Late Tuesday night, LIV Golf announced its first four events of the 2025 season, which will be the fourth for the league. The four tournaments all have international flair, but it’s where they fall on the calendar that paints a bleak outlook for what’s to come in the journey to have all of the best players play together again in more than the four major championships.
LIV will begin its season Feb. 6-8 with LIV Golf Riyadh, the first time LIV Golf has played in Saudi Arabia’s capital city. The next week, the league will travel Down Under for LIV Golf Adelaide from Feb. 14-16, which has been by far the most successful LIV event through the league’s first three years.
Next, LIV will have another two events in back-to-back weeks, starting with Hong Kong Golf Club for LIV Golf Hong Kong, March 7-9. Then, it’s a return to Sentosa Golf Club from March 14-16 for LIV Golf Singapore.
“As we set our sights on 2025, LIV Golf is gearing up for our most ambitious season start, to date,” said Greg Norman, LIV Golf’s CEO and commissioner. “Since our debut in 2022, LIV Golf has played 34 tournaments in nine different countries across four continents. We are a global league with a global footprint, and we’re excited to kick off next season with four truly international events that will deliver our unique blend of elite golf, entertainment and culture to fans around the world.”
Seeing LIV Golf announce events for the 2025 season should be no surprise, as there has been hardly any traction toward a deal to bring the top players in the world back together to play on one tour, but the dates of LIV’s events are a stark contrast to anything seen in the first three years of the league.
LIV Golf has normally played its events opposite of the PGA Tour’s top tournaments, having some crossover but often doing what it can to avoid spots on the calendar like signature events.
Not next year.
LIV Golf Riyadh will be contested the same week as the WM Phoenix Open. Then, LIV Golf Adelaide will go head-to-head with Tiger Woods’ event, the Genesis Invitational.
Fast forward to March, LIV Golf Hong Kong is the same week as the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and LIV Golf Singapore will go head-to-head with the Tour’s flagship event, the Players Championship.
It’s important to note, with all four LIV events playing essentially a day ahead and overnight live in the United States, they won’t be competing directly with the Tour events. Nevertheless, the more and more time goes on, it seems less and less likely there’s traction for the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to come together.
The schedule release for LIV Golf in 2025 shows the league doesn’t care what’s going on in the PGA Tour world.
Two events remain for LIV Golf in the 2024 season, starting next week in Chicago at Bolingbrook, the individual season finale. Then the team championship will happen the following week in Dallas at Maridoe.
Source: Golfweek https://ift.tt/hNMf6RB