Tag: LIV Golf Series

‘Yeah, you can’t compare those’: Justin Thomas shuts down Talor Gooch’s comments about LIV Golf and Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup

Gooch Ryder Cup/Presidents Cup appearances: 0. Thomas Ryder Cup/Presidents Cup appearances: 4.

After the 4 Aces GC won the team competition at the LIV Golf Invitational Series event near Portland last week, Talor Gooch compared the environment to a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup.

It should be noted — Gooch has never been on or come close to being on a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team.

So, a tough source to trust.

A man that can be taken for his word on the subject is Justin Thomas, who has represented the United States at two Ryder Cups and two Presidents Cups.

At his Wednesday press conference prior to this week’s Genesis Scottish Open, an event co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, Thomas was asked about Gooch’s comments.

“Yeah, you can’t compare those,” Thomas said. “There’s no event on Tour that’s like the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup until you stand on the first tee in France and there’s 10,000 people there and I feel like I wouldn’t even be able to get a golf ball on a tee I’m so nervous and my hands are shaking so bad. Yeah, I probably wouldn’t comment on saying that one is like the other because it’s not.”

If you missed it, here is a video of Gooch speaking in Portland:

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Full breakdown of Portland’s LIV Golf Invitational Series prize money payout

The winner earned $4 million while last place was 34 shots behind the leader and took home $120,000.

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. — Jediah Morgan finished 21 over and 34 shots behind winner Branden Grace at the LIV Golf Invitational Series event this week, and for his efforts he’ll take home $120,000.

Welcome to golf’s new era.

Grace won by two shots at 13 under at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club and earned a whopping $4 million, a third of what he made in his entire PGA Tour career ($12,226,197). Dustin Johnson and his 4 Aces GC ran away with the team title by seven shots at 23 under, earning his teammates Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Pat Perez $750,000 each.

Chief among LIV Golf’s selling points is the 54 hole format with team and individual champions, as well as the millions and millions of dollars up for grabs. Check out the full prize money payouts for each player in Portland.

Talor Gooch compared the fans at the LIV Golf event in Portland to the Ryder Cup

“I haven’t played a Ryder Cup or a Presidents Cup, but can’t imagine there’s a whole hell of a lot of a difference.”

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. — When it comes to the LIV Golf Invitational Series, Talor Gooch can’t stop putting his foot in his mouth.

After shooting a 2-under 70 in the final round of this week’s event near Portland at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Gooch was asked if he felt the energy of the fans – who were stuck in traffic for hours trying to get to the parking lot from the highway – and the 30-year-old gave an answer that sent golf Twitter into a frenzy.

“I haven’t played a Ryder Cup or a Presidents Cup, but can’t imagine there’s a whole hell of a lot of a difference,” said Gooch. “This was as cool as it gets. We’ve been saying about it all week. The energy is different. It’s awesome.”

I’m prone to hyperbole at times, but maybe Gooch should let the people standing next to him, who have played in both events, handle that. Not to hate on the one-time PGA Tour winner at the 2021 RSM Classic, but this isn’t the first time he’s gotten a little loose over the last month.

After the Tour announced its “significant changes” to the schedule last week, Gooch, who currently ranks 38th in the world and hasn’t been higher than 31st, took some of the credit on Twitter.

What will he say next? Tune in later this month when LIV Golf hosts its third event at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.

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Branden Grace goes low Saturday to win LIV Golf Invitational Series event in Portland

Grace last won at the 2021 Puerto Rico Open and is the second South African to win a LIV Golf event.

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. — The second LIV Golf Invitational Series went down to the wire, with Branden Grace coming out on top.

The 34-year-old South African chipped in for birdie on the par-4 16th to take a two-shot lead with two holes to play and rode that margin to victory at 13 under. Grace shot a 7-under 65 in the final round at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club outside of Portland thanks to just one bogey and eight birdies, including three over the last four holes. Grace, whose last win came on the PGA Tour at the 2021 Puerto Rico Open, followed in the footsteps of fellow countryman Charl Schwartzel, who won the inaugural LIV Golf event outside London last month.

