LIV and let die: Reed’s return to PGA fold shows why Saudi golf experiment is doomed | LIV Golf Series

Somehow it’s hard to detect anything warm and cuddly in all of this. Elite golfers, who were already incredibly wealthy, accept the bounty offered by a Saudi-backed model of disruption before returning where they came from – essentially for a trivial penalty – when the novelty wears off. It’s not really pure sport. Instead, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed admitted they were wrong to believe the fairways were greener on the LIV side. The PGA Tour, desperate to present itself as the big boy of the playing field, welcomes former outcasts with open arms. Other golfers who have rejected LIV’s fluttering lashes are scratching their heads, wondering why they bothered.

There is, however, an underlying and endearing point. All the oil reserves in the world cannot replace heritage. Trying to match the achievements of Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy is important. LIV golf has no relevance beyond its own domain. Saudi Arabia has made inroads in various sports but, in golf, the kingdom is undoubtedly doomed. LIV is on the road to oblivion, much sooner than expected. Only those who will benefit financially from its continuation can attempt to tell an alternative story.

PGA Tour executives, who feared for their business when LIV burst onto the scene, are beside themselves with enthusiasm. This is not surprising; for years they’ve been chastised about their approach to all things LIV. Koepka and Reed may be unlikely revolutionaries, but they have now lit the paper on LIV’s demise. The tour, which observers estimate has spent $6bn (£4.35bn) since its inception in 2022, will fail in its aim to seriously compete with the PGA or DP World Tours.

Scott O’Neil, LIV’s general manager, is fond of telling those under his management that touring isn’t just about the money. Maybe O’Neil works for free. In fact, LIV is not even on money, as Koepka and Reed demonstrated. Surprisingly (not really), a tag team competition between the RangeGoats and the HyFlyers has no wider relevance. Athletes love money; the more sensible ones like status much more.

The most intriguing element at present is how and when Saudi Arabia will revisit its LIV experience. There must be an element of face-saving, just as there must be realism. How do they accept defeat with grace? Any exit strategy will come from people who hate the idea of ​​their money being wasted or not being taken seriously enough. For Yasir al-Rumayyan, director of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, LIV has been an intensely personal project from the start. In Newcastle, there is the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo continues to attract attention in the Saudi Pro League. Boxing and Formula 1 operate at the highest level in the kingdom. Golf is the only sporting entity that Saudi Arabia ultimately won’t fall for. This is a blow to Rumayyan’s reputation.

The Saudis could offer Bryson DeChambeau $500, $600 or $700 million to remain the poster boy for this tour, just as a degenerate gambler would chase losses in vain. It’s not in DeChambeau’s — or Jon Rahm’s, or Cameron Smith’s — interest to remain in a world that is so lacking in competitive depth. LIV recruited these golfers as major champions. Before this season, they signed Thomas Detry, Victor Perez, Elvis Smylie and Michael La Sasso. LIV might appear in the background as a third-rate operation, but that seems to contradict everything the Saudis want to stand for. Why bother subsidizing low-level golf professionals? A more significant move would be to try to formalize a long-standing alliance with the DP World Tour, thereby retaining at least some foothold in the sport. Yet with the PGA Tour’s subscription prize pools in Europe, the DP World Tour will be careful about what tune it chooses to dance to.

The possibility that Saudi Arabia abruptly stops its LIV cash flow cannot be ruled out. Broader market forces are relevant. The Financial Times reported in recent days that Saudi Arabia has scaled back its flagship and futuristic Neom project amid growing costs and delays. “We need to rethink our priorities,” one official said. Wonder how this fits in with Cleeks being awarded $10 million for finishing top of the list at LIV Virginia. Golf insiders find it difficult to assign an asset value to LIV, given its astronomical cash outflow rate.

None of this is meant to completely denounce what LIV did. The PGA Tour – previously complacent and comfortable – needed the shakeup created by competition. It would be wrong to suggest that LIV events are vastly inferior to other tours. For aging golfers – including Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson and Ian Poulter – it was the ultimate payday. LIV brought back Anthony Kim from his years in the desert. It also provided a decent playing platform for those who simply don’t enjoy life on the PGA Tour.

The party is coming to an end, abruptly or not. It is the one who will be defined by prodigality. In golf, it’s not just jargon to suggest that it’s important to follow in the footsteps of the giants.