LIV Golf
LIV Golf, funded by the Public Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, was founded in 2022 as a direct competitor to golf’s main circuit.
Former PGA Tour legend Greg Norman took charge as the tour’s CEO, and multiple prominent golfers such as Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, and Brooks Koepka have joined its ranks.
The beginning of LIV Golf’s foray into the world of professional golf was filled with controversy as Norman pursued the biggest names on the PGA Tour by offering enormous contracts and purses amid criticism from standouts such as Rory McIlroy. The decision to shorten tournaments from 72 to 54 holes (which led to the name of the tour, pronounced “live” but written with Roman numerals) reportedly played a part in some players’ decisions to join the fledgling roster.
Charl Schwartzel won the inaugural June 2022 event, the LIV Golf Invitational London, by shooting a seven-under 203 at Centurion Club in Hemel Hempstead, England.