The win earns Grace a whopping $4 million, a third of what he made in his entire PGA Tour career ($12,226,197).

Dustin Johnson and his 4 Aces GC ran away with the team title by seven shots at 23 under. For the team win, Johnson and his teammates Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Pat Perez will each take home $750,000 each, on top of their individual earnings. Stinger GC came in second at 16 under, with Fireballs GC taking third at 12 under thanks to a birdie on the final hole from Carlos Ortiz.

LIV Golf’s next event is later this month at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.

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LIV Golf fans in Portland waited for hours in traffic outside the course before final round

Some fans waited in their cars for upwards of 90 minutes once they got off the highway near Pumpkin Ridge.

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. – The volunteers and staff of the LIV Golf Invitational Series are learning on the fly, and the crew this week in Portland for the second event were woefully unprepared for the fan turnout for Saturday’s final round.

Just 90 minutes before the shotgun start, LIV Golf announced the final round was expected to reach full capacity and that no more tickets would be available for purchase at the gate. By that point there was already a line of cars miles long waiting to get to the parking not just on the back roads leading to Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, but extending to the highway.

“I live in Lake Oswego, so it’s usually like a 30 minute drive and it took two hours,” said Jim Curzon. “It was about two or three miles up (U.S. Highway) 26 and it started to really, really back up. Then probably another hour once we got off the highway just to get to the parking.”

Police were pulling over cars trying to cut in line. Some fans left their group behind in the car and walked to the gate on foot. Those who stayed in their cars and needed to use the bathroom used bushes along the side of the road.

LIV officials said they capped tickets this week, but wouldn’t give a number on how many fans were permitted to enter.

“There were some angry people cutting in because we could see the line back up,” added Curzon. “Maybe next year they have two exits off and a little better signage on the road.”

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Paul Casey, a former UNICEF ambassador, is the latest player to join Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf

Casey was previously against playing in the Kingdom, but has teed it up in the Saudi International the last two years.

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. – Another player is taking his talents to LIV Golf.

During the live stream of the final round of the LIV Golf Invitational Series event on Saturday near Portland at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, the upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced Paul Casey on air as its newest player.

The 44-year-old Englishman, a former UNICEF ambassador who is no longer listed on the organization’s website, had previously spoken out against playing the Saudi International event held in the Kingdom. He then flip-flopped on that decision after competing in the event – which now features the PIF in its title – the last two years.

LIV Golf has long been criticized as a way for the Saudi government to “sportswash” its human rights record with big money, no-cut events that are fan-friendly. Casey explained his decision to avoid the Saudi event in 2019 due to human rights violations, but his heel-turn decision to play wasn’t “taken lightly.”

“I wasn’t comfortable going in the past, but I have always been open-minded and willing to learn. I believe sport has the power to affect change. I’ve listened to the Saudi’s commitment to this and their vision for the future,” Casey said in a statement released to Golfweek and a few other select members of the media in 2020. “(Saudi Arabia) have successfully hosted two professional ladies tournaments which shows that Golf Saudi have big plans not only for professional golf, but more so for grassroots and the next generation.”

A royal decree in 2019 from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman loosened some restrictions placed on women – employment discrimination, registering births and deaths, the ability to travel internationally without being accompanied by a male guardian – but the Kingdom’s male guardian system still controls critical aspects of a women’s life.

Casey, ranked No. 26 in the world, finished third at the Players Championship in March but hasn’t played a full round since after conceding matches at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and withdrawing from the Masters before the first round.

Casey will join Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC and make his debut at LIV’s third event at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, July 29-31.

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LIV Golf first impressions show there’s a market for the Saudi Arabia-backed series

Love it or hate it, LIV Golf appears to be here for the long haul.

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. — First impressions go a long way. After spending three days at the LIV Golf Invitational Series event at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, one thing is clear: there’s a market for this upstart circuit.

It just depends what you want to get out of a golf tournament.

If you’re a golf fan who loves the game for the history and competition, these events won’t be for you. But if you’re a general sports fan who loves festivals and fanfare, you may be interested.

