Here Are 5 Things LIV Actually Got Right

You’ve heard me complain about LIV a lot over the past couple of years. OK, more than a lot.

There have been some good reasons for the complaining. It’s beyond ridiculous that LIV is withering away in relative isolation while the golf world continues to push forward without coming together. In fact, the PGA Tour might not even need or want a reunion at this point—that is how poorly LIV is performing as a product.

And if I were to make a list of everything I dislike about LIV, that list would be closer to 50 reasons instead of just a handful.

Having said that, I’m not all negative when it comes to LIV.

Someone recently asked me in a comment, “Is there anything you like about LIV?”

Yes, there is. You can stop asking now.

Here are five things I genuinely enjoy about LIV.

1. They are creatively investing in YouTube golf

While the Tour has done a solid job with the Creator Classic series, I’m more impressed with what LIV has done in this area.

LIV signed Rick Shiels back in January, which is a good deal for both sides. He’s been pumping out content playing alongside LIV guys.

But what has really been a hit is this “Duels” idea where creators like Grant Horvat and Bob Does Sports collaborate with LIV stars to produce compelling content. The Miami one has more than two million views, making it one of the most YouTube golf popular videos of 2025.

Also, by joining LIV, players like Bryson DeChambeau were able to devote more time to their own YouTube presence. We’ve seen players like Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson be routine guests for other channels.

More people are watching these types of videos than LIV tournaments.

LIV would be way farther along if they just went 100 percent into YouTube golf right from the start. On-demand competition edited for entertainment is something that works—and it works even more when you include world-class golfers.

2. LIV forced the Tour into some positive changes

Professional golf will probably always be a niche sport with a relatively small audience but TV ratings coming into 2025 were so abysmal that it made us question whether the Tour could survive.

It has survived and a part of that survival is because the Tour has been forced to evolve.

With the threat of LIV, the staid and conservative Tour made some moves it should have been plotting more than a decade ago.

The signature event model, while incomplete, has at least pushed the top players together with more frequency. And the number of Tour cards is starting to get cut, a long overdue move to trim some of the fat from a bloated membership.

And while money isn’t something fans tend to care about, the Tour has invested more into the world of struggling pros who are trying to make it.

The Tour is also making some meaningful progress with reducing commercial load and innovating the broadcast (a long way to go here, but still …).

It’s fair to say many of these changes would not have happened without LIV.

In its creation, LIV absolutely had some valid points to make about professional golf’s structure where top players are not properly rewarded for their value.

Did they make those points the right way? No. Did they capitalize on the opportunity? Not really.

But with a real threat coming into the game, LIV forced the Tour into being a better product.

3. They let their players wear shorts

I won’t die on this hill but I have absolutely no problem with professional golfers wearing shorts for regular events.

I’m not ready for the majors to adopt this but who cares if players are wearing shorts when it’s 95 degrees in Memphis?

I get the idea that pants signify a certain seriousness to the golf but I also think golf will inevitably skew more towards the entertainment element over time.

Shorts gives off a vibe that these players are comfortable. Maybe the golf isn’t as serious but it doesn’t necessarily have to be at every tournament.

I’m fully on board with LIV making this call.

4. They have visited some golf-starved areas

This is the best one by far.

LIV has brought great players to some golf-starved parts of the world such as Australia.

Australia has some of the best courses in the world. It’s a golf-crazed nation. But because of corporate sponsorship (or lack thereof), Australia has been left with little in the way of top-tier professional events.

LIV changed that and the Australians showed up in large numbers to celebrate.

Even within the U.S., LIV has hosted tournaments in a few places that really wanted to see some of the best golfers in the world.

I live in Nashville, which hasn’t hosted Tour golf in many decades. It was a smart idea for LIV to visit a city like that.

I’m a big advocate for golf to be more international and diverse in terms of where the best tournaments go. The Tour has been decidedly mediocre in this area, often visiting the same few countries. Within the U.S., they will put five events in Texas but ignore places like Seattle.

LIV challenged the Tour in this category.

5. The in-person experience is enjoyable

I attended the Nashville event last year and enjoyed the experience.

There is some great access to be had as a fan if you are willing to go away from some of the high-traffic groups/holes. You can watch great golfers with nobody around, if you want.

It’s also more informal than the Tour so nobody has to worry about making noise. With music being played, everyone can talk as play is happening. This makes it nice for families.

The buildout of the event is relatively small but still has all the amenities of a real professional golf tournament. That makes the scale of everything a lot more tolerable.

Obviously it won’t be for everyone but I’ve talked to several people who enjoyed going to a LIV event.

Those are the five reasons I came up with for why LIV isn’t all bad. They got some things right.

Leave me a message in the comments if you think I’m crazy.