’s, Harbour Town, TPC Sawgrass, a US Open at Brookline, Kapalua, and Muirfield Village. Of course, if The Masters, The Open, and the PGA Championship take a similar stance to the US Open, the list would include Augusta National, The Old Course, and Southern Hills. That’s tough.
When comparing the circuit to the PGA TOUR, it becomes hard to be excited about the schedule. When you consider details surrounding the Premier Golf League (PGL), it seems LIV Golf Invitational will play third-fiddle. I’m not sure if I’d watch Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, let alone the players the LIV Golf Invitational will get, half-heartedly smack it around Trump National in a 54 hole no-cut hit & giggle, but I suppose someone will.
