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The Independent UK

Sport

Jack Rathborn

What is LIV Golf, who is playing and how can I watch?

LIV Golf Golf LIV (Organization) Dustin Johnson United States Charles Howell III Laurie Canter Patrick Reed DP World Tour The CW

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.

Charles Howell III was the surprise winner of the first event of the season in Mayakoba and helped lead the Crushers to the team title in Mexico.

Here’s everything you need to know about 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 - Individual winner: Charles Howell. Team winner: Crushers GC

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?

LIV Golf League 2023 - Full Field:

Aces

Dustin Johnson

Patrick Reed

Peter Uihlein

Pat Perez

Cleeks

Martin Kaymer (replaced by Laurie Canter for first event of the season due to injury)

Bernd Wiesberger

Graeme McDowell

Richard Bland

Hyflyers

Phil Mickelson

Cameron Tringale

James Piot

Brendan Steele

Majesticks

Henrik Stenson

Ian Poulter

Lee Westwood

Sam Horsfeld

Crushers

Byrson DeChambeau

Paul Casey

Charles Howell III

Anirban Lahiri

Iron Heads

Kevin Na

Scott Vincent

Sihwan Kim

Danny Lee

Smash

Brooks Koepka

Matthew Wolff

Jason Kokrak

Chase Koepka

Fireballs

Sergio Garcia

Abraham Ancer

Carlos Ortiz

Eugenio Chacarra

Range Goats

Bubba Watson

Talor Gooch

Harold Varner III

Thomas Pieters

Torque

Joaquin Niemann

Sebastian Munoz

Mito Pereira

David Puig

Ripper

Cameron Smith

Marc Leishman

Matt Jones

Jed Morgan

Stinger

Louis Oosthuizen

Charl Schwartzel

Branden Grace

Dean Burmester

Players not retained from 2022 LIV Golf season

Oliver Bekker
Itthipat Buranatanyarat
Laurie Canter
TK Chantananuwat (Amateur)
Hennie Duplessis
Oliver Fisher
Justin Harding
Yuki Inamori
Sadom Kaewkanjana
Phachara Khongwatmai
Ryosuke Kinoshita
Jinichiro Kozuma
Shergo Al Kurdila
Pablo Larrazabal
Viraj Madappa
Jediah Morgan
Shaun Norris
Andy Ogletree
Wade Ormsby
Adrian Otaegui
Turk Pettit
JC Ritchie
Travis Smyth
Ian Snyman
Hudson Swafford
Hideto Tanihara
Blake Windred
Kevin Yuan

Is it on TV?

LIV Golf has yet to be picked up by a major broadcaster in the UK, but viewers can watch the coverage for free via the newly-launched LIV Golf Plus app and LIV Golf Plus website.

LIV has signed a TV deal with The CW network - compared to UK comedy channel Dave - 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 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.