The PGA Tour have taken an opportunity to deal LIV Golf a further blow with their decision to support the Australian Open from 2027 onwards.
Little is going right for LIV Golf right now, it seems. The league is facing an incredibly uncertain future, with those behind the scenes trying to source funding for next season.
It appeared that LIV Golf were hoping to bring a number of national opens into their schedule. However, they have already missed out on one of the biggest events of its kind.
LIV Golf dealt a big blow with the PGA Tour elevating the Australian Open
The PGA Tour announced this week that they are set to elevate the Australian Open for three years, with the prize money set to receive a significant boost.
Much like the Scottish Open, the Australian Open will be co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. Meanwhile, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia is also involved in the running of the event.
The Australian Open arguably has the potential to be the biggest event outside of the four majors. And speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Rex Hoggard suggested that the PGA Tour has taken the opportunity to hurt LIV Golf even further.
“I think you can make a really good argument, me being here at the Canadian Open, I would certainly make the argument that national open and all of the national opens should be elevated. The Irish Open, the Scottish Open, we’ve seen, have been elevated over the last couple of years. So you would certainly look at this as a step forward. The right step forward,” he said.
“However, I don’t think that’s what this is. I think this is the PGA Tour trying to put the last nail in LIV Golf’s coffin. We all know that LIV Golf’s success came initially, first and foremost, in Adelaide.
“They made the most of an Australian team. They made the most of a continent that is starved for top-level golf, and I think the PGA Tour clued into that, and it’s a chance, with LIV Golf, clearly against the ropes, their CEO did an interview yesterday with one of our colleagues at CNBC talking about the future of that circuit. But with LIV Golf against the ropes, I think this is one way that the PGA Tour could make sure that they stay up against those ropes.”
A big win as the PGA Tour looks to grow its international audience
Whether it is the Australian Open or LIV Golf Adelaide, the crowds Down Under always turn up and create a phenomenal atmosphere.
It is difficult to imagine that LIV will ever enjoy a better moment than when Anthony Kim ended up winning at The Grange back in February.
But perhaps it would be unfair on the PGA Tour to suggest that the interest in the Australian Open is solely down to the desire to see the back of LIV Golf once and for all.
Speaking on the same podcast, Ryan Lavner suggested that the move for the Australian Open is a step in the right direction as the PGA Tour looks to thrive across a more international market.
“LIV Golf has made no bones that they want to own the national opens. We’ve seen some of the success, as you mentioned, not just in Australia, but South Africa as well with the successful stage of the year in Hong Kong, they’re in Singapore, for some of those tournaments as well. I certainly see that angle,” he said.
“To me, this was an easy win for the PGA Tour, elevating and emphasising prestigious global tournaments without having to take on the operational cost of actually hosting and staging a PGA Tour event. I think from a DP World Tour perspective, they’re going to have a real opportunity to own the last four months of the calendar year, and the fall because you are going to have the core PGA Tour season, it’s going to run sometime roughly the NFL playoffs through about Labor Day, and then you’re going to have an opportunity, obviously, outside of the cup, whether it’s either going to be the Ryder Cup or the case this year in the Presidents Cup to really boost some of these international, European global events.
“So I thought this made a ton of sense from those two tours’ perspective, as you mentioned, because LIV Golf was openly targeting them. But I also think it makes sense in the grand scheme of things with Augusta National and the R&A prioritising the winners of these types of tournaments and signalling that they are important, and granting invitations into The Masters and The Open Championship for the winner of the National Open.”
Obviously, international events have a tougher time attracting an audience in the United States due to the time difference.
However, Kim’s victory earlier this year showed that compelling storylines will likely win over the fans whatever time of the day they have to watch.
The Australian Open should be one of the most prestigious events on the calendar. This decision should help ensure that it regains that status in the years to come.
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