I have written about golf and PGA vs. LIV several times before (most articles no longer available). I watch the PGA Tour way more than LIV Golf, and it simply comes down to availability. In-season there is a PGA event every week and every weekend. I am usually hunting and pecking once a month to figure out when LIV is on next (WGN TV channel 9 in my area). What makes matters worse for the latter is that the YouTube TV DVR does not know how to capture all future LIV events because, I think, they keep changing the show titles to reflect the current tournament location.
Regardless of LIV’s limited TV schedule, when the two golf tournaments are head-to-head, I primarily still watch the PGA Tour. My reasons listed in prior articles still apply, but here I wanted to capture the differences visually.
I am just a golf spectator. I rarely golf myself; it has been years since I was on a course. When I watch a golf event on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, I want to reflex and enjoy. I truly believe golf watching is meant for the HD/UHD era of television. Taking in the sites is fun and calming, absorbing the natural beauty of the tour’s top venues, be it springtime at Augusta or any of the old world courses for The Open in July, and all the others around and between.
What I do not want to be doing while watching golf is trying to figure out a horribly confusing pictorial mess of indented rankings and kindergarten puzzle shapes. If you have watched LIV Golf for any duration, perhaps you know what I mean:
Whenever I see these LIV Golf screens, I feel anxious and a bit confused. I just want to see what the leaderboard look like. But in LIV Golf, that is never easy. Each LIV tournament is essentially two contests, the individual ladder and the team rankings. A LIV event is two tournaments in one.
It’s not that I don’t understand the information, it’s that it takes far too much of my scarce leisure effort to scan and digest the current state of affairs. This is like a data dump from a scientist who wants to vomit all the facts and figures to show how smart he is, when all you really need is a simple high-level PowerPoint slide of the key points.
I think the PGA Tour understood this problem of dual competitions when they retooled the tour’s playoffs and championships a few years ago. Before, there were separate winners of the playoffs and the season-long FedEx cup. It was confusing to follow who was in and out for both awards, and the telecasts always had difficultly trying to relay the distinctions. The new format, of a single season winner capped by the playoffs, is better for everyone.
Now let’s look at a screen capture from this weekend’s PGA Tour Zurich Classic.
This format is more agreeable and inviting on all fronts. For one, the showcase is the play and venue, which looks great in high definition, in stark contrast to the cold L-shaped analytics bar of LIV. Simple and straightforward, I see the leaders, where they are on the course, and the vital situation for the current golfer.
Ironically, this screenshot is for the PGA Tour’s only team event. But there is only a two-man team winner and not an individual award.
Additionally, I generally appreciate the relaxed no-pressure presentation from both CBS and NBC. LIV Golf on the CW tries to be passive-aggressive in LIV’s golf but louder approach. Golf is inherently an individual and calm game, at least from afar for the weekend spectator. Even when CBS and NBC splash their inevitable useless sabermetrics on screen (I don’t care that five golfers since 1957 won two tournaments on the 11th and 26th of a month in the same year), they at least do not feel forced. Jim Nantz is always whispering (unlike when he is calling football and basketball) because it’s golf, and you shouldn’t be talking while a tour pro is working on his 15-foot putt, right?
What do you think? Am I being too stingy towards LIV Golf, or am I at par? Let me know with a comment below.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article.
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