LIV Golf Progressing Ahead of Schedule, Will Play 14 Events in 2023 With Set Teams

Next year, the LIV Golf League will have 12 set four-man teams with captains who can recruit their own players and make trades.
LIV Golf Progressing Ahead of Schedule, Will Play 14 Events in 2023 With Set Teams
LIV Golf Progressing Ahead of Schedule, Will Play 14 Events in 2023 With Set Teams /

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. — The LIV Golf Invitational Series will transition to the LIV Golf League beginning in 2023, one year ahead of schedule.

A LIV Golf official said that the success of the initial events and the fact that there is demand for the 48 player spots prompted the move to a league concept that will have 12 set four-man teams and captains who are allowed to recruit them.

The original idea was to begin the league this year, but due to considerable pushback in the spring and several players backing out, LIV Golf was forced to pivot to a more modest plan for 2022.

In late March, it announced an eight-tournament invitational series in which players were allowed to play as many or as few tournaments they wished, with a season-ending team championship.

But after the first tournament at Centurion Club outside of London and this week’s tournament at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club outside of Portland, LIV Golf will unveil a 14-tournament schedule for 2023 that is expected to begin in March.

No dates or tournament sites are official, but LIV Golf is expected to go back to the Centurion Club as well as Trump Bedminster and Trump Doral, which are on this year’s schedule. It is possible that the league could also go to places such as Mexico and Australia.

This year’s schedule has just three tournaments outside of the U.S: London; Bangkok, Thailand; and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It will also go to Bedminster and courses outside of Boston, Chicago and Miami.

The team concept is a bit confusing this year, as some are changing on a weekly basis.

But the idea is to have 12 set teams of four players each so franchises can establish identify and value. There will be the possibility for trades among teams by the captains — the top 12 players who run each team — as well as future relegation among the bottom level of players.


Published
Bob Harig
BOB HARIG

Bob Harig is a senior writer covering golf for Sports Illustrated. He has more than 25 years experience on the beat, including 15 at ESPN. Harig is a regular guest on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio and has written two books, "DRIVE: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods" and "Tiger and Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry." He graduated from Indiana University where he earned an Evans Scholarship, named in honor of the great amateur golfer Charles (Chick) Evans Jr. Harig, a former president of the Golf Writers Association of America, lives in Clearwater, Fla.