The PGA Tour has not experienced much competition in its existence. However, thanks to the Phil Mickelson drama and lots of money to back it, LIV Golf quickly skyrocketed and pushed itself to the forefront of the golf news. This week is the very first LIV Golf Tournament, taking place in London from June 9-11.
So, what is LIV Golf? Below, we will go over the LIV Golf format, tour schedule, field for the first tournament, betting odds from BetOnline Sportsbook and more.
What is LIV Golf? Tour Schedule, Prizes and More
Led by former golf star Greg Norman, LIV Golf International Series is a new golf league that is looking to compete with the PGA. LIV has received criticism due to the Saudi financial backing of the start-up league. The name is LIV because it is the Roman numeral for 54, which is the number of holes in each tournament.
For its first year, LIV Golf will feature seven regular-season tournaments and one team championship.
LIV Golf Prize Money, Purse, Payout
In total, $255 million will be awarded across the eight tournaments. Each regular-season tournament will have a $25 million purse, with $20 million in individual payouts and $5 million to the top three teams. After the seven regular-season tournaments, the top three scoring golfers will share an additional $30 million ($18 million, $8 million and $4 million each). The final $50 million will be awarded at the Team Championship.
It’s important to note that no golf will leave empty-handed, which is a big selling point. For the regular-season tournaments, $4 million is awarded to the winner and the last-place golfer still earns $120,000.
The LIV payouts are larger than that of the PGA.
LIV Golf Schedule | LIV Golf International Series
The event in London from June 9-11 will be the first of the seven regular-season tournaments.
| EVENT | CLUB | DATE |
| London | Centurion Club | June 9-11 |
| Portland | Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club | June 30-July 2 |
| Bedminster | Trump National Golf Club | July 29-31 |
| Boston | The International | Sept. 2-4 |
| Chicago | Rich Harvest Farms | Sept. 16-18 |
| Bangkok | Stonehill Golf Club | Oct. 7-9 |
| Jeddah | Royal Greens Golf Club | Oct. 14-16 |
| Miami* | Trump National Doral | Oct. 27-30 |
*The season-ending Team Championship
LIV Golf Format
The LIV Golf events are all three-round, 54-hole contests. There are 48 players and no cuts. They also feature shotgun starts, meaning every golfer begins at the same time, but at a different hole.
Each tournament will be a three-round, 54-hole contest with 48 players and no cuts. The events feature shotgun starts (every player starts at the same time, but at a different hole) and a team element. Of course, there is also a team event, which has fans intrigued.
The individual scoring is judged by stroke play, like any other golf event you have seen. For the team events, there are 12 four-person groups that are determined by a draft during the week of each event. The best two stroke play scores over the first two rounds will count for each team, then the best three will count in the final round. The team with the lowest overall score after 54 holes will be named the team winner.
The Team Championship will be a four-day, four-round, match-play knock-out event in Miami from October 27-30.
Betting Odds to Win LIV Golf London | LIV London Field
The LIV Golf betting odds can be found on BetOnline Sportsbook. Sign up today to get a risk-free $50 mobile bet for LIV London!
| LIV Golf | Odds | London | |
| Dustin Johnson | +500 | Talor Gooch | +900 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | +1000 | Kevin Na | +1200 |
| Sergio Garcia | +1400 | Bernd Wiesberger | +1600 |
| Matt Jones | +2000 | Sam Horsfield | +2000 |
| Oliver Bekker | +2500 | Laurie Canter | +2500 |
| Justin Harding | +2500 | Charl Schwartzel | +2800 |
| Pablo Larrazabal | +3300 | Ian Poulter | +3300 |
| Lee Westwood | +3300 | Phil Mickelson | +3300 |
| Scott Vincent | +3500 | Hennie Du Plessis | +3500 |
| Branden Grace | +3500 | Adrian Otaegui | +3500 |
| Richard Bland | +4000 | Hudson Swafford | +4500 |
| Martin Kaymer | +5500 | Peter Uihlein | +5500 |
| Shaun Norris | +6000 | Graeme McDowell | +6000 |
| JC Ritchie | +6000 | Sadom Kaewkanjana | +7000 |
| Sihwan Kim | +7000 | Wade Ormsby | +7000 |
| Phachara Khongwatmai | +8500 | Hideto Tanihara | +8500 |
| Turk Pettit | +9000 | Ian Snyman | +11000 |
| Ryosuke Kinoshita | +11000 | Travis Smyth | +13500 |
| Jinichiro Kozuma | +13500 | David Puig | +15000 |
| Jediah Morgan | +16500 | Ratchanaon Chantananuwat | +16500 |
| Blake Windred | +16500 | Andy Ogletree | +17500 |
| Chase Koepka | +20000 | Itthipat Burantanyarat | +22500 |
| Oliver Fisher | +25000 | Viraj Madappa | +25000 |
| James Piot | +25000 | Kevin Yuan | +25000 |
