Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com. This week, our team breaks down LIV Golf’s first season, the format of the finale, and if its players will play for the European Ryder Cup team.
1. LIV Golf ended its inaugural year on Sunday with the finale of its $50 team championship event at Trump Doral. Days earlier, Phil Mickelson said “it’s pretty remarkable how far LIV Golf has come in the last six, seven months” and that it’s “a force in the game that’s not going away.” Now that we can put a bow on the controversial league’s inaugural season, how would you assess it? How have your feelings about it changed over the past year? What worked? Or didn’t? What surprised you?
Josh Sens, Senior Writer (@joshsens): A year ago, most of us on this forum would have said LIV had little chance of taking shape at all. And even less chance after Mickelson’s ‘scary mofos’ comment in February. That it not only exists but has drawn a bunch of green jackets, a former world No. 1, the reigning Open/Players champ, etc., counts as a surprising success. What LIV has failed to do is offer a compelling product — though I’m not sure that’s so much a flaw in LIV as it is a feature of modern professional golf. Many of us started saying this long before Rory brought it up. But what the world needs isn’t more pro golf on TV but less of it. The game should pack it in for a while each year. Let people miss it. LIV came into being partly by exploiting a weakness in the PGA Tour — too many snooze-fest events that too few fans care about. But what LIV is offering as an alternative are snooze-fest events that too few fans care about. LIV’s problem is the Tour’s problem, writ large: Enriching players is not the same as rewarding fans. Sure, the lack of a TV deal doesn’t help. But even my 83-year-old luddite mother knows how to click on YouTube. If tons of people were interested, they’d be watching. And they’re not.
Sean Zak, Senior Editor (@Sean_Zak): I wanted LIV to exist for strict chaos purposes. I saw the potential it could inject into the ecosystem for change on the PGA Tour. Unfortunately, I think it all has gone a bit too far. Who is to blame? A lot of folks. How much time do you have? Greg Norman did not work as a frontman. At least not as a speaking frontman. The team championship worked, which was good because it had been hyped up constantly. But the team formation didn’t work. The only brand I can really think of is the 4 Aces, mainly because they were the best players and they solidified from the second event. At this point, I’m sad that there wasn’t a bit of cooperation between the two sides, but I don’t actually care to blame Jay Monahan. If you give LIV an inch, it’ll want to take a mile. So perhaps we were always going to end up right here. I look forward to breaking down the lawsuit. Or rather, lawsuits.
Sens: I don’t think they’ll be playing, but I wouldn’t mind seeing them in the mix. The Ryder Cup is already shot through with partisan divides. What’s a little more tension in the exhibition? It would be only fitting. The teams could even serve as an example, so badly needed these days, that you can disagree with someone’s politics and actions without having to treat them as mortal enemies. As a practical matter, though, it almost seems like a moot point. Aside from Sergio, the now-LIV golfers who played for Europe in the last Cup at Whistling Straits were non-factors. If you really want to win, are you taking any of them at this point? Time for new blood on the team, anyway.
Zak: I think they’ll be allowed AND banned. Shadow-banned, that is. I think they’ll be able to qualify automatically, but will only really be able to do so via majors and DP World Tour events, which they’ll need to work around their LIV schedule. And with half the team decided by captain’s picks, they’ll have to plead to captain Luke Donald and shadow captain Rory McIlroy. It ain’t happening.
Dethier: I’ll endorse Zak’s shadow-banned prediction. These guys may not be outright banned, but it’ll take some strong play in the majors to get them there. The more relevant conversation, to me, isn’t actually who can play on Team Europe but instead who could serve as future captains. LIV swiped the entire lot of ‘em!
4. Our latest Road Rules story identified 18 items that golfers should always travel with. Besides the obvious, what’s the one item you never leave home without when going on a golf trip?
Sens: Baby powder, especially if you’re a walker. And duct tape. Way better than Band-Aids for blisters.
Zak: Duct tape? Sens, do yourself a favor and use athletic tape, my friend. My golf trips always seem to end up with big meals and drinks after. Which generally doesn’t leave as much space for breakfast. So investing in one or two boxes of granola bars can carry you through morning tee times.
Sens: I don’t want to son you here, young man. But take it from any mountaineer — duct tape, ideally with a bit of gauze underneath, directly on the sensitive area. Puts athletic tape to shame. It also has a much cooler DIY quality to it, so it gives you extra street cred, too. I’m with you on the granola bars, though. Great call.
Dethier: It’s good to see Sens bringing some blue-collar sensibility to this space. Duct tape! Patch up your golf bag, your heel, maybe even your hat while we’re at it.
As for me? I’m stressing rain gloves and chapstick. (“Lip balm,” I guess, technically. Chapstick is in that Popsicle/Kleenex generic-brand zone.) You never know when a little sprinkle could disrupt your day — and if it’s windy, sunny or both, some chapped lips can really put a damper on things. Protect yourself!
