What is LIV Golf? The Tour that Has the Sporting World Divided

The sport of golf is undergoing a slow but unmistakable reinvention, and at its centre sits an Australian legend. The LIV Golf League has now moved well beyond its disruptive launch phase, becoming a permanent fixture in the professional game while continuing to divide fans, players, and administrators.

Fronted in its early years by former world No. 1 and two-time major winner Greg Norman, the Saudi-backed sports league arrived with a promise to modernise its structure, scheduling, and pay model. It also arrived with controversy baked in. Massive payouts, guaranteed contracts and appearance fees lured some of the sport’s biggest names away from the PGA Tour, while critics warned the move could fracture the game permanently.

So, several seasons in, what exactly is LIV Golf, and why does it still spark such strong reactions?

What is the LIV Golf Tournament?

Designed as an alternative to the traditional PGA Tour model, LIV Golf borrows heavily from arena-style sport. Shotgun starts, team identities, condensed schedules and a strong emphasis on live entertainment are all central to the experience.

The league operates under a markedly different financial structure. Where the PGA Tour prohibits appearance fees, LIV Golf guarantees contracts and pays players regardless of finishing position. Tournament purses regularly sit in the US$20–25 million range, with an additional team prize pool layered on top.

“Our model is 100 per cent built around the golf ecosystem from the ground up,” Norman told Carlson in 2022. “We are not trying to destroy the PGA tour or the European tour. We are there to work within the ecosystem to show that it’s a big enough space. It’s a multibillion-dollar industry.”

Several seasons on, LIV Golf no longer exists purely as a challenger concept. It now operates as a global tour with locked-in broadcast partners, established teams, and a calendar that sits alongside the traditional golf ecosystem rather than outside it.

LIV Golf Format

LIV Golf’s competitive structure has shifted significantly since its launch. As of the 2026 season, events are now contested over 72 holes across four rounds, replacing the original 54-hole format that defined the league’s early identity. Shotgun starts remain, as does the no-cut structure, ensuring every contracted player competes across the full tournament.

Alongside the individual competition, LIV Golf continues to run a season-long team championship. Thirteen teams of four players accumulate points throughout the year before contesting a standalone Team Championship at season’s end.

That structure is a clear evolution from what was initially announced. When LIV Golf was first announced, the format centred on eight 54-hole, no-cut stroke-play tournaments, followed by a final Team Championship, described at the time as a “seeded four-day, four-round, match play knock-out” event scheduled for Trump National Doral Miami in October 2022.

“There will be a seven-event regular season where players will compete as individuals and teams for both points and prize money,” LIV Golf explained during its launch phase. “At the end of those seven events, an Individual Champion will be crowned based on points accumulated throughout the season. The eighth and final event will be our season-ending Team Championship match play event.”

The shift to a longer format reflects LIV’s transition from experimental disruptor to a more conventional, if still unconventional, global tour.

Prize Money

One of the league’s defining features remains its financial structure, which differs significantly from that of traditional golf tours.

In 2026, LIV Golf events offer record-setting purses, with each regular tournament featuring a US $30 million total purse, made up of a US $20 million individual purse and US $10 million team purse for the 13 teams. The individual winner typically pockets around US $4 million, while second place can earn about US $2.25 million and third roughly US $1.5 million. Even players near the bottom of the field receive payouts, with amounts around US $50,000–$60,000 for those finishing last.

That team purse has also been expanded in 2026, meaning every team earns money each week. For example, the winning team at Riyadh took home US $3 million, the runners-up US $1.5 million, and the last-place side still earned around US $200,000.

LIV Golf Players

What began as a handful of high-profile defections has grown into a full-scale roster of elite professionals. LIV Golf now features 13 teams and more than 50 contracted players, including major champions, Ryder Cup regulars, and world No. 1s.

Among high-profile names on the 2026 LIV roster are Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Sergio García, Talor Gooch, and Thomas Pieters, alongside veterans like Martin Kaymer and Louis Oosthuizen.

That mix reflects how the league has evolved. Some early signings have since moved on, while others have been replaced by a new wave of elite talent willing to commit to LIV’s team-based structure and global schedule.

Still, no player better symbolises early identity than Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson’s decision to join LIV in 2022 became the league’s defining flashpoint. The six-time major winner had been linked to the tour months earlier after biographer Alan Shipnuck published comments in which Mickelson was highly critical of the PGA Tour. That scrutiny intensified once attention turned to LIV’s Saudi backing and broader human rights concerns.

While the list of LIV Golf players does appear to be growing, the standout signing has been Phil Mickelson. The six-time major winner was linked to the tournament as early as February 2022, after biographer Alan Shipnuck published comments where Mickelson was highly critical of the PGA Tour.

Contention started to heat up when fans pointed out that the LIV Golf tournament was backed by the controversial Saudi Government, which many believe was behind the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, alongside further accusations of human rights violations. In June 2022, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman confirmed that Mickelson would play in the first event in London, with his contract reportedly worth USD$200 million.

“I understand that many people have very strong opinions and many disagree with my decision, and I can empathise, but at this time, this is an opportunity that gives me a chance to have the most balance in my life going forward, and I think this is going to do a lot of good for the game,” Mickelson said at the time.

