In Full Swing, the creation of LIV Golf as a rival to the PGA Tour threatens the golf world, as many of the big names in the sport plan to shift to the new league even though there is a lot of criticism surrounding it.
The officials in Saudi Arabia create LIV Golf, a new golf league, led by two-time major winner Greg Norman, who is serving as the CEO of this new league.
With around eight events planned, the league aims to offer guaranteed millions of dollars to the tour’s biggest players. Phil Mickelson receives an offer of $200 million, $150 million for Dustin Johnson, and $700 million for Tiger Woods.
LIV Golf is attempting to steal not only the major players but also the ones who are quite popular in the mainstream world. In no time, it became an existential threat to the PGA Tour.
Some golfers see LIV Golf as a great alternative, while others, like Rickie Fowler, say that these two are completely different.
According to Fowler, the PGA Tour is the pinnacle of professional golf. There is a lot of history and tradition, as opposed to LIV Golf, which is brand new and has a lot of controversy surrounding it.
LIV Golf is distinct in itself. It has 54 holes, unlike the PGA Tour, which has 72 holes. LIV Golf has this team aspect and a very limited field.
The criticism around LIV Golf
LIV Golf, as a venture, is criticized as the Saudi government’s attempt to sports wash its controversial Human Rights Campaign.
The documentary further mentions how Greg Norman has defended the golf league by brushing off the role of the country and the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Greg Norman says, “Look, we’ve all made mistakes… and you just want to learn from those mistakes and how you can correct them going forward”. Norman’s statements have been criticized by various publications.
The Washington Post says that the Saudi government is trying to use golf to cleanse its global reputation. Felix Jakens from Amnesty UK calls LIV Golf one more event in a series of sports-washing exercises that the Saudi authorities are using to clean its blood-soaked image.
The disruption caused by LIV Golf
Despite all the criticism around it, popular golfers such as Ian Poulter, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson end up joining LIV Golf. These golfers are then suspended and not considered eligible to be part of the PGA Tour, which continues to maintain its position and move forward.
According to Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour’s commissioner, the PGA Tour is where members are allowed to compete for an opportunity to add their names to the history books and also for the significant financial benefits, without having to wrestle with any sort of moral ambiguity.
The arrival of LIV Golf disrupts the eco-system of the golfing world and tears it apart. Whether these golfers, who have chosen to compete for LIV Golf, will ever come back to the PGA Tour remains a question to be answered.
Dustin Johnson feels that he has had a lot of success and that this is an opportunity to do something new. Ian Poulter says that LIV is what he feels is right for him and his family. Therefore, he is comfortable with his decision to join it.
The presence of LIV Golf allows the PGA Tour to make changes to the average purse of their own players. In a way, the players who decided to stay have also benefited from the arrival of LIV Golf.
With that, the golfing world continues to be uneasy with the presence of two rival leagues.
Also Read: Full Swing review: Covers the golfing world in and out
