LIV Golf, a look at what's coming in 2023: 'Next year is going to be explosive'

DORAL —- Former president Donald Trump was between holes on the back nine while playing in the pro-am Thursday when he was asked about LIV Golf.

"It's big time and it's big time money. It's unlimited money," he said. "And it's different. You hear the music?"

To say Trump, the Palm Beach resident, exaggerates is like saying Elon Musk has a few bucks in his portfolio. But when it comes to the LIV Golf Series, with which Trump has aligned himself due to his contempt for the PGA Tour, in this case he's mostly right on.

It is big money and unlimited money, it is different. And, yes, you can hear the music.

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LIV Golf, which will be rebranded the LIV Golf League and increase to 14 events in 2023, completed a successful first year Sunday by crowning its team champion at Trump National Doral.

The year started with many predicting the Greg Norman venture being financially backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund would not stick its first tee in the ground.

"If I'm just looking at LIV Golf and where we are today to where we were six, seven months ago and people are saying this is dead in the water, we're past that," said Phil Mickelson the face of LIV Golf when it comes to the players.

"(We're) a force in the game that's not going away."

Successful first year for LIV

The eight-event inaugural season concluded with the $50 million team championship. 4 Aces, captained by Jupiter's Dustin Johnson, won the team title and split the $16 million first-place prize money, bringing Johnson's LIV earnings to $35.6 million for eight 54-hole events, including an $18 million bonus for winning the individual title. That does not include the reported $125 million four-year contract Johnson signed to join LIV.

LIV distributed $255 million in prize money this year. That number will jump by about 63 percent in 2023 with purses totaling $405 million for 14 events.

So, yes, unlimited money.

The source of that money is the rub for those who disdain LIV Golf. But whether you believe this is Saudi Arabia's attempt to "sportswash" its horrific human rights violations or justify the Saudi-backed venture by saying the U.S. and other professional sports leagues have ties with other oppressive regimes, the Saudis have plenty more than the estimated $1.3 billion they invested to launch LIV.

And the league is planning for a long, profitable future. LIV Golf plans to move its offices from its current space in downtown West Palm Beach to a new high rise being built about one block east. LIV will lease about 30,000 square feet for its headquarters.

But now comes the time for LIV to move past the growing pains of Year 1 and dive deep into its business model, which centers around the team concept LIV highlighted its first year with 12 four-man teams and continued 54-hole events with shotgun starts.

As for that 48-man roster, LIV certainly has exceeded expectations by poaching about 25 percent of the top 100 golfers in the world, led by Mickelson, Johnson, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. All reportedly received a minimum $100 million to join LIV, led by Mickelson's $200 million. Mickelson was expected, but some of those who started trickling in certainly got the attention of the PGA Tour, causing commissioner Jay Monahan to quickly react and pump millions more into his tour's prize money.

But even with the possibility of a few more top ranked golfers joining LIV before the start of the 2023 season and LIV doing its best to claim its field rivals the tour's, the two are not comparable.

The majority of the best golfers in the world remain on the PGA Tour, which always will be an issue for LIV and cause many to question the level of competition for those who are successful.

Still seeking OWGR points, TV deal

And several other questions must be answered.

LIV's 48-man fields and no cut events are two aspects that do not meet Official World Golf Ranking points guidelines. It should be noted a tour can be awarded points without meeting all guidelines, although the OWGR board of governors certainly is not looking to do LIV any favors.

That board includes top ranking officials from the PGA of America, the International Federation of PGA Tours, the USGA, the PGA Tour, Augusta National, the R&A and the PGA European Tour.

LIV attempted an end around by forming an alliance with the accredited MENA Tour and that failed. Without receiving points, the world ranking for the majority of LIV's golfers has plummeted. Johnson is No. 31, down from 13th the week he joined LIV; Koepka No. 40, down from 19th; and DeChambeau No. 52, down from 29th.

So, the fight will continue.

LIV will expand to 14 events next summer with its schedule being released in mid November. The number of events in the U.S. (five this year) and internationally (three) will increase. The season will start in February (the first U.S. event will be in March) and end in September to minimize going up against the NFL. The league also will purposely avoid the same weeks as the majors, the Genesis Invitational hosted by Tiger Woods, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship.

But LIV's main focus this off season will center on attempting to secure a media rights deal.

The only way to view LIV this year was through YouTube and its official website, commercial free. In other words, LIV's entire season was played without making any money for media rights while paying for the production and crews.

And the viewership numbers have declined, by up to more than 60 percent and even 80 percent from the three summer events in the U.S. (Bedminster, Boston, Chicago) to the events in Bangkok and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to GOLF. ESPN reported during the summer LIV was averaging 80,000 viewers.

LIV’s chief operating officer, Atul Khosla, told a group of reporters Saturday the league is looking to sell media rights domestically and internationally.

“On the U.S. front, we are back and forth with a few different networks at this point in time,” Khosla said. “Step one was to show them the product, which they want to clearly understand, show them the graphics and how it’d be very different.”

Golfweek recently reported LIV was nearing a deal with Fox Sports 1 in which LIV would purchase the air time for its tournaments, paying for the time and production costs. LIV called the report “incomplete and inaccurate.

Think of LIV as NFL with 12 franchises

The season-finale at Doral was a showcase of LIV's primary business model, the team aspect. While the first seven events included team and individual components, the final event in South Florida was exclusively to determine a season-long team championship, with a purse of $50 million.

"That's the virgin space that we recognized in the beginning," Norman said on the LIV broadcast.

LIV is banking on the team model as the primary source of income to help start cutting into the billions it will cost to get the league running. Think of LIV as the NFL and the 4 Aces, say, the Cowboys; Cameron Smith's Punch the Patriots; Koepka's Smash the Dolphins.

And Greg Norman is LIV's version of Roger Goodell.

One league, 12 franchises.

Those teams might not be sold for another year with LIV looking to maximize the value of each franchise. For that to happen, the league must land those media rights deals and find league-wide sponsors, of which LIV has none. In fact, many players have lost sponsorship deals since joining LIV.

What kind of money is LIV looking for from potential team owners? Tens of  millions. But not all teams are created equal. After all, the Los Angeles Rams are worth a lot more than the Detroit Lions.

LIV will receive 75 percent of the sale price with the team captain receiving a 25 percent equity stake. Each team will be commercialized, allowing the remaining three players to get their piece of the action, and start incurring their costs for items like travel.

LIV will continue to spotlight team play in 2023 and beyond. Like any league, those teams will see roster movement. Already it's been reported Peter Uihlein is leaving Koepka's Smash team to join Johnson's 4 Aces. Talor Gooch will move from 4 Aces to join Bubba Watson's Niblicks.

If LIV poaches more top ranked players from the PGA Tour, expect some changes in the captain spots. The league hopes to have its rosters finalized by the end of the year. Each team will have a substitute player in case of injury.

"As we look into 2023 and beyond, knowing the energy and enthusiasm that these guys have for the franchise, for their team, for what they're doing," Norman said, "next year is just going to be explosive."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Greg Norman, LIV Golf awarding $405 million in prize money in 2023