LIV Golf is back for a second season in 2023 with the Saudi-backed venture looking to gain momentum with its players poised to play in the majors.
The Masters confirmed it will honour invitations to those exempt and those inside the top 50 players in the world according to the OWGR.
That means we may see more drama as the best from LIV take on the best on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour on the biggest stage, with Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed’s thrilling battle at the Dubai Desert Classic showcasing the theatre in the sport currently.
Dustin Johnson took home more than $35 million in his debut season, triumphing in the individual and team championships.
Here’s everything you need to know about the final LIV Golf for season two in 2023:
What is LIV Golf?
LIV Golf is the breakaway league fronted by two-time Open champion Greg Norman as chief executive and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The PIF has invested unprecedented sums of money into the sport, both for players to sign up and also purses for each event, attracting condemnation from human rights charities such as Amnesty International.
The new competition rules and format bring a fresh look to golf, with the team aspect emerging as its unique selling point.
There will be 12 teams and 48 players in each field, with the tournament played over 54 holes and three days - rather than the traditional 72 holes and four days. There is no cut, unlike the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, while LIV Golf also added the shotgun start, which they say promotes faster play with groups starting at different holes across the course and playing it in different orders.
LIV Golf schedule 2023
24-26 February: El Camaleon Golf Course, Mayakoba, Mexico
17-19 March: Gallery Golf Club, Tucson, United States
31 March - 2 April Orange County National, Orland, United States
21-23 April Grange Golf Club, Adelaide, Australia
28-30 April Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore
12-14 May Cedar Ridge Country Club, Tulsa, United States
26-28 May Trump National Golf Club, Washington DC, United States
30 June - 2 July Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Andalucia, Spain
7-9 July Centurion Club, St Albans, UK
4-6 August Old White Golf Course, Greenbrier, United States
11-13 August Trump National Bedminster, United States
22-24 September Rich Harvest Farms, Chicago, United States
20-22 October Trump National Doral, United States
3-5 November Royal Greens Golf Course, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Who is playing?
- Abraham Ancer
- Oliver Bekker
- Richard Bland
- Itthipat Buranatanyarat
- Laurie Canter
- Paul Casey
- Eugenio Chacarra
- TK Chantananuwat (Amateur)
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Hennie Duplessis
- Oliver Fisher
- Sergio Garcia
- Talor Gooch
- Branden Grace
- Justin Harding
- Sam Horsfield
- Charles Howell III
- Yuki Inamori
- Dustin Johnson
- Matt Jones
- Sadom Kaewkanjana
- Martin Kaymer
- Phachara Khongwatmai
- Sihwan Kim
- Ryosuke Kinoshita
- Brooks Koepka
- Chase Koepka
- Jason Kokrak
- Jinichiro Kozuma
- Shergo Al Kurdi
- Anirban Lahiri
- Pablo Larrazabal
- Marc Leishman
- Viraj Madappa
- Graeme McDowell
- Phil Mickelson
- Jediah Morgan
- Kevin Na
- Joaquin Niemann
- Shaun Norris
- Andy Ogletree
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Wade Ormsby
- Carlos Ortiz
- Adrian Otaegui
- Pat Perez
- Turk Pettit
- James Piot
- Ian Poulter
- David Puig
- Patrick Reed
- JC Ritchie
- Charl Schwartzel
- Cameron Smith
- Travis Smyth
- Ian Snyman
- Henrik Stenson
- Hudson Swafford
- Hideto Tanihara
- Cameron Tringale
- Peter Uihlein
- Harold Varner III
- Scott Vincent
- Bubba Watson
- Lee Westwood
- Bernd Wiesberger
- Blake Windred
- Matthew Wolff
- Kevin Yuan
Who are the teams?
- 4 Aces
- Crushers
- Fireballs
- Stinger
- Smash
- Majesticks
- Torque
- Hy Flyers
- Iron Heads
- Cleeks
- Punch
- Niblicks
Is it on TV?
LIV Golf has yet to be picked up by a major broadcaster in the UK, but will for the time being continue to be available through the LIV Golf YouTube channel and Facebook page.
LIV has signed a TV deal with The CW network in the United States. The first round of action will be available on The CW App through smart TVs and mobile devices, with login or subscription is required to watch. The second and third rounds will be available on The CW, as well as the app.
How much is the prize money?
The prize money for 2023 is up 63 percent to $405 million.
Each LIV Golf event will have a purse of $25 million - $20m for the individual event and $5 million for the team event. The Team Championship will have $50 million up for grabs. In addition to the 14 LIV Golf events, there are 11 international series, each boasting a $5 million purse.
The individual winner of each event will take home $4 million, while the winning team adds $3 million - $750,000 per player. Last place, 48th, in the individual standings will still take home $120,000.
The winning team from the Team Championship takes home $16 million, or $4 million per player.
Bonuses
Individual season finish bonuses will be given to the top three players, first takes home an extra $18 million, the runner-up banks $8 million and third takes home $4 million from the $30 million bonus pool.
Scoring
The individual events will see regular strokeplay scoring to decide the champion each week.
The team event will see the best two stroke play scores from each of the first two rounds count for each team. For the third and final round, the best three scores will count, with the lowest overall team score after 54 holes being named the team winner.
Each team has a captain with four players in total.
The Team Championship in Jeddah, the 14th event of the season, will see a seeded four-day, four-round, match play knock-out.
Points
Individual
The winner each week will pick up 40 points and only those inside the top 24 players – half of the 48-man field – will earn points. The leading points scorer after the 13 regular LIV Golf events will be crowned individual champion.
- 1st – 40 points
- 2nd – 30 points
- 3rd – 24 points
- 4th – 18 points
- 5th – 16 points
- 6th - 14 points
- 7th – 13 points
- 8th – 12 points
- 9th – 11 points
- 10th – 10 points
- 11th – 8 points
- 12th - 7 points
- 13th – 6 points
- 14th - 5 points
- 15th - 4 points
- 16th - 3 points
- 17th - 3 points
- 18th - 2 points
- 19th - 2 points
- 20th - 2 points
- 21st - 1 point
- 22nd - 1 point
- 23rd - 1 point
- 24th - 1 point
Team
To determine seeding for the Team Championship, teams will be awarded points for each event.
- 1st - 32 points
- 2nd - 24 points
- 3rd - 16 points
- 4th - 12 points
- 5th - 8 points
- 6th - 4 points
- 7th - 2 points
- 8th - 1 point
- 9th - 12th - no points
