LIV Golf needs to switch focus to the course

TSN Senior Reporter

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The third LIV Golf event begins Friday at the Trump Bedminster in Bedminster, N.J. So far, the new golf series has grabbed plenty of headlines for the players it’s attracted and the money it’s doled out.

The organization has also turned heads with the prize money and format of the tournaments. Awarding first-prize cheques of $4 million will do that. So will having no-cut, 54-hole events that include a shotgun start. The jury is still out on those parts of this new venture.

New faces will join LIV this week, with Charles Howell III, Paul Casey, Jason Kokrak and Henrik Stenson teeing it up for the first time on the circuit being funded by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. At the next stop, in Boston over the Labour Day weekend, Bubba Watson will make his LIV debut. There are lots of rumours of more defections from the PGA Tour as well.

That’s all fine and dandy and it grabs plenty of headlines, but what LIV has yet to accomplish is for the focus to turn to the actual play on the course rather than the adventures off it.

Stenson is a perfect example of that misdirection. He signed on to be the Ryder Cup captain in March but was quickly dumped two weeks ago after pledging allegiance to Greg Norman’s tour. He’s been replaced by Luke Donald.

Stenson’s firing made plenty of news in golf circles, with questions as to whether he assumed he could play for LIV and remain as captain, or, as some suggested, used the captain’s position to increase his value.

All that has been thrashed about by golf’s talking heads and on social media. What hasn’t been discussed, however, is how the Swede will fare this week at Bedminster. Does anyone really care if Stenson shoots 69 or 89?

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