The Lamest Commissioner In All The Land (aka Greg Norman) finally got his wish and after months of begging, the CW network carried last week’s LIV 2023 season opener in Mayakoba.
No all CW affiliates carried it. In the Tampa Bay area, the main CW station chose to air HBCU women’s basketball — Bethune-Cookman vs. Southern University. LIV was relegated to its spanish-programming affiliate.
Ratings? Abysmal. LIV drew a 0.2 rating meaning. That’s two-tenths of one percent. It was also pointed out by Golf Digest reporter Joel Beall that another CW show, World’s Funniest Animals, attracted a larger audience than the LIV Golf broadcast.
What made things even worse for LIV was that it was up against what was easily the PGA Tour event with the weakest field thus far in 2023. What the Tour event had was drama — upstart, unheralded Eric Cole, son of LPGA sensation Laura Baugh and one-time PGA Tour winner Bobby Cole in a head-to-head struggle with veteran Chris Kirk, who has overcome alcohol abuse to return to the winner’s circle after eight years.
What LIV had was Charles Howell III running away with no competition down in Mayakoba.
LIV’s drawbacks can’t immediately be remedied, because they’re part of its DNA. There are no stakes, no consequences, no substantive storylines. There is no upward mobility, no context to a player’s performance, no career milestones to achieve. It’s a closed shop: the same 48 players in 13 stroke-play tournaments, all of equal importance, competing for nothing but pride and a boatload of cash, devoid of any meaning or significance.
LPGA Tour Heads To Singapore:
The LPGA Tour wraps up its Asian Swing this week with the HSBC Champions event in Singapore. Former world No. 1, Jin Young Ko defends her title. She’s fallen to No. 5 in the world rankings but finally found her form with a final round 64 last week in Thailand. She finished fifth after missing the cut at the season opener in Orlando.
The world’s top three — Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda and Minjee Lee will play together the first two days.
Butch Harmon Gets Overdue HOF Nomination:
It’s long overdue but swing coach extraordinaire Butch Harmon is in this year’s World Golf Hall of Fame nominee class.
Harmon is in a group of nominees that include Padraig Harrington, Jim Furyk and Dottie Pepper. Harmon has coached everyone from Tiger Woods to Phil Mickelson to Greg Norman, helping each to perform at the peak of their powers.