When you walk through the front gates you’re immediately met with the selling points of the series on signs lining the walking path: 48 players, 12 teams, 54 holes, no cuts, shotgun starts. Night and day from a normal pro golf tournament, and that’s exactly what LIV and its players want.

Workers scrambled to build structures in the two days leading up to the start of play, with parts of the fan village still to be built less than 24 hours before Thursday’s 1:15 p.m. local time shotgun start. By the time gates opened at 10 a.m. for fans, they were able to see just what the Public Investment Fund – the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia that backs LIV Golf – is capable of.

Just a few steps further to the left and you see the fan village, filled with food and drink options ($5 for beer, $10 for wine and cocktails and $15 meals, so if you just want a small snack, good luck), a kids zone and golf activities ranging from putting and chipping challenges to mini golf and even a performance center loaded with multiple digital hitting bays and, for some reason, racing video games.

Performers riding unicycles and bicycles with juggling equipment rode around the course during play. “Alcohol monitors” are on patrol in bright yellow shirts in order to make sure no fans get overserved.

You almost forget you’re at a golf tournament.

Despite the controversy surrounding LIV Golf due to the source of its funding coming from an oppressive regime with ties to terrorism and human rights abuses, the fans don’t seem to care. They enjoy the activities outside of golf, but more than that, they just want to see the pros. LIV might not have it all figured out, but coming to a region that loves golf and is starved for tournaments was smart.

Same with their ticket discounts. Active-duty military and veterans get in for free at LIV events, same with kids 15 and younger with a ticketed adult. The series also offers 25 percent discounts for college students, teachers, medical professionals and first responders. Those who oppose the event say it pays to not have to worry about turning a profit and they’re pandering, whereas optimists argue this should be happening at other events. Both may be true.

And as for the players, they seem legitimately happy to be here this week – a booming bank account and at the very least $120,000 for finishing in last place for three days of work can do that. LIV also not only pays the way for the players, but their caddies, too. Whoever said money can’t buy happiness hasn’t seen a LIV event. It’s as if you’re in this bubble where everything seems too good to be true.

The fewer fans and fewer players makes for an interesting vibe around the grounds, and the players are eating it up. On the range after Wednesday’s pro-am, Phil Mickelson quipped to Matthew Wolff about how nice it is to not have to act like a bobblehead every hole. Instead of four amateurs per group and one player, the LIV format is two players and two amateurs and closed to fans. Another subtle change to the normal tour life that players enjoy.

With the rosters and actual names of the teams changing between events, it’s impossible to buy in on that aspect just yet (just don’t tell that to the dozens of fans rocking Mickelson’s Hy Flyers hats). Most fans on Thursday couldn’t name more than four of the 12 teams, let alone a full roster. That said, the series will expand to 14 events and re-brand as the LIV Golf League in 2023, and is expected to announce another player as soon as this weekend.

Whether you love it or hate it, LIV Golf appears to be here for the long haul.

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‘I’m not discouraged’: Phil Mickelson remains upbeat after tough start to his LIV Golf career

“It doesn’t feel far off. I actually feel pretty good but I’m not scoring yet. I got to score.”

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. — As Phil Mickelson approached the tee box Thursday for his first shot on U.S. soil as a member of the LIV Golf Invitational Series, a fan asked: “How you doing, Phil?”

“Awesome,” he replied.

The face of LIV Golf has been all smiles this week at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, accommodating fans asking for his trademark thumbs up sign or looking for a fist bump. And his mood didn’t change Friday even after a second consecutive 75 that has him at 6-over for the first two rounds of the 54-hole event, tied for 36th.

Meanwhile, fellow fan favorites Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka are first and fifth, respectively, after Friday’s second round. Johnson is tied for the lead with Carlos Ortiz at 8 under, while Koepka is four strokes back heading into Saturday’s final round.

Mickelson, though, says he is not discouraged.

“My game seems a lot better than I’m scoring,” he said. “Hitting a lot of good shots, then I’m making a lot of mistakes that are costing me five or six shots a round that I haven’t done when I’m playing my best.

