LIV Tour Discussion Thread (*** NO POLITICS ***)

[sandpounder]

1 hour ago, mitchl said:

 

The number they keep throwing out lately is 100m dollars (83m pounds).  Assuming that is 4 years - that's $25m a year.

If what the LIV lawyer said is true that includes any prize money that he would get, then he is getting a flat $25m a year.

 

This year, so far, he made $10m on course.   He is also likely in line for some serious PIP dollars, lets say at least $5m.

He may not have $10m in sponsorships, but lets say half that - at $5m.   

So his income for this year will be $20m.     Yes, this could be his top year, and be all downhill after this.

But if it's not, he could make $20+m a year for the next 4,5,6 years.   

 

So LIV is a guarantee $100m over 4 years.   He may not have as many sponsorships, and he doesn't know if he will be able to play in majors - and certainly his OWGR will start to fall like a rock once he stops playing ranked tournaments.

That's a lot of gambling over $20m extra out of LIV, if it is even that.   And if he has friends on the PGA Tour, he won't after he leaves.   But he will have Pat Perez, Patrick Reed, and Charles Howell III to hang out with.    And it's going to be interesting to see how everyone gets along after the entire world finds out what Norman paid each golfer.   

Did you factor in the loss of money from sponsors dropping him?

[scotee]

What a squirm fest by Cam! He may have already signed and be stuck. Today's ruling had to factor in to his discomfort.

Still hoping after today's news he changes his mind and has an option to say no to LIV.  Staying for the Fedex if he has already committed to LIV seems unethical if not flat out dishonest and he will get hammered by any PGA friends.

[Short Pete]

What did we learn over the last couple of days?

 

- LIV is closed shop for now. It has contracts with strict obligations for the players to play their events. Some of the players seem to have contracts that calculates their tournament winnings against the guaranteed upfront money (as told by the LIV lawyer), at least one has a contract that allows him to keep the upfront money AND the winnings (The almighty source of unmistakble truth, PP). I wonder if all the LIV players think that's funny.

- GN seems to have told his players all is good, all they had to do was play in all the LIV events (Gooch didn't understand that, it seems). They would get the cash from LIV, furthermore LIV let them play wherever they wanted. I guess they underestimated the actions of the PGA and DP Tour to suspend the LIV players from playing. I guess there is some head scratching amongst active players like Ancer, Ortiz (bailed out of the lawsuit), Swafford, Jones, Gooch. They seem to realize that their known life as a playing professional who plays for trophies and fame on the biggest stage of Golf are over for now, as are sponsorship agreements. Players near the end of their career like Westwood, Stenson, Poulter, Perez or Howell III won't care, I guess. Now they are employees who play exhibitions and get handsomely paid. Is that what they were told by Norman? Time will tell. By the way: LIV issued a statement that Messrs. Gooch, Swafford and Jones were not allowed to play golf. WRONG! Come to our local muni. You pay, you play. And no loud music that distracts from concentrating.

- A little guessing: Cameron Smith has a LIV contract signed by Norman in his hands, guaranteeing him xyz dollars for xy years. He will play the FedEx, see how the whole thing turns out. If more LIV players bail out (ortiz already did in some way, Garcia has articulated he is not happy with how LIV is run) and the chance of getting ranking points and playing events other than LIV and Asian Tour slims Smith might give the contract back and say No Thanks or put the pressure on Norman to pay even more. I don't think this is a done deal. If that's the case one thing is sure: I'll never be a Cameron Smith fan. He won't care, so...

- Fred Couples is cool! He hit the nail on the head in his last interview. I always wondered why they chose the seemingly laid back, quiet Couples as captain for the Prez Cup. Now I know why. This guy is good!

Edited August 10, 2022 by Short Pete

[Davethegolfer]

The update to the OGWR does nothing to support any tour other than PGAT. Why would you choose to play European Tour now let alone Australasian.  May as well sign for LIV. 

[Dave230]

5 hours ago, mitchl said:

 

The number they keep throwing out lately is 100m dollars (83m pounds).  Assuming that is 4 years - that's $25m a year.