The LIV Golf Tournament Controversy

As alluded to, the LIV Golf League has been fraught with contention since the concept was first floated. Not only a blatant attack on the traditionalists of the PGA circuit, but the tour is also financed by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. As a result, many golf fans have been quick to hurl criticism at the event, with human rights groups arguing the tour is an example of sportswashing, suggesting LIV Golf is part of Saudi Arabia’s political strategy of cleansing its global image. More recently, the country unveiled plans to build a 100 per cent renewable utopia capable of accommodating nine million residents, with global reactions equally critical.

Much of the controversy stems from the Saudi Government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s involvement in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Saudi family has also been accused of being involved with the 9/11 attacks in New York, prompting widespread condemnation of the event. Further contention erupted when a group of almost 2,500 survivors of family members killed or injured during the September 11 attacks wrote an open letter to PGA Tour golfers, thanking them for not defecting to LIV Golf.

“Thank you for standing up for decency,” the letter stated. “Thank you for standing up for the 9/11 Families. Thank you for resisting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to cleanse its reputation by buying off professional athletes… To those of you who have chosen what is right over blood money from a corrupt, destructive sports entity and its Saudi backers, please continue to stand strong.”

LIV Golf vs PGA Tour

According to Norman, who was announced as LIV Golf’s CEO in October 2021, the idea behind the tour was not to directly compete with the PGA but to offer an alternative. The former professional golfer revealed that the invitational series was implemented after a lengthy fan survey on fan engagement and was scheduled to avoid competing with majors or international team events.

“We decided to take a step back, analyse,” he told Carlson. “We knew our model was where it was. We knew that it was there, it wasn’t going anywhere. The money was in the bank, so we made an adjustment, and we worked around every obstacle that’s been thrown in our path, so we came up with the invitational series.”

That wasn’t necessarily the PGA Tour’s opinion, however, which took significant steps to halt LIV Golf’s progress. In June 2022, the organisation announced that members who participate in LIV Golf events could be sanctioned for playing in a “conflicting event” without the Tour’s permission, ultimately threatening suspensions, fines or bans. The initial stance did seem like an overreaction, but it wasn’t long before the PGA Tour doubled down, reaffirming that “members participating in the first LIV Golf tournament (including current members as well as those who had recently resigned) were no longer eligible” to compete in tour events or the Presidents Cup. Similarly, several key sponsors have opted out of those players willing to join the LIV ranks.

In his interview with Fox, Norman said it “blows my mind” that those sponsors were willing to pull the plug on professional athletes joining the tour solely for its Saudi ties. Instead, the LIV Golf CEO pointed the finger of blame back at golf’s governing body.

“The PGA tour, I think, has about 27 sponsors who do 40-plus billion dollars worth of annual business on an annual basis in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “Why doesn’t the PGA tour call the CEOs of (these businesses), saying that we can’t do business with you because you are doing business with Saudi Arabia? Why are they picking on the professional golfers? The male professional golfers. “It is a monopoly. They just want to shut us down in whatever way they can, so they will use whatever leverage point they can.”

Norman’s point, while not an adequate addressing of his own interests, does raise an interesting predicament. Clearly, the current PGA Tour has some skeletons in its closet, and the enormity of interest surrounding the LIV League proves that the golfing world is ready for something new. Importantly, it appears golf fans have little issue with the tournament itself, simply (and quite rightly) with the Saudi backing that underpins its very creation. As for the rift the LIV League is driving between professional players and fans, Norman couldn’t care less.

“I really don’t care. I just love the game so much, and I want to grow the game of golf, and we at LIV see that opportunity not just for the men but for the women,” Norman said. “We at LIV see it for the NCAA and younger generations. We at LIV see it as a pathway to opportunities for the kids to experience a new out there. LIV is the future of golf…because you don’t see what we see in the future. CSR programs, education programs, all the stuff that’s out there that we want to get involved with for golf and growing the game of golf.”

Tiger Woods LIV Golf Offer

Importantly, while LIV Golf has picked up some major names in the sport, perennial fan favourite Tiger Woods has repeatedly turned down the offer. Norman previously told The Washington Post that Woods had shot down a deal he described as “mind-blowingly enormous”, said to be in the high nine figures. In response, Woods confirmed that his allegiances lie with the PGA Tour, which has been his proverbial home for several decades.

“I disagree with it. I think that what they’ve done is they’ve turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position,” Woods told ESPN regarding the Championship. “I know what the PGA Tour stands for and what we have done and what the tour has given us, the ability to chase after our careers and to earn what we get and the trophies we have been able to play for and the history that has been a part of this game.”

In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Norman finally revealed just what that payout would have been. When asked whether LIV Golf made an offer to Tiger Woods in the $700 million to $800 million range, Norman confirmed it did.

“That number has been out there, yes,” Norman responded. “Tiger is a needle mover. So, of course, you have to look at the best of the best. They had originally approached Tiger before I became CEO,” he said, “adding, “yes, that number is somewhere in that neighbourhood.”

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