s he walks the grounds of Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, a few miles west of Portland, Oregon, LIV Golf CEO and commissioner Greg Norman is showered with praise. “Great job, Greg!” a fan yells. “My wife will kill me if I don’t get a picture with you,” says another, leaning over the ropes for a selfie with the man who was the world’s No. 1 golfer for 331 weeks.
He’s not wrong. If LIV weren’t backed by barrels of dirty petrodollars, nearly every commentator on the planet would be applauding its assault on the PGA Tour’s seeming monopoly on the sport and its iron grip on the best players. The PGA Tour, which is structured as an umbrella nonprofit overseeing 48 independently run events, has responded heavy-handedly to the LIV threat, banning golfers who play in a single LIV event from competing on its tour.
For former president Donald Trump, LIV Golf's event at his Bedminster, New Jersey club was just the first stop. The tour will hold its season finale at Trump National Doral Miami in October.Hundreds of fans roar as former President Donald Trump approaches the first tee at his country club in New Jersey for LIV Golf’s Bedminster Invitational.
A broadcast deal would help in other ways, too, like lessening the need for the massive sign-up bonuses LIV has offered to recruit players from the PGA Tour. In part, those have made up for diminished endorsement income. Many LIV golfers, including Johnson, Mickelson and 2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau,“My job is about trying to create opportunities and exposure for players, right?” says Kevin Lynch, an agent at Empire Sports Management, which represents LIV golfer Turk Pettit.
Sure. There were dozens of people at Bedminster.