If what the LIV lawyer said is true that includes any prize money that he would get, then he is getting a flat $25m a year.

 

This year, so far, he made $10m on course.   He is also likely in line for some serious PIP dollars, lets say at least $5m.

He may not have $10m in sponsorships, but lets say half that - at $5m.   

So his income for this year will be $20m.     Yes, this could be his top year, and be all downhill after this.

But if it's not, he could make $20+m a year for the next 4,5,6 years.   

 

So LIV is a guarantee $100m over 4 years.   He may not have as many sponsorships, and he doesn't know if he will be able to play in majors - and certainly his OWGR will start to fall like a rock once he stops playing ranked tournaments.

That's a lot of gambling over $20m extra out of LIV, if it is even that.   And if he has friends on the PGA Tour, he won't after he leaves.   But he will have Pat Perez, Patrick Reed, and Charles Howell III to hang out with.    And it's going to be interesting to see how everyone gets along after the entire world finds out what Norman paid each golfer.   

Yeah it’s short sighted and a cowardly move for competitive reasons I feel. Trust yourself to keep playing elite golf. And money and sponsorships will come and more importantly respect and integrity will come/be maintained. He’s not even been offered $300m or that kind of offer. Would you sell all your money and respect in your industry for the sake of being a rich man being 20% richer? I wouldn’t.

[Gregakin]

9 hours ago, PZero said:

Cam Smith leaving is a big loss. It went from a bunch of guys signing onto LIV while heading out into the sunset to landing world #2. Cam was rising and fresh off a major win.

I enjoy watching Cam play, but if you've noticed he has many interests outside of golf.  Cam is a great putter and admitted to putting extra effort this last year to get better.  Hard work, works; but will be lost just as quick. 

 

IMO the LIV structure encourages pro's to not put in the time/effort necessary of a world class player.  Sure, they will give it 100% during the 3-days, but will they put in the many hours of preparation to stay on top - I say no, not a chance.  Point being, 12 months from joining LIV Cam will not be a top player in the world.  He may get chubby again. Too many players, with extraordinary talent, are digging it out of the dirt daily for being #1. Maybe LIV keeps buying the highs and shorting the lows to stay relevant...who knows?

 

For everything that is LIV/Golf but Louder - insane money, shortened work effort, less competition, team compensation - LIV is the SUNSET tour regardless of age or talent. It's just human nature. 

 

[FriedEgg]

10 hours ago, johnseg said:

I would be really surprised if the majors don't honor the suspensions handed down by various tours. 

 

Those relying on past exemptions might be surpassed that they won't be honored. 

 

I'm just one guy, but if they renege on those things I'll boycott every last one of them

[idrive]

9 hours ago, Krt22 said:

I don't think that is true. He would still have status from his US open win if he was only gone a year. He might get a kicker on that as well for winning the API. Being suspended doesn't invalidate his previous accomplishments

 

Obviously don't know his contract details but I think he's signed up for four years?  Can't imagine him quitting and giving any money back.

 

Guessing he'd be banned for a year after asking for reinstatement. Four years of silliness followed by a year of no tournament golf isn't going to help his career. Potentially puts him outside his automatic berths in the majors as well. Going to have to earn it all, all over again. Five years during what would most likely be his prime. Not helping his legacy that personally I don't think he cares about.

 

As far as aspiring to be a youtuber that was mentioned, how many times have you heard someone say they'd rather be a youtuber than a professional golfer?

 

Just my opinions.

[MtlJeff]

8 hours ago, mitchl said:

 

The number they keep throwing out lately is 100m dollars (83m pounds).  Assuming that is 4 years - that's $25m a year.

If what the LIV lawyer said is true that includes any prize money that he would get, then he is getting a flat $25m a year.

 

This year, so far, he made $10m on course.   He is also likely in line for some serious PIP dollars, lets say at least $5m.

He may not have $10m in sponsorships, but lets say half that - at $5m.   

So his income for this year will be $20m.     Yes, this could be his top year, and be all downhill after this.

