2 days ago
What to know as LIV Golf makes its Central Indiana debut
LIV Golf is bringing its championship tournament to Westfield this weekend.
Why it matters: This is the first time the well-funded and fast-growing golf tour will set up shop in Central Indiana, and tens of thousands of spectators are expected to attend.
LIV has attracted controversy since it launched in 2022, partly because it is funded by the Saudi government.
Catch up quick: Critics argue that Saudi Arabia is funding the golf tour to "sportswash" its global image, Axios' Tasha Tsiaperas reports.
The PGA Tour initially criticized the tour over human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia and suspended players who took part in the inaugural LIV tournament.
The two groups shocked the golf world and announced plans to merge in 2023. But those plans have since stalled and seem no closer to reaching resolution.
Driving the news: LIV Golf Indianapolis tees off Friday through Sunday at The Club at Chatham Hills to close out its regular season.
Top players like Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson are part of the action.
The three-day event will also feature an immersive fan village with activities for all ages, and a two-night concert headlined by Riley Green on Friday and Jason Derulo on Saturday.
How it works: LIV tournaments are shorter than PGA events, taking three days instead of four.
LIV tournaments have fewer golfers (54) who play all weekend regardless of performance, while a typical PGA tournament has more than 100 players who are cut based on score.
Everyone starts playing at once, instead of having staggered tee times as in the PGA.
State of play: The LIV hype is hitting Indy as golfing in the U.S. skews younger.
Millennials expect to spend about $4,557 this year on golf gear and expenses like course fees, club memberships, travel and lessons, according to a new survey from Censuswide and Whatnot.
That's $693 more than Gen X and $1,798 more than Boomers.
Data from the National Golf Foundation finds that more than half (57%) of on-course golfers are now under the age of 50, and the number of junior golfers (ages 6–17) has risen 48% since 2019.
If you go: The tournament tees off at 12:05pm Friday, 11:05am Saturday and 10:05am Sunday.
