Welcome to LIVbreathegolf the newsletter that still watched the Players Championship - because any day with golf is a good day!

What we’re teeing up for you today:

• Should LIV Golf go All In on Teams?

• Player Profile - Bryson DeChambeau

• LIV Tucson Expert Picks

• PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia

Should LIV Golf go All In on Teams?

If LIV Golf League is Going to be Different - Let’s Make it Different!

Imagine - it is the bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, bases loaded. You step up to the plate. Your heart is racing. You take a deep breath, preparing for what is to come.

The pitcher stares past you - looking for the sign from the catcher. He winds up. You are set. Here comes the ball… And!

Wait, wait, wait. Wrong game with a ball and a stick. Try replacing it with this:

It is the 18th hole, short par 5, your partner’s on in 2. You step up to your ball. Your heart is racing. You take a deep breath, preparing for what is to come.

Phil Mickleson was just staring past you - dailing in the green. He swings. He catches the front of the green. It keeps rolling! a 20 ft. putt!

It’s all up to you now. Put it close and your team wins. Slice again and the HyFlyers take the game…

Baseball, Golf, What Are You Talking About?

Golf is traditionally a very independent sport. But it doesn’t have to be anymore.

There are tons of other sports, like baseball, that often involve singular performance (1 person hitting a ball, or catching it, or whatever).

The fact that there is 1 person hitting the ball on a hole at any given time doesn’t need to limit LIV from leaning into teams.

In fact, they should go all in on them!

Here is What They Need to Do:

1. Stop putting individual stats at the forefront. Those should be flashed on the screen as part of a story about how the team is doing, not a whole different competition. (Like a batting average for baseball or completion percentage for football)

2. Each day becomes a “game”. The weekend is more like a 3 “game” stretch rather than a 3 day long tournament.

3. Games are played team vs. team and your team either wins or loses.

4. Each game becomes match play. That way we get actual scores, like 10-8 vs. a leaderboard of a bunch of really high numbers (everyone’s strokes).

5. The season plays out in how many games each team has won, instead of based on points that are based on strokes. Records like:

   1. 30-9

   2. 25-14

   3. 18-21

6. The teams are seeded for the playoffs based on their end of season record and the bottom teams don’t get in. The rest continue to play games and re-seed until there is a champion.

What Does This Accomplish?

It set’s it apart from the PGA Tour or any other golf tour out there:

Some might say this format is too radical a step away from golf.

There was once a thought that players would be able to play in LIV events as well as PGA Tour events. For the time being that does not appear to be the case.

If players could play in both, I would say this is too radical. Since they can’t, why not give it a shot?

LIV is leaning into changes and setting itself apart. Why not set itself way apart? Go the whole opposite direction. Lean into the teams and really change how the sport is played and watched.

The product out there now is traditional golf with a few different spins. But leaning into the team aspect, they really have a way to change the game.

It creates a different dynamic in the sport. 

If they want teams, this really leans into the team aspect and makes everyone’s actions have consequences.

Tom Brady doesn’t win the Superbowl if Adam Vinatieri misses his kick. The same way maybe Talor Gooch doesn’t win LIV Championship if Bubba Watson doesn’t make his putt in some future event.

There is a different feel for players and fans when a moment isn’t up to a single individual, but a string of interconnected and unpredictable events building on each other and leading to a climax.

It changes the way people follow the sport. 

It is hard to watch 3 days of golf when you know that nobody is going to win until the 3rd day.

Golf is still fun to watch. But if you look at any golf viewing numbers ever, more people watch on the last day of a tournament than on the first.

If you have games though, everyday matters. And some people may really want to watch two teams play each other.

Theoretically every day could have high profile games and draw viewers because they are getting different games, wins, losses, a whole different product, every day.

It consolidates the fanbase. 

And strengthens it. People would be rooting for 12 teams instead of possibly 48 players. That will stir up a lot of passion between fans of 12 teams. Much more so than is dispersed between such a large group of individual people.

Sure, there will still be favorite players. But if you can link them strongly to a team it just grows the team passion stronger as well.

It will bring in new fans. 

This is another goal of LIV that it is doing okay at, but could do better.

LIV has sprinkled some changes in, but it is still pretty similar to a normal golf format (even more so with the new PGA Tour changes)

But bring fans a familiar format. One with games, wins, and losses instead of 54 hole stroke counts, converted points, and leaderboards. That is going to grab some people’s attention.

Maybe those that have never cared about golf or couldn’t be bothered to understand the setup would be more receptive to a league setup that looks more like baseball or football instead of traditional golf.

This is Pretty Radical

Yes, these changes would be pretty crazy. The LIV Golf League has already made a lot of changes that have been great for the players, fans, and the game.

Switching things up even more drastically would be a huge jump and there is no way to know for sure how all of that would be received (over time. My guess would be not great at first) or if it would work at all.

Not to mention that it would steer players even further from the PGA Tour. One of the criticisms of LIV is that it is not as competitive and that it is too different from the tour for players to go back and forth, get Official World Golf Ranking points, etc… If LIV ever did go this far then those arguments would gain more traction. It would be a different product.

But, if LIV is going to be completely separated from the PGA Tour than maybe they should get more radical and completely separate themselves.

Either Way, Teams Are Interesting

LIV does have teams already though. How far they go with that concept remains to be seen. But the fact is that the idea is out there and working to some degree.

What do you think? Should LIV lean into the team structure and focus on it even more? Should they leave them alone the way they are right now? Should they get rid of them and just go back to individual?

Hit “reply” to this email and tell us what you think they should do with teams!

Player Profile - Bryson DeChambeau

A lot of sports earn followings from loyalty to geographic locations, colleges, etc… This is your chance to learn about the LIV golfers and find who you connect with.

No surprise that Bryson is the captain of Crushers GC. Every time he steps on the tee box with a driver in his hand the ball shakes with fear. Bryson was the leader in driving distance on LIV for the 2022 season and he is known for his scientific approach to hitting the ball as far as he possibly can. Whether it’s working on his body or his swing this dude is going to find a way to crush the ball.

• Age - 29

• Birthplace - Modesto, CA

• College - Southern Methodist University

• Plays From - USA

• Turned Pro - 2016

• Joined LIV - 2022

• LIV Team - Crushers GC

• OWGR - 127th

Chart

Early Favorites - Tucson

LIV Golf kicks off it’s second event of the season this weekend at The Gallery Golf Club in Arizona.

The first event of the season ended with Charles Howell III and Crushers GC taking home 1st. Let’s take a look at who the experts are saying to keep an eye out for this weekend.

Personally I think Talor Gooch and the 4Aces GC will be on the podium. We will see.

Breakfast Balls

(Click on the links for more info)

LIV Golf announced a community impact partnership with Futbol Mas to support global communities

Greg Norman talks about PGA Tour ties to Saudi Arabia

Scottie Scheffler kills it at the Players Championship

Meme of the Day

Don’t golf alone, Share LIVbreathegolf and get more people on the course

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Is my undying gratitude enough? If people actually start reading this maybe you will get a sticker or a trip to the LIV Golf finals or something… who knows. For now, just know that I love you.

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