But if it's not, he could make $20+m a year for the next 4,5,6 years.   

 

So LIV is a guarantee $100m over 4 years.   He may not have as many sponsorships, and he doesn't know if he will be able to play in majors - and certainly his OWGR will start to fall like a rock once he stops playing ranked tournaments.

That's a lot of gambling over $20m extra out of LIV, if it is even that.   And if he has friends on the PGA Tour, he won't after he leaves.   But he will have Pat Perez, Patrick Reed, and Charles Howell III to hang out with.    And it's going to be interesting to see how everyone gets along after the entire world finds out what Norman paid each golfer.   

 

there's been a lot of posts like this involving the younger guys, like "why would they leave , if you multiply their earning by the next X years they are barely making more". I know these posts mean well , but if you look at guys like Koepka, Bryson, Fowler, Spieth etc....These heaters dont always last and just staying a top 5 player is very challenging.

 

The point of the LIV money is that it's basically guaranteed short of them just folding, which right now seems very unlikely ( i don't think losing one court case about an injunction to play in the playoffs is going to have them close up shop)

 

Many of us i'm sure work in sales or some other job that has MBOs or commission structure. I know i can say if a company offered me not only a raise based on my highest year of income as a starting point, and guaranteed it over 4 years. I'd have a hard time passing that up assuming it's to do basically the same job.

 

I think sometimes we get lost a bit in the theory of things. This is their real life, and (apparently) real 100M dollars being given to Cam. To stay on the PGA he needs to stay this version of Cam for the next 4 years to even come close. A bird in the hand, as the old saying goes

[aus10KC]

@MtlJeff

 

I couldn't even imagine the work it takes to become elite, let alone staying elite for long stretches. Most players have a small window of being elite because of this. 

 

Scottie if he wins the FedEx cup he is looking at $30 million plus. 

 

He is at $13 right now. Won $4 million for Comcast top 10, then FedEx is worth $18. $35 million Scottie is looking at... Purses are only going up, next year the top guy could get close to $40 million. And we're not talking PIP money, which looks to be increased as well. 

 

Of course it's not guaranteed...

[getitdaily]

23 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

 

there's been a lot of posts like this involving the younger guys, like "why would they leave , if you multiply their earning by the next X years they are barely making more". I know these posts mean well , but if you look at guys like Koepka, Bryson, Fowler, Spieth etc....These heaters dont always last and just staying a top 5 player is very challenging.

 

The point of the LIV money is that it's basically guaranteed short of them just folding, which right now seems very unlikely ( i don't think losing one court case about an injunction to play in the playoffs is going to have them close up shop)

 

Many of us i'm sure work in sales or some other job that has MBOs or commission structure. I know i can say if a company offered me not only a raise based on my highest year of income as a starting point, and guaranteed it over 4 years. I'd have a hard time passing that up assuming it's to do basically the same job.

 

I think sometimes we get lost a bit in the theory of things. This is their real life, and (apparently) real 100M dollars being given to Cam. To stay on the PGA he needs to stay this version of Cam for the next 4 years to even come close. A bird in the hand, as the old saying goes

I agree with you.

 

As I posted in the OG LIV thread, I find it interesting that Cam does not get the current LIV deal (dollars) if the pgat had 54 hole tournaments. He does not win the players or the open if not for a 4th round. His Sentry win may not have happened either since he and rahm were tied after 54.

[Holy Moses]

Just to put this out again, LIV is claiming that advance money is totally separate from tournament winnings. The lawyer who seemed to say something different yesterday was supposedly talking about FedEx Cup money being taken from LIV players, not LIV advances. 
 

So Greg wants his players to play everywhere, they just won’t get paid for it? 

[Guest RobS]

The hearing was an interesting listen yesterday.  The judge commented early on that the tour and similar private organizations have a right to suspend players.  The Tour was almost tripped up due to the handbook language on appeals process and timing.  The money LIV is paying combined with their relative success in launching their league, signing players and holding events, is going to hurt their arguments in the trial based on the initial feedback from the judge.  

