A LIV Golf executive has proposed a crossover with the PGA Tour that would see the top four players from each teeing it up on the other circuit.
Per Sports Illustrated, the unnamed executive thinks there is scope for an agreement between the rivals.
Speaking at the latest LIV Golf event in Washington DC, which was won by Range Goats GC player Harold Varner III, the executive said: “We’re not going anywhere. There’s an opportunity for more teams, the opportunity to cross-pollinate from an all-star PGA Tour team that might have the top four FedEx players coming to compete in every event or our top four players playing in the Players Championship, whatever it might be.”
That prospect seems a long way off considering the hostility of the PGA Tour to LIV Golf’s emergence, which has included the suspending players who've teed it up on its rival.
As well as that, there, but have also been questions over the long-term viability of LIV Golf. For example, PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh has described LIV’s business model as “flawed,” while it was reported in February that it made “virtually zero” revenue in its first season.
According to the executive, though, that’s not a concern as LIV Golf is expected to mature over decades rather than months. The executive explained: “This was always going to take time to mature, time to establish itself. That happens at different stages for the league, for the teams and the events. We’ve always acknowledged and knew that it would take time for them to become fully established and fully commercially mature. And in terms of what that looks like, it’s almost limitless.”
The executive then detailed LIV Golf’s plans to grow its teams via corporate sponsorship and cultivate “home” venues for them, but again admitted it would take time, saying: “They’re in their absolute infancy in golf. But you look at other sports and how they depend on the success of the teams, now LIV has got that platform that it can do that.”
As it approaches its first anniversary, there’s no doubt LIV Golf has created significant disruption to the top of the game, including luring some of the world’s best players, such as Open champion Cameron Smith, to the big-money venture. Meanwhile, the PGA Tour has adapted to the threat with larger purses in some of its tournaments and similar no-cut, limited field events to LIV Golf's planned for 2024.
Given those factors, a truce appears as far away as ever. However, according to the executive, it won’t stop LIV Golf continuing to grow via trial and error. The executive explained: “We’re not saying we’re the answer, we think we’ve got some good attributes. We’re not as cutting-edge as we want to be yet. I think the opportunity is trial and error, keep trying, keep making mistakes to try and grow the pie.”
