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LIV Golf

PGA Tour Battling vs. LIV Golf

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BOLTON – As the LIV Golf players teed-off in the third and final round shotgun start Sunday in the western suburbs of Boston, the PGA Tour tossed another major hurdle at the players, via a memo leaked to Sports Illustrated and reported by SI and FOX News.

“The Tour cannot enter into a membership agreement with a player when, as here, it reasonably anticipates the player will not perform the material obligations under that agreement,” said the letter to former PGA Tour pros now on the LIV Tour. “Accordingly, your PGA Tour membership cannot and will not be renewed for the 2022-2023 PGA Tour season.”

Taylor Gooch (-12), Joaquin Nieman (-11) and Dustin Johnson (-10) were busy competing for a $4 million/ $2.125 million or $1.5 million first through third prize at The International, a course set in the woods of Worcester County, Massachusetts – about 45 miles from where the PGA Tour used to play the DeutschBank Championship – a round of its FedEx Playoffs – every Labor Day weekend.

The LIV Golf venture joined an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour that was initially filed by select LIV golfers such as Pat Perez, Carlos Oritiz, Abraham Ancer and Jason Kokrak were among the players filing who dropped their lawsuits against the PGA Tour. Outspoken veteran PGA Tour pro Phil Mickelson was among those that first filed suit in August, claiming suspensions from the Tour were aimed at hurting their careers.

Others pro golfers filed temporary restraining orders to compete in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, claiming they qualified for the PGA Tour postseason playoffs prior to joining LIV Golf. A federal judge in California denied that injunction.

LIV Golf: These Guys Are Great

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BOLTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The fourth event of the new LIV Golf season, the LIV Golf Invitational Boston, teed-off today at The International, in the far suburbs of Boston. The tournament field includes six players making their LIV Golf debut, including World No. 2 and 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith, World No. 19 and top Chilean golfer Joaquin Niemann, Harold Varner III (No. 46), Cameron Tringale (No. 55), Marc Leishman (No. 62) and India’s top-ranked pro Anirban Lahiri (No. 92) who will join the field of 48 competing in the weekend tournament. Also making his first LIV Golf appearance is two-time Masters champion and former world No. 2 player Bubba Watson, who will debut as a non-playing captain and will make on-air contributions to live event coverage.

As the world’s No. 2 golfer, Smith becomes the highest-ranked player to compete in a LIV Golf event. Winner of the 2022 Open Championship in July at St Andrews, the 150th playing of golf’s oldest major, the Australian has 8 professional wins including the Players Championship earlier this year. The 29-year-old joins the list of LIV golfers who have met the minimum playing eligibility requirements for the World Golf Hall of Fame, though he must wait another 16 years until the minimum age requirement of 45 before official consideration. Smith has amassed 48 additional top-10 finishes and is a consistent contender in the majors, including finishing T-4th at the 2015 U.S. Open – his first major start – and earning four top-10 finishes at the Masters (T-5th 2018, T-2nd 2020, T-10th 2021, T-3rd 2022). A two-time Australian PGA Championship winner (2017-2018), Smith has also represented his home country in international team competitions including the 2018 World Cup, the 2019 Presidents Cup and the Tokyo Olympics.

Chile’s top professional golfer, the 23-year-old Niemann jumped onto the global golf scene as a teenager. As the World Amateur Golf Rankings’ No. 1 player for 44 weeks between 2017-2018, he earned victories against top international players on the Chilean Tour before turning pro in April 2018. The current world No. 19 golfer has two professional wins, 26 top-10 finishes, and represented Chile as part of the International Team in the 2019 Presidents Cup and the Tokyo Olympics.

Varner III, currently 46th in the world, is a two-time winner as a pro including the 2015 Australian PGA Championship and the 2022 PIF Saudi International presented by Softbank Investment Partners. The memorable Asian Tour event featured a thrilling finish, where Varner sunk a 92-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole to defeat fellow LIV Golf competitor Bubba Watson by 1 stroke. Consistently a fan favorite, Varner has 24 top-10 finishes over his professional career, which began in 2012 following a successful collegiate career at East Carolina University where he earned honors as Conference USA Player of the Year.

Leishman has 13 professional victories and an additional 64 top-10 finishes, including three notable showings at the Masters (T-4th 2013, 9th 2018, T-5th 2021) and The Open Championship (T-5th 2014, T-2nd 2015, T-6th 2017). A former Rookie of the Year who has been ranked as high as No. 12 in the world, the Australian is a consistent competitor on international stages, including the Tokyo Olympics, two World Cups (2016, 2018) and four Presidents Cups (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019).

