LIV Golf 2024 Season Preview
The LIV Golf Tour will start its third season on Friday in Mayakoba, Mexico, and this might be the most anticipated LIV season yet. A large amount of the hype for this season can be attributed to the marquee addition of one of the best golfers in the world, Jon Rahm. In December, Rahm agreed to leave the PGA Tour for a contract worth over $300 million from the LIV Tour. Rahm had expressed his issues with the PGA in the past, but it was still a shock to the golf world when he chose to depart for LIV. While Rahm was the headline player to make the switch, Rahm’s Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton also decided to follow Rahm. Rahm and Hatton will remain teammates on the LIV Tour as they will join the same club.
Some might be confused by the term club being used in a golf setting, so allow me to explain. This is one of the aspects of LIV that sets them apart from the PGA Tour in a unique way. This season there will be 13 different teams of four players competing against each other in a team sport format, and just like in any other team sport, there can be trades and acquisitions of players on different teams. Here is each team’s name and each team’s captain for the 2024 season:
4Aces: Dustin Johnson
Cleeks: Martin Kaymer
Crushers: Brysan DeChambeau
Fireballs: Sergio Garcia
HyFlyers: Phil Mickelson
Iron Heads: Kevin Na
Legion XII: Jon Rahm
Majesticks: Ian Poulter
RangeGoats: Bubba Watson
Ripper: Cameron Smith
Smash: Brooks Koepka
Stinger: Louis Oosthuizen
Torque: Joaquin Niemann
The schedule for this season consists of 12 events that are set to take place in eight different countries. The season kicks off this weekend in Mexico, and it ends in August in Greenbrier, West Virginia. LIV will have events in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, Spain, and England throughout the next seven months. The other four events will all be in the United States: Las Vegas, Miami, Houston, and Nashville. There has been a major push by LIV to grow the game of golf internationally, as well as trying to appeal to younger viewers. While they will still be going up against premium PGA Tour events like Pebble Beach this weekend, there appears to be major optimism that LIV is only going to continue to grow.
One major reason for this optimism is the TV deal signed with The CW which began at the beginning of 2023. LIV will be entering its second year in this deal, and it is vital to growing the LIV brand since it gives its audience a much easier outlet to access its product. Another reason to be excited if you are a LIV fan, as mentioned previously but it bears repeating, is the major talent pool they have pulled from. LIV has continued to take top-tier talent away from the PGA Tour year after year, and it is really beginning to grab the attention of the casual golf fan. Lastly, the unique approach to the game that they are continuing to exemplify both on and off the course is bringing a sense of refreshment to the sport that fans have been in search of. Overall, this is setting up to be the best and most competitive season in LIV’s existence, and it will be intriguing to watch throughout the spring and summer.