 

The judge made comment more than once that LIV was not part of the plaintiff group and that some of the plaintiff's arguments were relevant to LIV and not the players.  That may be of issue as the bulk of the anti-trust accusations directly impact LIV and not the players.  The judge's initial view was that it's difficult to say that the players have been harmed when they are making substantially more money than they have or would make on the PGA Tour.  LIV not being part of the plaintiff group may render many of the complaints irrelevant to this specific trial.

 

The TRO being denied is a blow to LIV.  That result and some of what came out in the hearing creates some credibility issues for LIV.....Norman assuring players that the PGA Tour couldn't legally suspend them, the judge commenting that LIV's  player contracts are significantly more restrictive than the PGA Tour's and plaintiff counsel confirming that some of the players contracts were advance on future winnings.  I still believe that LIV will throw enough money around to sign more players, i.e. reports on Cam Smith but in the big picture I think this hearing and the probability of success or lack of success in the upcoming trial takes a lot of wind out of LIV's sails.  With the trial being a year or longer out, time is on the PGA Tour's side as LIV's future or sustainability may determined even before a decision is made by the court.

[bscinstnct]

34 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

 

there's been a lot of posts like this involving the younger guys, like "why would they leave , if you multiply their earning by the next X years they are barely making more". I know these posts mean well , but if you look at guys like Koepka, Bryson, Fowler, Spieth etc....These heaters dont always last and just staying a top 5 player is very challenging.

 

The point of the LIV money is that it's basically guaranteed short of them just folding, which right now seems very unlikely ( i don't think losing one court case about an injunction to play in the playoffs is going to have them close up shop)

 

Many of us i'm sure work in sales or some other job that has MBOs or commission structure. I know i can say if a company offered me not only a raise based on my highest year of income as a starting point, and guaranteed it over 4 years. I'd have a hard time passing that up assuming it's to do basically the same job.

 

I think sometimes we get lost a bit in the theory of things. This is their real life, and (apparently) real 100M dollars being given to Cam. To stay on the PGA he needs to stay this version of Cam for the next 4 years to even come close. A bird in the hand, as the old saying goes

 

I agree with you, it’s an individual calculus for each player and based on a number of factors, I can see how the magnitude of the liv offers made sense. 
 

Cam?

 

I hope he got 200MM at least if that’s what Phil got and guys like DJ and BD got 150.

 

Cams rolling. He’s cookin on gas!

 

And this is the most despicable aspect of liv. 
 

Cam has some cool game. He’s beat all the best in the world. Twice. 
 

In a world without liv, he might go total alpha, “I can beat all these chumps”.  He’d have no “safety net” so, while he can still make a fortune, he’d have to earn it every day. Knuckle down, Tony Montana!

 

 

 

Instead, who knows if we will ever hear from this guy again. 

 

 

 

 

[iutodd]

I think the point is that...after four years what will Cam Smith have?  He'll have lots of money for sure.  What will his career be by then?  Will he have any OWGR standing?  Will he be playing in the majors?  Will he just re-sign up with LIV?

 

I know projecting forward is hard but these guys are giving up the certainty of the PGA Tour as a career in order to get more money right now.

 

Cam Smith just earned $10 mil in 16 weeks of playing.  He got $3 mil for finishing second in the Comcast Top 10.  He's in line to get multiple millions of dollars at East Lake and has two tournaments the next two weeks with a combined $30 mil in purses.

 

Cam is exempt on tour through 2027.  Look at the purses he'll be playing for and the quality of tournaments Cam Smith will be in next year.  His schedule could basically look like this for the next four years:

 

CJ Cup: $10.5 mil

Sentry: $15 mil*

Farmers: $8.7 mil

Waste Management: $8.5 mil

Genesis: $20 mil

API: $20 mil

Players: $25 mil

WGC Dell Match Play: $20 mil*

Masters: $15 mil

Wells Fargo: $9.3 mil

PGA: $15 mil

Memorial: $20 mil

US Open: $17.5 mil

Scottish: $8 mil

British: $14 mil

 

Playoffs:

Fed EX St. Jude: $20 mil

BMW: $20 mil*

East Lake: $ millions of bonus money*

 

Three big money no cut events in fall of 2023.  BTW that's six or seven guaranteed paydays if he's a top 30/50 guy.