For more than 80 consecutive weeks, American Cameron Tringale has been ranked among the world’s top 100 players. The California native has 30 top-10 finishes in his career and was a three-time NCAA All-American at Georgia Tech. Lahiri, a two-time Olympian for India, has amassed 18 wins and an additional 55 top-10 finishes throughout his professional career. Runner-up at the 2022 Players Championship to winner Cameron Smith, he has twice represented the International Team at the Presidents Cup (2015, 2017), is a three-time representative for Asia in the EurAsia Cup (2014, 2016, 2018), and is a two-time competitor in the World Cup (2013, 2018).

Players will compete in golf’s most exciting new format for $25 million and the chance to become LIV Golf’s fourth individual and team champions while earning points towards LIV Golf’s season-long individual competition.

LIV Golf: Trying to Aid Communities

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BOLTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – LIV Golf – forever to be compared and competing with the PGA Tour – is reaching out to support Massachusetts communities through donations to nine charitable organizations within the Boston, Bolton, Lancaster and surrounding areas as part of the LIV Golf Invitational this weekend in the suburbs of Boston. The donations are aligned with the LIV to Give platform and its commitment to making a positive impact through support of education and career development, environmental sustainability, and golf programs that create positive change and enhance the well-being of communities now and in the future.

“LIV Golf is committed to giving back and investing in organizations that build stronger communities,” said Greg Norman, CEO and Commissioner of LIV Golf. “We are privileged to host such an exciting event in Massachusetts and are proud to support so many deserving charities that deliver much-needed services throughout this region.”

Among the beneficiaries is the Bolton Conservation Trust, which helps maintain the rural nature of the town by engaging the community through events, environmental education programs and land stewardship. The Trust also bridges communications among landowners, public officials, and financing interests.

“This generous donation will have a direct impact on our continuing efforts to protect open space. Our team will expand the environmental component of our Tom Denney Nature Camp by revamping the curriculum, upgrading the facilities, and offering more scholarships for those families in need,” said Dan Gaffney, Bolton Conservation Trust President. “We will re-start our Four Winds environmental enrichment program, which was taught in the K-5 elementary classrooms and brings a very hands-on environmental experience back to hundreds of young students.”

Coaching4Change (C4C) provides a near-peer mentoring model that recruits, trains and places local, diverse, and talented college students to support school improvement initiatives aimed at increasing student engagement and social-emotional learning in underprivileged schools.

The Boston Invitational LIV to Give recipients include:

  • Bolton Conservation Trust to fund trail maintenance, environmental and educational programs, and support land stewardship in the town of Bolton.
  • Coaching4Change to provide low-income students critical mentorship services, empowering youth with life skills that unlock success.
  • Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation to fund scholarships to special operations vets as they transition out of service and into employment opportunities.
  • Boys and Girls Club of Assabet Valley to fund after-school and summer programs, STEM education materials and supplies, and partnership with the local museum to provide enhanced instruction.
  • Bridge Over Troubled Waters to widen the pathways to self-sufficiency for homeless youth through education, employment, mental health care and life skills development.
  • Friends of Bolton Seniors to provide Bolton senior citizens with fuel, nutrition and financial assistance.
  • WHEAT – United Way of Tri-County to fund food security programs.
  • The Joseph and Leslie Carr Foundation to feed area families this upcoming holiday season, fill canned food at food banks, and fund a local diaper bank.
  • Nashoba Neighbors to fund services that empower seniors to age in place/at home.In addition to financial support, as part of LIV to Give’s commitment to developing the next generation of leaders through golf, LIV Golf hosted two special clinics this week. On Tuesday, Richard Bland, Turk Pettit, Cameron Tringale and LIV Golf reporter Troy Mullins led dozens of local youth from Bolton Youth Baseball and Softball in golf drills and spoke about the positive impact of sports, competition and teamwork. On Wednesday, Norman, Bryson DeChambeau, Martin Kaymer, Shergo Kurdi and David Feherty welcomed local military veterans to The International. The group, which included Feherty’s Troops First Foundation and Clear Path for Veterans New England shared inspiring stories, expert instruction and a special day together at the course.LIV Golf is owned and operated by LIV Golf Investments whose vision and mission are centered around making holistic and sustainable investments to enhance the global golf ecosystem and unlock the sport’s untapped worldwide potential. LIV Golf Investments is a newly formed company, with group companies in the USA and United Kingdom.