Back To Miami

I took a trip to Miami last October to experience all the fuss about LIV Golf. Eight months later, the PGA Tour announced it was going into business with LIV’s backers, and professional golf was tossed into disarray. I decided on a return trip to South Florida to see what else has changed.

This year’s LIV Golf Team Championship at Trump National Doral capped off the rival league’s first full season, with 14 events as opposed to last year’s eight. Speaking at Doral prior to last year’s event, LIV president and COO Atul Khosla stressed that LIV was in its “startup” phase, and commented on the “tenacity” required to “work through the first couple of years.” Six weeks after making those comments, Khosla resigned from LIV. There’s one change.

The 2023 version of the team championship maintained the same format as the inaugural event, with the top four teams in the season standings earning a first-round bye. During the first two days, the remaining eight teams squared off in a bracket format. Each team has four players. Two players from each team played an alternate shot (foursomes) match against two players from another team. There were also two head-to-head match play competitions, for a total of three matches. Win two out of three, and your team advances.

The final round was stroke play, with all 48 players on the course. Everybody’s score counted towards the team total. The four teams that advanced through the first two days were the only teams eligible to win the team title. As I mentioned last year, the format looks complex on paper, but in practice, none of the fans seemed bothered or confused.

Friday was the “bye” day for the top four teams, but just about all of the players on those teams were at the course anyway. Bryson DeChambeau was doing his thing at one end of the range. Paul Casey and Bubba Watson were wandering the hotel lobby, Bubba lugging his bright pink RangeGoats golf bag. Joaquin Niemann, Sebastian Muñoz, and Mito Pereira — three-fourths of Torque GC — were putting in serious work on the putting green. I did not remember that from last year. Maybe they were asked (compelled?) to be on property on Friday even though they wouldn’t tee it up until Saturday.

Using alternate shot (foursomes) during the first two days does add some excitement. I hung out at the 216-yard par-3 9th for a while and watched teammates put each other in execrable positions. Fun to watch, sometimes less fun to play. It’s a shame that we’re limited to Ryder/Solheim/President’s Cups in seeing this format.

Speaking of fans: much larger Friday crowd this year compared to last year. Also more of a rooting interest. I saw far more fans wearing merchandise with the LIV logo and/or specific team names. That may have to do with the longer season this year and more domestic events — increased opportunities for fans to develop allegiances. The merch tent itself rivals anything on the PGA Tour in terms of size and selection.

Last year, Khosla claimed that the team names were placeholders, but almost nothing has changed in the twelve months since. Bubba’s Range Goats were known as the “Niblicks” last year, but that’s been the only update. The team names and logos are in need of overhaul. The World League of American Football vibe doesn’t help LIV’s credibility.

There were fewer media members covering the event this year, but far more international outlets. I heard a lot of French and Spanish in the Trump National Doral ballroom that was converted into a press center. 

Security was high at Doral. A robust police presence. Not sure if that was specific to the event or a sign of the times. 

The infrastructure is built to target fans who prefer the luxury box experience — there are few (if any) open grandstands, but plenty of full-service clubhouses. That said, tickets were free in Miami for kids and military personnel. As I mentioned last year, once you’re inside the gates, there’s virtually no evidence of any “rift” in professional golf. You notice the skyboxes and the music, and it’s still jarring to see players in shorts, but beyond that, it feels like a golf tournament.

DeChambeau’s Crushers GC edged Watson’s Range Goats by two shots to claim the team title, sharing $14 million for their efforts (the Goats had to settle for $8 million). Talor Gooch had already locked up the individual points title the previous week, pocketing $18 million, or roughly double his career earnings on the PGA Tour. Most of the coverage that followed Miami centered on LIV’s future, which is blurry, despite the optimistic takes posted by players like Watson and Phil Mickelson. 

James Colgan wrote a piece for Golf.com that eloquently summarizes the big-picture questions that remain after two seasons of LIV. This week will surely deliver similar think pieces. Sticking strictly to the Miami event, however, I can conclude after two visits that while LIV Golf hits different, the entertainment value is there. It’s a fun watch, largely because of the novelty compared to other professional tours.

Will that be enough? That question remains unanswered.