From Golf · · 1m 30s
LIV Golf miscalculated fan appeal
LIV Golf's fatal error in understanding golf's fan appeal led to its collapse.
In brief
LIV Golf's fatal error in understanding golf's fan appeal led to its collapse. LIV Golf's misjudgment of why fans love golf caused its downfall. Originally reported by Golf.
LIV Golf's fatal error
LIV Golf miscalculated why fans are drawn to golf, proving fatal for the league.
“The banishment for life of Pete Rose from baseball is the sad end of a sorry episode”
Golf's meritocratic past
The PGA Tour in the 1970s and 1980s had rugged, independent players who felt like cowboys.
“All those independent contractors. The players were cowboys, really”
LIV Golf's rise
LIV Golf emerged as a Saudi-backed league with cash-driven changes to professional golf.
“It was an effort by a group of Saudi oil billionaires to buy a seat at the table”
Phil Mickelson's exit
Phil Mickelson, 50, became the oldest major winner before exiling himself to create LIV Golf.
“At 51, he exiled himself, in the name (he claimed) of remaking professional golf”
LIV Golf's impact
LIV Golf's cash-driven model alienated traditional golf fans and damaged key players.
“LIV Golf's dyed-cash money bombs left a stain on some of the most dynamic figures”
Key players affected
Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and others left LIV Golf for the PGA Tour.
“This is an incomplete roster of the diminished: Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau”
Golf's individual nature
Golf is a sport for self-reliance, not teamwork, which LIV Golf's team model ignored.
“Golf is sport for those of us who are attracted to notions of self-reliance”
Rory McIlroy's view
Rory McIlroy claimed older golfers would have loved LIV Golf but it didn't change the game.
“Talk to Jack Nicklaus or any of these older guys, they would have loved LIV to come around in their day”
Golf's financial history
In the 1980s, golf earnings were modest compared to today's levels.
“Jack’s payday for winning the 1986 Masters was $144,000”
LIV Golf's legacy
LIV Golf's collapse leaves questions about golf's future and its business model.
“LIV Golf is dead: Here are 6 burning questions that remain”
The game's resilience
Golf's meritocratic history and traditions remain strong despite LIV Golf's collapse.
“The matter of Mr. Rose is now closed. It will be debated and discussed”
What's next
The PGA Tour and European tours will continue to shape golf's future.
“The modern, new-look, PE-fueled PGA Tour, rising now from the ashes of the old one”
The takeaway
LIV Golf's misjudgment of why fans love golf caused its downfall.