“I’m not discouraged. I putted terrible in London (the first LIV event) and the U.S. Open. I’m putting really well. I feel really good with the putter.”

Mickelson has played seven rounds since his hiatus after making controversial comments about Saudi Arabia, the country backing the LIV series. He was 10 over in LIV’s inaugural event in London – his first competitive golf in more than four months – and finished tied for 33rd in the 48-man field. Mickelson then missed the cut at the U.S. Open at 11 over.

“I hit two shots (Thursday) that cost me four strokes,” he said. “I had three (Friday) that cost me six strokes. It doesn’t feel far off. I actually feel pretty good but I’m not scoring yet. I got to score.”

As for his new venture in which he was paid a reported $200 million to join LIV, Mickelson was effusive about in his praise, as would be expected.

“From a player experience it’s a 10,” he said. “They have done everything imaginable to make the experience for the players and the fans as great as it can be and because of that I can’t wait to play these events.”

Mickelson went as far as thanking three young boys for coming to this week’s event as he walked down the 16th fairway.

“We got two thumbs up and knuckles and he said ‘thanks for coming out,’ ” said one young excited fan.

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Why ‘alcohol monitors’ are roaming the crowds at the LIV Golf event in Portland

People have behaved well, aside from the fan who jumped on a production cart before falling off as it drove away.

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. — If you walk around one of the hospitality grandstands or through the fan village at the LIV Golf Invitational Series event near Portland, you’ll see pairs of people roaming through the crowds and keeping tabs on the fans.

You can’t miss ’em. After all they’re wearing bright yellow shirts that read “Alcohol Monitors” in all capital letters. For events like this at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, alcohol monitors are an Oregon requirement for OLCC, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

“For liquor, permits are required to have alcohol monitors, so the catering company is in charge of the alcohol plan and so they have to go out and find alcohol monitors,” said Jeromy Hasenkamp, owner of Pac-Tac Protective Solutions. The security company provides off-duty officers that have three or more years of law enforcement experience for everything form protective details to event security.

A minimum of 15 people were required to be staffed for this week’s event. Some are adults and some look like they’re barely old enough to vote, let alone intervene in a situation where a fan has had one too many of the $5 beers or $10 wine and cocktails. That’s where the security comes in.

The monitors aren’t meant to be no-fun narcs out to spoil a good time. They’re looking for signs of visibly intoxicated people, seeing as the OLCC does give fines if people are caught overserving.

“What we’re trying to do is obviously limit the amount of alcohol coming out, because of consumption rates and whatnot,” explained Hasenkamp. “Obviously the more you down, the quicker they go down, and with the lack of water and the heat, they’re watching for that.”

If fans want to drink they’re given a wristband each day to verify their ID. If monitors notice somebody stumbling, then they’ll go over and make contact to address the situation.

Like any live event where alcohol is in play, some bad eggs can make a mess, and this week is no different. Hasenkamp said fans have been on their best behavior for the most part, aside from a couple minor issues, like the fan who tried to ride on the back of a production cart before falling off as it drove across a fairway.

“It’s very much still about the etiquette of the game, being a good spectator,” said Hasenkamp. “We’ll let people have fun, but you have to try and keep it a family-friendly event so kids out on the course are not having to worry about the obscene stuff.”

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Photos: LIV Golf Invitational Series Portland event at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club

Check out the best photos of the week from Portland.

After the new Greg Norman-led and Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series made its debut earlier this month in London, the startup circuit is back at it with its second event this week in the Pacific Northwest.

LIV Golf Portland teed off on Thursday at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Oregon, 20 miles from Portland. Nos. 1 and 8-18 on the Ghost Creek course and Nos. 2-7 on the Witch Hollow course will be used to complete the par 72 setup at 7,641 yards. The event features 54-holes of shotgun start play with no cut and 12 teams and 48 individuals competing for millions of dollars in prize money.

Check out the best photos of the week from LIV Golf Portland.

Photos: LIV Golf Portland