 

And because Cam won the British he's got a 5 year exemption into all the majors.  Maybe he thinks he'll keep that anyways...but maybe not...

 

Like guaranteed money is nice...but Cam Smith can set his schedule however he wants on the PGA Tour next year and in the years ahead. He will be in the biggest events with all kinds of guaranteed money just sitting there for him.  He'll be on TV and have guaranteed sponsorship money.

[mitchl]

7 hours ago, sandpounder said:

Did you factor in the loss of money from sponsors dropping him?

 

that’s the big unknown.   My wild guess included a possible $5m loss of sponsorships.

 

but not everyone is losing sponsorships.   If he has sponsorships from Australia, he probably wouldn’t lose any of that.

For other sponsors, they have to calculate in what’s the value of being on the hit n giggle LIV tour?   The players don’t appear in front of the media as much, and their time on screen is less in LIV since they flip around so much more.

there is a question mark about the majors.   
 

[johnseg]

2 hours ago, FriedEgg said:

 

I'm just one guy, but if they renege on those things I'll boycott every last one of them

Phil was suspended by the tour and didn't play this year. When DJ was suspended in 2014 he didn't play in the PGA or the 2012 Masters when he was rumored to be suspended.

 

I think there is a lot of precedent for tournaments honoring suspensions.

[mitchl]

4 hours ago, Davethegolfer said:

The update to the OGWR does nothing to support any tour other than PGAT. Why would you choose to play European Tour now let alone Australasian.  May as well sign for LIV. 

 

there is a big change in the OWGR which some are missing — it does away with the minimum points per tournament.    Because of that, the LIV tournaments this year would have got more points than the lower PGA events.   The way it was, there was a minimum value for the PGA which would have kept it higher in the tournaments with SoF under 150, which is about where LIV has been.

 

I don’t know what impact that does have for DPWT or the Asian tour … it could be that their points will now be often lower than their minimums.   

[ahenderX]

5 hours ago, Davethegolfer said:

The update to the OGWR does nothing to support any tour other than PGAT. Why would you choose to play European Tour now let alone Australasian.  May as well sign for LIV. 

 

Removed.

Edited August 10, 2022 by ahenderX

[doctorbloor]

9 hours ago, Krt22 said:

Is it really interesting when we know they are playing with house money? A huge allure of golf of all aspects is that each stroke actually means something. A beer, a few bucks, a few racks for degenerates at country clubs, a tour card, aetc. With LIV there is nothing on the line, its a farce.

 

It would be far more interesting if they could play wolf hammer at 25k a point and actually wager some of their guaranteed money

Yep.  This has all the competitive allure of the silly season Skins Games, or perhaps a Harlem Globetrotters game.  I can't even see the allure of betting on this stuff, knowing that any given tournament will have some guys just showing up to fulfill their contracts and coasting.

[idrive]

1 hour ago, MtlJeff said:

 

there's been a lot of posts like this involving the younger guys, like "why would they leave , if you multiply their earning by the next X years they are barely making more". I know these posts mean well , but if you look at guys like Koepka, Bryson, Fowler, Spieth etc....These heaters dont always last and just staying a top 5 player is very challenging.

 

The point of the LIV money is that it's basically guaranteed short of them just folding, which right now seems very unlikely ( i don't think losing one court case about an injunction to play in the playoffs is going to have them close up shop)

 

Many of us i'm sure work in sales or some other job that has MBOs or commission structure. I know i can say if a company offered me not only a raise based on my highest year of income as a starting point, and guaranteed it over 4 years. I'd have a hard time passing that up assuming it's to do basically the same job.

 

I think sometimes we get lost a bit in the theory of things. This is their real life, and (apparently) real 100M dollars being given to Cam. To stay on the PGA he needs to stay this version of Cam for the next 4 years to even come close. A bird in the hand, as the old saying goes

 

And then there's this side of it. Who said Tiger has no impact anymore.

