The LIV Golf Invitational Series has begun, and the first event wrapped up with Charl Schwartzel taking home the first title at the Centurion Club near London, England.
The 54-hole, no-cut team event provided fans with an interesting twist to the game of golf with 12 teams of four players chosen by captains prior to the start.
LIV Golf makes its debut in the United States next month at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Portland, Oregon. The tournament will be the first five events held in the United States, and the field is expected to gain major winners, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed.
With the first tournament under our belt, let’s take a look at four reasons why golf fans should give the LIV Golf International Series a chance.
4. No Commercials
The funding behind the tournament is a major black eye for the series as the dollars poured into the series are backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. With the large upfront investment and no sponsors, the tournament coverage is a lot of golf and no commercials.
Golf coverage, or lack thereof, has been a problem for the PGA Tour in recent years as the tour and the sponsors try to recoup the large sums of money invested in the tournament on a weekly basis. Many within the golf community have complained about the lack of on-the-course action and too many commercial breaks.
3. The Announcers Bring the Hype
If you tuned at all to the YouTube feed during the first tournament, you would have noticed the hype the announcers brought to the telecast. The trio of Arlo White, Jerry Foltz, and Dom Boulet provided spectators with a rousing broadcast and promotion of the LIV Series and the players in the field.
2. The Format is a Unique
Twelve teams of four players and a shotgun start sounds like your monthly best-ball tournament at your local golf course. A small majority of players complained in the past about getting snubbed on certain tee times during golf tournaments, and the shotgun start squashed that issue.
The series got away from the usual stroke-play event and added a team element to the equation. Individual scores are still kept, but the top scores from each team also go to an overall team total. The winning team gets to split an additional $5 million dollars.
1. Winners Receive a Life-Changing Purse
Regardless of where the money is coming from, half the players in the field at the opening event a casual golf fan wouldn’t know. Outside of the select players that have won numerous times on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, many are journeyman golfers who have just gotten by throughout their careers.
Schwartzel’s made enough money in his career that his victory won’t change his life much from a monetary standpoint, but the runner-up, Hennie du Plessis, has spent ten years on numerous Tours around the world and had career earnings of $700,000. His second-place finish netted him a cool $2.125 million, a life-changing sum of money for him.
There will be more winners, and close finishes for players were the payout will be enough to change their lives forever.
