This week, the LIV Golf League makes its maiden 2025 tour stop in the United States as Doral’s Blue Monster golf course welcomes the 54-man field.
The large shadow Donald Trump casts will doubtless be a major talking point as the venue’s owner is never camera shy and almost certain to make an appearance – or several – and the video production team will be equally keen to let all and sundry know that the United States’ President is present.
It’ll be a nightmare for the Secret Service, but hey, that’s what they’re getting paid for.
More interestingly, is how the public’s interest will be piqued by the tournament itself. Since signing a broadcast deal with Fox Sports in the U.S., LIV’s viewing numbers have bowled nobody over, but then again, they’ve been playing in the Middle East, the Far East and Down Under, and the time differences make these far from ideal for a US audience.
They’ve also been up against The Waste Management Phoenix Open, the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship, so even though the time differences meant that they occupied different broadcast windows, there’s only so much golf that the average fan can consume – or be allowed consume.
This week, it is different. This week, the viewer will have the choice between LIV Miami and the Valero Texas Open, and the latter features just two of the top 10 and six of the top 20 in the world rankings. A decent field, sure, but not quite must-see TV.
And with the Masters a week away, getting a look at Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Joaquin Niemann, Sergio Garcia and the other leading LIV players who’ll make the trip north to Augusta on Sunday evening will be rather tempting.
But make no mistake, despite the $4 million that the tournament winner will receive, the $20 million in individual money up for grabs and the additional $5 million that will be split among the three leading teams, it’s all going to be viewed through an Augusta-green lens. But the same can be said of this week’s Valero just like it could be said of last week’s Houston Open.
That LIV will be at its most visible in 2025 on the same week that it was announced that an “all access series” would premier on Fox Sports a day after the tournament ends is no coincidence. The trailer, which can be viewed below, promises to open the door to the criticisms LIV players have received, and to banish the suggestions that the lack of competitive edge was the reason why they joined.
💬 “DON’T EVER TELL ME I DON’T CARE ABOUT GOLF”
For the first time, LIV Golf provides an all access series taking fans to the inside of the league, its teams and players. Premiering April 7th on @FS1 📺#LlVToWin pic.twitter.com/sIn2cedNlN
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) March 28, 2025
Jon Rahm cares about golf, and specifically, his performances in golf. I’ll never dispute that. But the fact remains that the wider world knows that Jon Rahm opted to take a large payment to compete on a tour that has so far failed to capture the public’s imagination.
The media have played their part in this, sure, but the media aren’t solely responsible. If the trailer is anything to go by, the victim card will be played strongly, but it’s the wrong card to be playing to an audience that knows each and every one of the characters have been very handsomely rewarded for jumping ship.
LIV is real competition, that much is certainly true. I’ve watched exhibition golf and I’ve watched LIV and anybody who says they are one and the same are talking through their you-know-whats, but it still doesn’t mean people will buy in.
The proof, so far, has been in the numbers. And the numbers haven’t been good, particularly when contrasted with the PGA Tour’s that have bounced largely due to big names – Rory McIlroy’s at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass in particular – competing down the stretch in the key events.
But that doesn’t mean they can’t change, both for LIV and for the PGA Tour. And this week, there’s an opportunity for LIV to make inroads.
Trump’s likely presence will add exposure. Maybe people will tune in to see if he appears and if and when he does, the clips will do the rounds. Maybe people will like what they see. It is a golf tournament after all, and one on a golf course that most long-time fans will be familiar with as it was once a staple of the PGA Tour.
There’s also the addition of ‘The Duels’, which brings YouTube golf and the sizeable audience into the fold.
The spotlight’s on LIV this week, and it might just flicker long enough to pull them from the shadows – but don’t hold your breath unless you’re betting that Trump attempts to steal the show.
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