 

Guys like this are why the PGAT is and will stay relevant. We have some great talent coming onboard and they're playing for money and also the things money can't buy.   

 

'I'm not even interested in how much it is': Joohyung 'Tom' Kim says he hasn't looked at bank account since win.

 

It’s safe to say Joohyung “Tom” Kim isn’t in it for the money.

Look no further than a recent interview on SiriusXM’s Hitting the Green show. Kim, who is in Memphis, Tennessee, at TPC Southwind preparing for the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, said he has no idea how much money he won after capturing the Wyndham Championship last week.

“I haven’t checked. I don’t even know how much I even won,” Kim said. “Tiger never checked. If I can just play well, everything will take care of itself. I’m not even interested in how much it is.”

 

Kim made $1.312 million for his victory and is up to $2.529 million accumulated on the season. Not bad considering the history he made last week.

[golfer07840]

12 hours ago, bscinstnct said:

I have to say that liv will make things very interesting over the next few years 

 

Not that I anticipate I’ll ever be interested in watching it.

 

But it’s been some time since I had anything so good to hate and openly root for to fail!

 

🤣

 

 

 

 

With the defeat in court and now all the questions regarding LIV and their contracts, etc. 

 

I wonder if their chances of getting a TV deal have now diminished. 

[idrive]

5 hours ago, Davethegolfer said:

The update to the OGWR does nothing to support any tour other than PGAT. Why would you choose to play European Tour now let alone Australasian.  May as well sign for LIV. 

 

The majority of the professional players do not have the option to "sign for liv".  You have to be courted, bought by GN.  At this point if you're not a big name or someone red hot, (like Cam) top 50-60 OGWR, you're not getting in.

 

 

[chippa13]

Everyone keeps talking about strength of field but what have we seen from the last 5 PGA events? None of the top players have been teeing it up. Most top players barely play 2/3 of the season as it is. Most of this season's leader boards have been the who's who of.........who?

[bladehunter]

1 hour ago, bscinstnct said:

 

I agree with you, it’s an individual calculus for each player and based on a number of factors, I can see how the magnitude of the liv offers made sense. 
 

Cam?

 

I hope he got 200MM at least if that’s what Phil got and guys like DJ and BD got 150.

 

Cams rolling. He’s cookin on gas!

 

And this is the most despicable aspect of liv. 
 

Cam has some cool game. He’s beat all the best in the world. Twice. 
 

In a world without liv, he might go total alpha, “I can beat all these chumps”.  He’d have no “safety net” so, while he can still make a fortune, he’d have to earn it every day. Knuckle down, Tony Montana!

 

 

 

Instead, who knows if we will ever hear from this guy again. 

 

 

 

 

Agree. If he didn’t get as much or more as phil and more than DJ it’s a slap in his face. 
 

i have a gut feeling he either renegotiates or crawfishes back out of the LIV deal before the end of the playoffs. 
 

Can you imagine being world #2. And earning less than phil ? And more so , knowing that by the time your new league can possibly earn ranking points , that you’ll be playing against only guys ranked outside the top 200. Giving you zero chance of ever rising again 

[MtlJeff]

17 minutes ago, idrive said:

 

And then there's this side of it. Who said Tiger has no impact anymore.

 

Guys like this are why the PGAT is and will stay relevant. We have some great talent coming onboard and they're playing for money and also the things money can't buy.   

 

'I'm not even interested in how much it is': Joohyung 'Tom' Kim says he hasn't looked at bank account since win.

 

It’s safe to say Joohyung “Tom” Kim isn’t in it for the money.

Look no further than a recent interview on SiriusXM’s Hitting the Green show. Kim, who is in Memphis, Tennessee, at TPC Southwind preparing for the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, said he has no idea how much money he won after capturing the Wyndham Championship last week.

“I haven’t checked. I don’t even know how much I even won,” Kim said. “Tiger never checked. If I can just play well, everything will take care of itself. I’m not even interested in how much it is.”

 

Kim made $1.312 million for his victory and is up to $2.529 million accumulated on the season. Not bad considering the history he made last week.

