19th Hole

Report links 2 huge names with shock LIV move

Published

1 year ago

Oct 31, 2022

Matt Vincenzi

According to The Guardian, some big names previously linked to LIV Golf have resurfaced.

Related: Cam Smith accuses Phil Mickelson of ‘gamesmanship’ during LIV showdown

At the LIV Golf finale in Miami over the weekend, rumors flew about Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Mito Pereira and Thomas Pieters potentially joining LIV for the 2023 season.

The report from respected journalist Ewan Murray stated:

“Speculation in Miami has linked Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Mito Pereira and Thomas Pieters with LIV. The loss of Cantlay and Schauffele would serve as a blow to the PGA Tour. Only a 72nd-hole disaster cost Pereira this year’s US PGA Championship. Pieters would ordinarily be in the mix for a place in Europe’s 2023 Ryder Cup team, a scenario that would be undermined by any switch to the Saudi Arabia-backed tour. LIV refused to comment on individual discussions with players.”

In addition to the speculation regarding the potential incoming players, The Guardian also spoke to LIV’s president, Atul Khosla, who confirmed there will be some new players in the mix next year.

“We are in the middle of the discussions,” he said of potential new signings. “We are going to get it done this year. We want the teams locked in by the new year. It will play itself out over the next couple of months.”

Khosla recognizes the importance of securing a television deal, and it seems that will be the main priority as LIV enters its off-season this week.

“On the US front, we are back and forth with a few different networks,” he said. “Step one was to show them the product, which they clearly understand. We had to show them the graphics and how it would be very different. Step two was to clear the time.

“We are now at the point where outlets have said time could be cleared. There are only so many times a year you can do that on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We are figuring out what the commercial arrangements could look like.

“I feel good about where we are, but we have work to do over the next couple of months. We think we are providing an incredible commercial product. These are not six-month or one-year deals, if a TV network is getting behind this it’s for multiple years. We have got to start commercializing the product. We have got to get on TV, we have to get corporate partners. These are milestones that we need to hit.”

Many LIV critics have pointed to the fact the LIV didn’t have a clear business model as a major reason as to why it couldn’t last longer than a few years. However, Khosla’s comments clearly indicate that the plan is to create revenue starting in 2023.

Jason Dufner among well-known names teeing it up in LIV Golf Promotions event

Published

13 hours ago

Dec 1, 2023

Matt Vincenzi

The field for the LIV Golf Promotions event has been released.

Full 70-man field for the LIV Golf Promotions event at Abu Dhabi Golf Club 12/8-12/10 pic.twitter.com/ObXDJ23lvt

— Matt Vincenzi (@MattVincenziPGA) November 30, 2023

Some notable players in the field include Jason Dufner, who has five PGA Tour wins including a major championship, Kevin Chappell (one Tour win and Arnold Palmer Award winner in college), Martin Trainer (one Tour win), former Ryder Cup players Victor Dubuisson and Jeff Overton, as well as Lucas Bjerregard, who famously took down Tiger Woods in the 2019 Dell Matchplay.

The event will take place from December 8-10 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club with the top three finishers earning a spot with LIV for the 2024 season.

Players who are eligible to participate in round one include: Players who ranked #6-#32 on the Asian Tour’s International Series’ Order of Merit, the U.S. Amateur Champion, the British Amateur Champion, the Latin-American Amateur Champion, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion, the European Amateur Champion, the Top-200 from the OWGR and the Top-20 from the WAGR.

In round two, the top 20 and ties from round one will advance, as well as the relegated LIV Golf players from 2023, the DPWT and PGA Tour 2023 winners, any major champion since 2018, any Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup participants, and #1-#5 of the Asian Tour International Series Order of Merit.

The top 16 players remaining on the leaderboard will advance to the 36-hole shootout on Sunday, with the top 3 earning a spot-on LIV in 2024.

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19th Hole

Caddie opens up on surprise firing following multiple-win season

Published

13 hours ago

Dec 1, 2023

Matt Vincenzi

Kip Henley, who’s been caddying for Grayson Murray since May, took to X this week to reveal that Murray “decided to ‘go another direction'” for the upcoming season.

