Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Most of the country did not see the conclusion of the LIV Tulsa event. Now, viewers can watch full tournaments live on YouTube, but with a twist.
Two weeks ago, the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour had a raucous finish at its LIV Tulsa event, perhaps the best conclusion it has had to date.
Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, and Brendan Grace finished tied for the lead at the end of play, thus sending them to a playoff.
Johnson ended up winning, but nobody saw it on air.
CW, the network with which LIV has a television contract, cut away from the golf tournament at 6 p.m. eastern time, just as the LIV Tulsa event was wrapping up.
Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Dustin Johnson hits a tee shot on the 10th hole during Day Three of the LIV Golf Invitational – Tulsa at Cedar Ridge Country Club on May 14, 2023, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
To fix this issue, LIV Golf announced Friday that it had partnered with YouTube to show its golf events to complement the CW broadcasts, according to Golf Digest.
Fans in America can tune into the YouTube telecast for $3 per day. Certain countries around the world can stream the golf for free.
“The new pay-per-view and geo-fenced live stream options will be available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and South Korea, as well as a free geo-fenced live stream in the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland,” LIV Golf’s statement read. “Fans can begin watching live 2023 broadcasts on YouTube when competition begins for LIV Golf DC, taking place May 26-28 at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, VA.”
The LIV Tour uses a shotgun-style format, where players tee off simultaneously on all 18 holes, meaning all the golfers in the field are on the course at the same time. This allows LIV to dictate its television window better.
“LIV Golf DC will air around the world from 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. ET on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,” LIV Golf’s statement continued.
Friday’s announcement comes less than a week after Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship at Oak Hill. He became the first active LIV player to win a major, which has sparked numerous debates about the Ryder Cup, sportswashing, and the PGA Tour.
