via Imago
Greg Norman (L) and Jay Monahan (R). Image Courtesy: IMAGO
via Imago
Greg Norman (L) and Jay Monahan (R). Image Courtesy: IMAGO
Las Vegas is going to become the hot spot for sports fans! Throughout the upcoming weekend, two major sports events will take place. First is the much-awaited Super Bowl LVIII. The second will be LIV Golf teeing off its second calendar event.
Are the two events taking place at the same place and time a coincidence? Some might think not! It looks like the breakaway league is trying to capitalize on something the PGA Tour has been doing for years. Well, what exactly is that?
LIV Golf took a page out of the PGA Tour’s playbook
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This strategy of clashing with the Super Bowl is an old tactic from the traditional league. Since 1973, the WM Phoenix Open has a history of using the Super Bowl to its advantage and has been held on the same weekend as the NFL’s final annual league championship game.
But the Saudi-backed league has gone a step beyond that and organized their event in the same area at the Las Vegas Country Club. Not only do the dates coincide, but LIV Golf is also copying a unique feature of the PGAT event.
The WM Phoenix Open is the proud owner of the par-3 16th hole. This hole is called the ‘Loudest Hole in Golf’. Why? Because it has a mini-stadium around it, which boasts a seating capacity of 17,000, The Saudi-backed league has added a ‘Party hole’ to its tournament in Las Vegas this weekend, which looks like a carbon copy of the 16th hole.
LIV Golf has added a "party hole" to its tournament in Las Vegas this weekend — going head-to-head against the PGA Tour's Waste Management Phoenix Open.
(📸: @RipCityOriginal) pic.twitter.com/wwjNJIF72X
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) February 5, 2024
While copying a single event to match the hype around the Super Bowl is one thing, it looks like the rival league is also copying the schedule of the PGA Tour. A look into the complete schedule of both leagues reveals the complete picture.
The coinciding schedule of both golf leagues
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Last year, most of LIV Golf’s big events happened around the PGA Tour’s smaller events. This year, the rival league is aiming higher by targeting major events. The most fresh example is PGAT’s signature event, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and LIV’s calendar opener, Mayakoba, happening on the same weekend.
Now they are doing it again, with the event in Las Vegas falling alongside the WM Phoenix Open. It looks like the rival league has no plans of stopping, as their major events fall on the same weekend.
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| LIV Golf events (dates) | The PGA Tour events (dates) |
| Las Vegas (Feb 8-10) | WM Phoenix Open (Feb 8-11) |
| Saudi Arabia (Mar 1-3) | Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches (Feb 29-Mar 3) |
| Hong Kong (Mar 8-10) | Puerto Rico Open (Mar 7-10) |
| USA (Apr 5-7) | Valero Texas Open (Apr 4-7) |
| Adelaide (Apr 26-28) | Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Apr 25-28) |
| Singapore (May 3-5) | The CJ Cup Byron Nelson (May 2-5) |
| Houston (Jun 7-9) | The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (Jun 6-9) |
| Nashville (Jun 21-23) | Travelers Championship (Jun 20-23) |
| Andalucia (Jul 12-14) | Kentucky Championship (Jul 11-14) |
| United Kingdom (Jul 26-28) | 3M Open (Jul 25-28) |
| Greenbrier (Aug 16-18) | FedEx St. Jude Championship (Aug 15-18) |
The dates of two more signature events—the Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship—coincide with the events of LIV Golf. These three reasons show why the rival league is trying to one-up the PGA Tour by taking the page out of its playbook and improving it.
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