Promising to go bigger in its second season, the LIV Golf Series is beginning to show cracks in the foundation.
A series funded by corrupt dollars in Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund in year-one, has just one corporate sponsor entering year-two. In the last two months, two of the highest-ranking business operations executives have left.
The Saudi’s poured in over three-quarters of a billion dollars to launch the controversial series and will be on the hook for hundreds of millions in salaries and operational costs in 2023.
What is left? Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson and roughly 45 other players who have apparently lost their competitive edge.
Complicating matters for LIV are back-to-back showcase weeks for the PGA Tour.
The annual kegger on the course known as the Waste Management Phoenix Open welcomed over 600,000 golf fans over the course to the TPC Scottsdale. One week later, Tiger Woods made his season debut at Riviera in a tournament that went down to the wire with World number-1 John Rahm holding off Max Homa.
What was LIV Golf’s big announcement?
That Mito Pereira and Sebastian Munoz have joined the Series.
Fine golfers, but not exactly needle movers like Rahm, Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy and others who have remained loyal to the PGA.
The rift between the PGA and LIV continues to widen. Players are attacking players in ways never before seen in the proud history of the game.
Series two of LIV Golf launches this week. It’s only a matter of time before the Series will be launched into oblivion.