Life or Death for LIV at The Masters?

Yes, that headline is a little over the top.

It is not really life or death for LIV based on how its 18 players performing The Masters this week.

However, I would submit that it is pretty important for the future of that Saudi-backed pro golf tour right now. 

I wrote in a blog post last year when it was just getting started that I thought the biggest challenge that LIV would face would be gaining relevancy due to weak distribution and lack of exposure to its audience.

The reality of all of this is that any professional league needs talented athletes. However, the athletes also need a venue to showcase their talents.

The greatest song in the world means nothing if it is not heard a lot...and by a lot of people.

We have always heard that "content is king". Yes, you need content.

However, content means nothing without distribution.

Tom Cruise might be the same actor performing in a community theatre in New Jersey as he is in Top Gun.

He might be the same guy performing at the community theater but how many would see him and how many would care?

His fame and his fortune is due to the distribution of his films.

The best examples of the importance of distribution over content in recent years is looking at what  happened to Bill O'Reilly and Megyn Kelly at Fox News. They both are talented and had broad audiences at FNC. Today you hear little about either as they try to maintain relevance on their own without the benefit of the FNC distribution and exposure.

I made this prediction in that blog post last year.

LIV may have guys who can play the game but it is going to be difficult to get and sustain an audience.

That has proven to be exactly the case.

Attendance at LIV events has been scant.

It has only recently inked its first corporate sponsor---EasyPost.

Source: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/liv-golf-first-sponsor-easypost-2023

LIV had no television deal last year and had to rely on streaming its events on the internet. 

It now has a tv deal but it is on the CW network and the ratings thus far have been less than impressive.

LIV's first event in Mexico in February was viewed by fewer than 300,000 on tv.

For perspective, the CW Network got higher ratings for an episode of the "World's Funniest Animals".

The PGA Tour's competing event that week drew seven times the number of viewers despite the fact that many of the biggest stars skipped the event.

The second LIV event in Tucson got lower ratings still.

Source:https://nypost.com/2023/03/19/liv-golfs-tv-ratings-somehow-get-worse-with-tucson-event/

Golf has never been considered a big tv ratings winner because it is considered to only have a niche audience. However, it is an affluent audience that is attractive to advertisers.

Despite that perception, the PGA Tour's Players Championship tv coverage on Sunday, the week before LIV's Tucson event, had the largest viewing audience of any sporting event the week ending March 12, 2023.

Higher tv ratings than any of the NCAA conference championship basketball tournament games.

Higher than the NBA, NASCAR, the World Baseball Classic, Soccer, the NHL or XFL that week.

LIV has a long way to go to build an audience.

LIV Golf has placed a big bet on generating interest (and selling sponsorships) for a team event that is simultaneously played with the individual competition at its tournaments.

This seems to be an attempt to capture the enthusiasm for team golf at the Ryder or President's Cup.

LIV's business model seems to be based on being able to sell these teams to sponsors for mega million deals.

However, why is anyone supposed to care about a 4Aces, HyFlyer or a RangeGoats team?

Source: https://www.livgolf.com/standings-2023

LIV Golf needs a few of their players to perform well and be at or near the top of the leaderboard at The Masters.

One of the biggest challenges LIV is facing is that its tour has quickly been perceived as nothing but an exhibition tour.

LIV has not helped the situation by letting players wear shorts, piping music over the course during play and using a shotgun start.

It has all the look and feel of a golf outing where the boys are out to have some fun on the course.

The only thing that seems to be missing is a cart girl delivering Bud Lights to the players as they make their way around the course.

It does not have the look and feel of a competitive golf tournament.

Of course, how could it be when most of the players got big guaranteed sums to join LIV and even the last place finisher collects $120,000 no matter what they shoot.

That is what Sihwan Kim received for finishing in last place (48th) at last week's LIV event in Orlando by shooting +13.

These are the nine players who finished at the bottom at that event.

Source: https://thegolfnewsnet.com/golfnewsnetteam/2023/04/02/2023-liv-golf-orlando-final-results-prize-money-payout-leaderboard-and-how-much-each-golfer-won-128797/

Watson, Mickelson, Oosthuizen and Garcia were at the bottom of the field in LIV Orlando and are all in the Masters field.

None of these guys appear to be at the top of their game right now.

LIV is probably going to need to rely on guys like Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka. Dustin Johnson or Bryson De Chambeau to put on a good showing to burnish its image that it is more than an exhibition tour.

There is no better platform to do that than The Masters.

However, are LIV players ready for top flight competition when the stakes are high?

That is a big question.

LIV has only had three events in the last five months.

It is difficult to say that these guys are battle tested right now.

Are the LIV players ready to play at a high level in a high stakes environment?

That will make The Masters this year even more interesting than usual.

The PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf is an interesting subplot that might add a significant boost to the tv ratings this year if a couple of LIV golfers are in contention on Sunday.

It may not be life or death but it is very, very important for LIV.

It is a chance for LIV to change the narrative and put more focus on their fledging tour. 

It is a chance to demonstrate legitimacy to the golf fan who seems skeptical of the product right now.

However, a poor showing by its players will further feed the narrative and push LIV deeper down a path of irrelevancy.

In that case, the Saudis better be prepared to keep pouring more and more money into LIV.

And LIV players better make sure that the money they have received is locked away in a very safe place.