Off-Topic Forum

If they need to look for a new TV partner do you think they might consider backing off of the "bannings/suspensions" so the bigger names could help rating on weeks they're not playing LIV tourneys ??? 

Some random thoughts:

(1) There's competition for talent among the major tours at the moment (PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Tour), which isn't a bad thing by itself. But is there enough talent to go around? That's the interesting thing to me. Maybe the vacancies created by players leaving the PGA Tour and DP World Tour will give some of the young, up-and-coming pro golfers on those tours a bigger chance to shine and become new fan favorites. Who knows?

(2) At one point I thought that a big drawback to the LIV Tour poaching too many top players would be that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour would have lower ticket sales and revenue, which would decrease the huge amount of charitable giving they do. But it turns out the LIV Tour will be giving pretty large amounts to charities as well. So I don't know. Hopefully all three tours can coexist, because that means more charitable giving all around.

(3)  It's really hard to earn your PGA Tour card, and it's definitely a badge of honor for young aspiring pros. I'd imagine that a lot of them still want to be challenged in that way and attain that card. Also, the PGA Tour has decades of history on its side, plus big tournaments and famous golf courses that I'd assume many young pros would still want to win and be a part of (Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass, etc.). I think fans will still watch those tournaments even if some of the big names aren't there while other big names are. But again, who knows?

(4) The LIV Tour has a different format (54 holes instead of 72, shotgun starts, team and individual competitions), so we'll have to wait and see whether that format will become popular among fans at the tournament and fans watching on TV.

(5) It seems as if the PGA Tour might consider offering its players some sort of guaranteed payment for appearing in tournaments like the LIV Tour is doing, which would probably help the PGA hold onto its players.

All of this is going to be interesting to watch as the next few months go by.

If the NFL and NBA can be talking expansion ---

Because of the number of players available or coming available each year---

Can see where there could be a number of Golfers who don't get into

major tournaments....

https://golf.com/news/phil-mickelson-liv-pga-tour-antitrust-suit/

It's getting ugly in the world of Golf 

Golf's journey encompasses pivotal tournaments: FedEx St. Jude, prestigious BMW Championship, climaxing at Tour Championship on August 28th. Travelers event looms in CT, though my interest is tepid. PGA's tactics may reek of desperation post Brooks Koepka's departure, a notable blow. While not akin to Tiger's prime exit, it's substantial. Koepka's wiki cites LIV affiliation. Just reading more about BMW X3 series here. Financial frenzy abounds, but money won't pacify PGA. Swift changes cloud outcomes, while a potential setback looms if NBC shifts, albeit improbable

TwinKiller wrote:

After the Wyndham is the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the BMW Championship, and then the Tour Championship, which ends on August 28th. I don't know when the season truly starts though. I know that the Travelers is coming up here in CT but I've truly never had any interest in going. With PGA making this move it almost makes them look desperate in my mind. The person who left, Brooks Koepka, (2-time PGA cup winner,) is a big one to lose. I'm not saying that if TIger in his prime were to leave, it's as big as that, but still a massive blow. They've already updated Koepka's wiki page to say his with LIV. The money that is being thrown around here is absolutely crazy, but I don't think that money will do it for PGA. So many moves and actions are happening really fast and will probably continue so it'll be hard to tell what the true outcome will be. The biggest blow I see the PGA getting is if NBC makes the jump. I don't see that happening though.

I don't think PGA should hold a monopoly more than the NBA, MLB or NFL should. I wonder who would win in court over the matter.

At the end of the day, if The PGA becomes irrelevant because they don't want to pay the players fairly we can turn them off and watch a different golf tournament that sounds like they are.