NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
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One of the underlying questions facing LIV Golf is the type of relationship that it will foster with major equipment manufacturers. It could have significant consequences to the overall viability of the league.
Most of the 48 players in the field this past week have an affiliation with an OEM. On the surface, it would make sense that those players should have access to the same type of equipment trucks and brand-specific club-repair expertise available on the PGA Tour. However, those gear vans – which appear in droves at typical tour events – have not been present at the first four LIV events. Instead, a brand-agnostic club-repair truck called “The Tour Van” has been traveling to each U.S. event to provide necessary tweaks. The truck is not scheduled to appear at LIV events outside America, and it’s uncertain what equipment-truck presence there will be at those international tournaments.
At first, the unofficial justification for OEMs not traveling to LIV events was a lack of need. The small field size and absence of top talent put LIV on similar footing as a lower-tier professional event that wouldn’t have much available for players to fine-tune their gear.
Now that 12 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking have made the jump, the pressure for equipment manufacturers to service players on-site has mounted. This has created an awkward situation, because some brands have long-standing partnerships with the PGA Tour.
Jonathan Wall of Golf.com has reported that equipment reps feel like “it’s only a matter of time” before manufacturers will have a presence at LIV events. Companies are locked into a staring contest to see which one makes the first move and endures potential public backlash. Once one goes, the floodgates could open. However, it doesn’t automatically mean there will be a line of massive equipment trucks packing parking lots at LIV events.
Consider that, among those dozen top-50 golfers, Callaway (2), Ping (2), Titleist (1), TaylorMade (1), Cleveland/Srixon (1), Cobra (1) and PXG (1) have players in their stable, while the other three players are free agents. These are limited fields that don’t necessarily need several equipment trucks, especially with a large number of brands each representing a small number of players. Also, these events often are being played opposite PGA Tour events, which already have trucks at them. Companies generally have only one or two large equipment vans, which are driven to each event. This may mean that a couple of equipment reps for each brand are on-site, bringing no truck and limited resources tailored to the players in the field.
There are other variables for manufacturers to work through as it relates to LIV.
Another factor is the contract each player has with his company. Typically, these contracts are based on world-ranking points. LIV does not have access to OWGR points – and may not for a long time, due to several criteria that the tour does not meet. Players are almost certainly going to see their rankings crater, which would lower the money they get from sponsorship deals.
Companies could let those contracts expire, particularly if players do not get enough visibility. LIV’s ability to secure a U.S. media-rights deal is still in doubt, and the current audience pales in comparison to viewership on the PGA Tour. For instance, LIV’s third event had an average of 74,000 viewers. On the same day, the PGA Tour had an average of 2.5 million viewers for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
If LIV were to get a TV partner, it could open the door for sponsorship. That could include advertising within the TV coverage, and it also could include potential team sponsorship. We’re likely a long way from that, but anything is possible.
It all adds up to a lot for manufacturers to manage. Their willingness to get involved with LIV – and how deeply they want to invest – could swing the circuit’s success one way or another.
Sean Fairholm