The controversial LIV Golf Series has been lauded for changing the landscape of professional golf by agent Andrew 'Chubby' Chandler, who took aim at the Saudi-backed circuit's rivals the PGA Tour.
It has been a year like no other in the world of golf. The emergence of LIV Golf has rocked the professional game, with the mega-money circuit proving to be a fierce rival to the leading PGA Tour. The breakaway circuit has seemingly modernised the sport with the introduction of shotgun starts, 54-hole competitions and a team format.
Many though have been quick to criticise LIV, no doubt down to their links and funding from the controversial Saudi Arabian government, with it being noted as the latest attempt of sportswashing by the Middle Eastern state.
Despite the controversy, Chandler - who is the former agent of Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy - believes the Saudi-backed circuit have simply found a gap in the market and taken advantage of it.
Speaking exclusively to Mirror Sport , he said: "I have always thought for the last 15-20 years, how has nobody thought to put up the same product. Thursday to Sunday all over the world 72 holes strokeplay, everywhere played exactly the same.
"Nobody tried to do anything, but whether this lot got it right or wrong, or whatever their alternative motives were, at least they have had a go. There are a lot of countries apart from Saudi Arabia that have tried to use sport to legitimise their being. I am not so sure it is such a bad thing anyway."
The inaugural LIV Golf season came to a close in October, as Miami played host to the circuit's £41 million team finale. The three-day knockout tournament culminated with an exciting final round which saw Dustin Johnson's 4 Aces fight off Cameron Smith's Punch GC, to secure the title and the £13 million prize.
After watching the never-seen-before format, Chandler was impressed with how the finale played out, and only expects the team aspect of the series to grow. "I thought that was a glimpse of the future, it was unbelievably exciting. I thought the last hour and a half was amazingly good," admitted the International Sports Management CEO.
"No it's not the Ryder Cup but you are never going to recreate the Ryder Cup. But there was an energy about that last hour and a half that was a bit different to a normal tournament, and that is what it is all about. It is going to be more and more team and less individual. Next year they’ll all be in team uniforms every day, they are going to look like teams.
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"I think next year the 14 main tournaments are going to be much more team-oriented and much more meaningful that way." Their rivals over at the PGA Tour will no doubt be concerned by LIV's fast-moving progress in 2022. The two sides of golf's civil war are yet to find a resolution in their battle, and Chandler believes this is in part down to the American-based circuit's initial refusal to sit and discuss the future with Norman and co.
Talking about how the breakaway series has shaken up professional golf, he commented: "Suddenly someone [Norman and LIV Golf] has ruffled everyone’s feathers. To me why of thinking - and I am unbelievable a neutral bystander in this - for the PGA Tour not to sit down with LIV at any stage to discuss what they were trying to do , where they could possibly help when there was billions of dollars going into golf was a very strange thing to do and a very arrogant thing to do."