Pretty tough news today. Grayson decided to “go another direction” this coming year. I don’t think it was easy for him to tell me but it doesn’t change it for me. I’m back out on the curb looking for a bag for next year. One door closes another one will open like always.

— KIP HENLEY (@KipHenley) November 29, 2023

The news is a bit surprising, considering Murray won twice (May and September) on the Korn Ferry Tour in a short span with Henley on his bag.

Murray’s career has been a bit of a rollercoaster. He was a highly decorated youth player and rose to the professional ranks quickly but has ran into multiple controversies over the years.

Most recently, he told Rory McIlroy to “f*** off” during a players-only meeting at the RBC Canadian Open. He also got into an altercation with Kevin Na at the driving range prior to the Mexico Open at Vidanta.

Henley added he’s not upset at Grayson following the split, but “disappointed and sad it worked out this way.”

I’m disappointed and sad it worked out this way but believe it or not I’m not really mad a Grayson. He’s not a bad person. It’s just a tough relationship out there at times. I spent the better part of 10 years with one dude and we are still dear friends. I’m still buds with most…

— KIP HENLEY (@KipHenley) November 30, 2023

Murray will be back on the PGA Tour in 2024 after earning his card back following a strong season on the Korn Ferry Tour.

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19th Hole

Golf analyst tears into ‘disgraceful’ U.S. Ryder Cup side

Published

13 hours ago

Dec 1, 2023

Matt Vincenzi

While appearing on Claude Harmon’s Son of a Butch podcast, former PGA Tour player Andrew Coltart ripped the United States Ryder Cup team for the 16.5-11.5 drubbing they received at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

Related: ‘It has to be the right fit’ – Notah Begay explains the factors Tiger may need to win 83rd title

During the event, reports emerged that there were players on the U.S. team, specifically Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, that wanted compensation for their Ryder Cup efforts. Coltart argued that in order to win, the players needed to want to play for the “red, white and blue” and found it “disgraceful”.

Related: Tiger or Jack? Brandel Chamblee has his say on the GOAT debate

“Before we talk about the captains, you’ve got to take 12 players who want to play for your red, white and blue.”

“Because what I see is that’s not the case. There might be 10 of them, that might’ve been the case this year, there might be nine.

“I’m not seeing 12 players that want to play – you guys had a team two years ago at Whistling Straits that was meant to dominate for 10 years.”

“I know you were arguably more depleted because of LIV than the DP World Tour, but the DP World Tour this year had guys in form.

“At Whistling Straits, we didn’t. But you need to get 12 players who want to play.

“I can’t stand listening to some of these multi-millionaires bitching – pitching up to a Ryder Cup and – ‘Somebody’s not paying me any money for it’.

“There’s something wrong with your psyche and personally, I wouldn’t have anybody in my team, even if they qualified, that didn’t want to play for the red, white and blue.

“I find it disgraceful. You go to the DP World Tour – every single man will bleed for that team.”

“They will pay to play a Ryder Cup, not the other way around. Until you sort that out, you’re always going to be up against it.”

Coltart also referenced the fact that the vast majority of the United States team took a month or more off in the lead up to the Ryder Cup, whereas the entire European team played at Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship the week before.

“Where’s the respect for Zach Johnson and that task force that you can’t be bothered playing for five weeks prior to a Ryder Cup?

“It’s not just you you’re letting down, what about the American fans?

“What about the people who paid for the trip to get over there to Rome to support you? And you’re only going to give it a half-baked opportunity?

“And it was no surprise that guess what, you started to play more like you could play at the end of the week when it was basically all but lost? I just don’t understand.

“There is no sport I know that any professional athlete would conceivably take that much time off before what is the Olympics – and expect to perform anywhere near their optimum level? I thought it was really, really poor.”

With Luke Donald having just been named the captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup, the United States will need to rethink their strategy as we get closer to Bethpage Black in 2025.