After Dominating at the Masters, LIV Golf Has the Answers, But Golf Still Has Questions: What Next?

The year’s first major championship ended just hours ago, leaving the golf world stunned! From weather trouble to stunning final-round performances, the Masters was everything the fans had hoped for and more. By the end of it all, everyone was chanting just two words: LIV Golf. The players from the breakaway tour dominated at Augusta. Despite not being able to win the top spot, they won over the hearts of many in the sport! Watching them burn through the iconic major raised many questions for the fans about what comes next for the tour of defectors.

Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson win over fans’ hearts

Despite the horrendous rain that befell the Augusta event, the major was filled with drama and excitement. From the first day, Brooks Koepka, who has been in the limelight of the golf world for some time now due to his antics, didn’t hold back. He slashed his way through the top players at the course and finished the third round with a 2-stroke lead.

Unfortunately, Koepka couldn’t keep up his strong performance and saw his 2-stroke lead quickly turn into a 4-stroke deficit as Jon Rahm did what he does best and pulled himself to the top on Sunday with a total score of 12 under par. Koepka wasn’t the only one of the LIV golfers who shone on the grounds of Augusta; Phil Mickelson too garnered a lot of attention!

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Looming around within the top 20 through the first 3 rounds, Lefty’s skill surged on the final day. Creating history and breaking records, he ended Sunday with a score of 65, the lowest anyone over 50 years has shot at Augusta. But his brilliant breakthrough still wasn’t enough for him to get his hands on a fourth Green Jacket, and he settled for a tied second place alongside Koepka as Rahm lifted the trophy.

LIV Golf players lost the war, but with grace

Despite not being able to secure the top spot, the players who jumped ship and joined the other side certainly gave PGA Tour loyalists a tough time. Of the 18 LIV players that competed at the event, 12 went on to make the cut and compete in the final two rounds. Moreover, despite the Tour having the numbers with them, the players of the new league went on to claim 3 of the top 5 spots at the major.

Patrick Reed joined Mickelson and Koepka in the top 5, tying for fourth, 5 strokes behind the leader. The skills that the LIV golfers displayed made it obvious that they had some of the best talents in the golf world and should not be counted out. They brought life to the CEO, Greg Norman’s words from October 2022, where he said, “LIV is definitely here to stay. We are not going anywhere.”

With the three beating out the majority of the PGA Tour’s top talents, they cemented LIV Golf’s place in the golf world. Through their actions, they showed everyone that the Saudi-backed series was not just here to stay but also more than a viable competitor to the tour. But fans and perhaps even the players can’t help but wonder what comes next now following this bold statement!

The big question for LIV Golf

The epic performance of the players in the new series gave birth to one main question: Does this display of strength help them in any way? LIV Golf currently covets one thing: OGWR points. Despite their multiple pleas and requests, the new league is yet to receive world-ranking points for its events.

Norman and the other top brass will certainly hope that the brilliance of their players is sure to tip the scales in their favor and show the OWGR committee that the players do indeed deserve ranking points for the regular events of the Saudi-backed league. After all, like the Shark claimed in an exclusive interview with Today’s Golfer in December last year, “People want to see the best competition.”

Could the new league see more fans incoming?

Another thing that the golf world is certainly wondering about is whether this has improved the fan situation at LIV. Ever since its emergence, the PGA Tour’s loyal fans have boycotted the league. But maybe now that they have seen first-hand what the players who jumped ship can do, LIV’s viewership may start to spike.

The performance has already made the likes of Barstool Sports’ Golf Guy, Dan Rapaport, who’s been hesitant in accepting LIV Golf, reconsider his opinion. “Hard to justify just ignoring the tour that has 3 of the top 6 finishes in the Masters on it,” he wrote on Twitter soon after the event ended. Perhaps last week’s major will have others in the golf world thinking similarly too. And maybe fans will now even begin rooting for the Saudi-backed league to make it in the sport!

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Only one thing is certain: in two weeks, the LIV golfers will head over to Australia for their next event. And maybe, just maybe, things get better for them from here!