***Official Bushwood Country Club Lounge***

[smittysbar]

Okay, here is a place for the Golfers to talk about tournaments, clubs, swing help or thoughts.

Today is the Players Championship, which I think ought to be the 5th Major. Largest pot in the PGA. The daunting 17th, which seems to bring excitement every year. At least we will get to see Sergio blow up yet again.

I am ready to see some water balls!

[Donger]

Originally Posted by philfree

Cam Smith? He reminds me of Joe Dirt.

I thought the same thing. Joe Dirt mixed with:



and

via Gfycat

[philfree]

Originally Posted by Donger

I thought the same thing. Joe Dirt mixed with:



and

via Gfycat

I have no clue wtf those are but if you see that you might want to see a shrink.

[Jerm]

Rumors that tomorrow a big swath of players are moving to LIV…names include Cam Smith, Matsuyama, Leishman, Bubba Watson, and Henrik Stenson who would then be stripped of the Ryder Cup captaincy.

Cantlay, Fowler, and David Feherty linked too….

[philfree]

Originally Posted by Jerm

Rumors that tomorrow a big swath of players are moving to LIV…names include Cam Smith, Matsuyama, Leishman, Bubba Watson, and Henrik Stenson who would then be stripped of the Ryder Cup captaincy.

Cantlay, Fowler, and David Feherty linked too….

One of the great things about the PGA is that they create a lot of proceeds for charities. I don't know that LIV will do that but it seems to be more of a greed based operation.

[Jerm]

Originally Posted by philfree

One of the great things about the PGA is that they create a lot of proceeds for charities. I don't know that LIV will do that but it seems to be more of a greed based operation.

LIV is a complete sham funded by Saudi blood money…

It’s a joke and **** every one of these players that jump to it.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by Jerm

LIV is a complete sham funded by Saudi blood money…

It’s a joke and **** every one of these players that jump to it.

The PGA Tour is going to be forced to make a deal with that "complete sham" in the next year or they will completely cease to exist as they have for the past several decades. LIV is only going to continue grabbing more and more of their top players until there is little left. These guys are professional golfers who play golf for money, they'll leave the political/social/moral implications of that decision to others to debate.

[philfree]

Originally Posted by Jerm

LIV is a complete sham funded by Saudi blood money…

It’s a joke and **** every one of these players that jump to it.

Yeah I believe they'll lose a lot of fans IMO. I won't be pulling for them.

When I was young I was a Norman fan but not anymore.

[Jerm]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

The PGA Tour is going to be forced to make a deal with that "complete sham" in the next year or they will completely cease to exist as they have for the past several decades. LIV is only going to continue grabbing more and more of their top players until there is little left. These guys are professional golfers who play golf for money, they'll leave the political/social/moral implications of that decision to others to debate.

The PGA Tour is in no way shape or form going to cease to exist…that is just silly.

LIV has no TV deal, no one they’ve signed is a true needle mover, they don’t have the tournaments/history/venues the PGAT does and their product is garbage considering there’s ZERO incentive to win or compete and the format is hilarious.

Golf fans aren’t going to move over in droves and the general sports fan could care less.

[philfree]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

The PGA Tour is going to be forced to make a deal with that "complete sham" in the next year or they will completely cease to exist as they have for the past several decades. LIV is only going to continue grabbing more and more of their top players until there is little left. These guys are professional golfers who play golf for money, they'll leave the political/social/moral implications of that decision to others to debate.

Do they any fan turnout or television audience?

[philfree]

Originally Posted by Jerm

The PGA Tour is in no way shape or form going to cease to exist…that is just silly.

LIV has no TV deal, no one they’ve signed is a true needle mover, they don’t have the tournaments/history/venues the PGAT does and their product is garbage considering there’s ZERO incentive to win or compete and the format is hilarious.

Golf fans aren’t going to move over in droves and the general sports fan could care less.

I would think that playing on a tour with no fans would hurt the marketability of the players who choose to do so. I guess they won't need that money if they get enough guaranteed from the LIV but if that tour doesn't last they could be screwing themselves. In my case I don't do Nike or Adidas but a lot of people do.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by Jerm

The PGA Tour is in no way shape or form going to cease to exist…that is just silly.

But certainly not as currently constituted, which as the point.

As LIV continues to take more and more of their top players, the networks are inevitably going to come to the PGA Tour to demand that they rework their television contracts. To avoid that, they're going to have to fold and let the banned LIV guys back in because it's simply good business to do so (it would also be likely illegal if they didn't given that the players are officially independent contractors but that's another issue entirely).

LIV has no TV deal, no one they’ve signed is a true needle mover, they don’t have the tournaments/history/venues the PGAT does and their product is garbage considering there’s ZERO incentive to win or compete and the format is hilarious.

You don't think LIV getting a massive TV deal is inevitable with all these players they're taking? Come on now. Someone will come to them soon enough.

Also, as far as true needle movers (if Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau don't count for some reason), it sounds like they are about to get the #2 golfer in the world/current Open Champion in Smith. There's absolutely no way that's going to be the last elite guy they're going to get given the amount of money they're throwing around now either. I'm struggling to find where the incentive is for any of them to stay with the PGA Tour?

Golf fans aren’t going to move over in droves and the general sports fan could care less.

Golf fans will watch where the best golfers are playing. If that's at LIV in a year or so and they're readily available on TV, they'll watch that over tournaments like the 3M Open this week (whose best players are Matsuyama, Finau, and Sungjae Im).

[philfree]

Originally Posted by philfree

One of the great things about the PGA is that they create a lot of proceeds for charities. I don't know that LIV will do that but it seems to be more of a greed based operation.

I did find this.

London and West Palm Beach (Jun 9, 2022) – LIV Golf today announced a contribution of £1M in initial funding to support non-profit organizations serving underrepresented communities across the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire counties. The announcement comes ahead of the first-ever LIV Golf Invitational that will take place at Centurion Club in St. Albans, Hertfordshire from June 9-11, 2022.

This effort is part of LIV to Give, the organization’s recently announced new global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) platform designed to support social and environmental efforts globally and in each of the series host communities. LIV Golf has pledged USD $100 million (£79M) to support a broad range of initiatives targeting education, environmental sustainability, golf development programs, and the well-being of communities in the short and long term.

https://www.livgolf.com/news/liv-gol...he-uk-ahead-of

[Garcia Bronco]

Yep and there is only one Major attributed to the PGA. The Masters, US Open, and The Open are run under different organizations. The PGA championship could fall into the Ocean and no one would really notice. The writing is on the wall, the PGA will have to compete for talent.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by philfree

Do they any fan turnout or television audience?

I guess we'll see next year after they've taken half of the best players in the world from the Tour. Assuming they get a TV deal from someone (and why wouldn't they be able to? Networks are in to making money, not taking moral positions), I'd assume they'll do just fine in that regard.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

Yep and there is only one Major attributed to the PGA. The Masters, US Open, and The Open are run under different organizations. The PGA championship could fall into the Ocean and no one would really notice. The writing is on the wall, the PGA will have to compete for talent.

PGA Tour doesn't even run the PGA Championship, that would be the PGA of America. The PGA Tour's primary events are the Players Championship and the FedEx Cup Playoffs (which nobody gives a shit about).

They're in trouble and the sooner they recognize that and make a deal with LIV, the better for their chances of remaining anything close to what they are. It makes no sense at all as a business model to continue banning your top players from competing in your own events.