 

I'm sure all the PGA guys are getting a lot of coaching on things that will make great headlines in these days of "tour wars". I'm surprised the words "meritocracy" and "tradition" weren't sprinkled in there a few times! LOL

 

Maybe he means it, he's 20! Good for him for being motivated by other things. Let someone put the check in front of him

 

It's the Sheffler's and Rahm's that to me are more impressive. Because for sure they got offered huge paydays and decided to stay, betting on themselves and probably valuing the history etc of the tour.

[AmazinBlue]

The absolute hypocrisy of these players that went to LIV " to play less golf and spend more time with their families...", but several are now talking of going to play over in Asia. Why?? OWGR points.  These guys want a lot of money and play in the majors.  I hope the majors refuse to let them play.  They chased the $$, but said it was to improve their quality of life with family etc.  BS.  It was for the money which may not be as great deal as they thought, because their winnings comes out of the guaranteed $$ they signed for and they are FORCED to play all the LIV events as part of their contract and they are choosing to play more.  One of the major fallouts of today's society...can't trust the words that come out of most people's mouths these days.

[betarhoalphadelta]

49 minutes ago, johnseg said:

Phil was suspended by the tour and didn't play this year. When DJ was suspended in 2014 he didn't play in the PGA or the 2012 Masters when he was rumored to be suspended.

 

I think there is a lot of precedent for tournaments honoring suspensions.

 

Supposedly Phil was invited and welcome at the Masters this year, according to Fred Ridley's public statements, which I have not heard Phil dispute. DJ's suspension allegedly was for a personal behavior violation involving the use of illegal substances. 

 

IMHO the PGA/LIV fight is different. The Masters may not want to get involved in the battle between tours. That said, right now OWGR will take care of itself--it's unlikely any LIV players without eligibility from either being a previous Masters winner or a recent major tournament win will meet the Masters invitation eligibility standards as they fall out of OWGR. 

 

To refuse to invite players who have eligibility due to previous Masters wins or recent major tournament wins because of a spat between tours seems petty and beneath them. For everyone else, the lack of OWGR points (and very limited OWGR point earning options if LIV does start being awarded points given their format) will work itself out and they won't meet the eligibility standards for an invitation anyway. 

[lowndes]

44 minutes ago, golfer07840 said:

With the defeat in court and now all the questions regarding LIV and their contracts, etc. 

 

I wonder if their chances of getting a TV deal have now diminished. 

 

The easy answer is that when a player joins LIV they should resign from the PGA Tour and going forward there isn't a Media Rights issue in the North America market.  At least that is what the court filings make it look like. 

 

That said - I doubt any major network is still going to give LIV a contract in their current format.  And if they did the dollar figures would not be very high.

Edited August 10, 2022 by lowndes

[MtlJeff]

1 hour ago, bscinstnct said:

 

I agree with you, it’s an individual calculus for each player and based on a number of factors, I can see how the magnitude of the liv offers made sense. 
 

Cam?

 

I hope he got 200MM at least if that’s what Phil got and guys like DJ and BD got 150.

 

Cams rolling. He’s cookin on gas!

 

And this is the most despicable aspect of liv. 
 

Cam has some cool game. He’s beat all the best in the world. Twice. 
 

In a world without liv, he might go total alpha, “I can beat all these chumps”.  He’d have no “safety net” so, while he can still make a fortune, he’d have to earn it every day. Knuckle down, Tony Montana!

 

 

 

Instead, who knows if we will ever hear from this guy again. 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sure Cam (assuming he goes) would still love to play in all of the majors , and WGC's assuming they recognize LIV as world tour etc...

 

Since none of those conflict , i don't think, i don't believe LIV is telling him he cannot. It's the PGA tour (currently under investigation for Antitrust) and USGA , R&A etc telling him he (maybe) can't.

 

There's some aspects of LIV that people can call despicable, which we shouldn't discuss anymore per the rules, but at first weren't they just trying to be a compliment to the tour, so that we don't have to be bored by the Rocket Mortgage classic?