Publications
Publications
- August 2023
- HBS Case Collection
LIV Golf
By: Alexander J. MacKay
Abstract
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 723-371. On March 17, 2022, Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf, announced the 8-tournament schedule for the inaugural season of the LIV Golf Invitational Series. Norman, a retired professional golfer and former world #1, was helming the league to compete with the PGA Tour, which was the dominant affiliation for professional golfers.
On June 9, 2022, the first LIV Golf event teed off outside of London, England. Immediately following the official start of the London tournament, Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, released a memo stating that all 17 PGA Tour players participating in the LIV Golf event were suspended and ineligible to compete in PGA Tour events. Tensions continued to rise over the summer, as more players “defected” to LIV, lost sponsorships, and lost the ability to earn points on the world rankings. LIV Golf filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing the PGA Tour of anticompetitive practices, and the Department of Justice also launched an investigation. Both sides expected the conflict to escalate in the years ahead.
On June 9, 2022, the first LIV Golf event teed off outside of London, England. Immediately following the official start of the London tournament, Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, released a memo stating that all 17 PGA Tour players participating in the LIV Golf event were suspended and ineligible to compete in PGA Tour events. Tensions continued to rise over the summer, as more players “defected” to LIV, lost sponsorships, and lost the ability to earn points on the world rankings. LIV Golf filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing the PGA Tour of anticompetitive practices, and the Department of Justice also launched an investigation. Both sides expected the conflict to escalate in the years ahead.
Keywords
Anti-trust; Golf; ＂Sports Organizations,; Sports Management; Competition; Competition Policy; Strategy; Strategy And Leadership; Sports; Competitive Strategy; Lawsuits and Litigation; Sports Industry
Citation
MacKay, Alexander J. "LIV Golf." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 724-384, August 2023.