UNDERWHELMING START FOR LIV GOLF-LACKS RELEVANCE

By NEVILLE IDOUR

LIV Golf Invitational - London - Day One
ST ALBANS, ENGLAND - JUNE 09: Phil Mickleson of the United States pictured with his caddie during day one of the LIV Golf Invitational at The Centurion Club on June 09, 2022 in St Albans, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

So the LIV Golf phenomenon has its first day in the bank. I chose to watch the 10 or so minutes highlights package on livgolf .com. Then I thought I should watch the first few minutes of the full replay. Unfortunately you can’t fast forward it. The initial hoopla indicated this was going to be the best thing for golf in decades. In this writers’ humble opinion it was anything but.

Now this is not a knocking exercise just telling it how it is. They claimed to have limited the crowd to 8,000 but apart from the first hole where Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson started from, the course was notable for the lack of spectators. 8,000 looked generous.

There was nothing wrong with the filming but the graphics of players scores was difficult to comprehend with names like these to identify. P Uln, H Swa, P Kwn, R Bld, M Jon, H Dup, I Bty. Then we had the teams names such as Stinger, Crushers, 4 Aces, Cleeks, Smash, Iron Heads.

Then the commentary telling us “putting on the 3rd, Teeing off on 17, pitching to the 12th green. But hang on the 3rd could be the 6th, the 17th their 6th, and the 12th their 6th. Confused, oh it was a shotgun start.

This $25 million event may be the richest ever but the quality of the field and the relevance does not reflect that. Gimmicks and entertainment abounded at the venue but can’t compensate for the lack of meaning. There was little atmosphere because of the attendance.

What happens in the second event when the likes of Bryson De Chambeau, Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler are likely starters. Who will be eliminated from the first event, or, will they increase the field. A player who was in the original 48 could be justifiably miffed if he wasn’t wanted. Then we have the teams. Will they have the same players in each or will they change? They will if different players play.

Frankly, watching the highlights was more than enough. While there were some great shots played did they really matter other than for the money? The stars of the show Johnson and Mickelson finished -1 tied 7th .

All of this is not to say this type of event does not have a place. It does but there has to be a better way and we won’t go into that here. I equate it to a poor equivalent of cricket’s instantly forgettable T20’s. Who remembers one of those a week or two later?

I have to agree with well known golf scribe John Huggan. Did the golf played really mean anything. There is no relevance for an Order of Merit or World Golf Rankings. There is no cut, therefore no pressure. Just the promise of a healthy payout wherever they finish.