Like it or not, LIV golf looks set to stay. And while there are a number of threats and challenges presented by this new kid on the course, there are no doubt plenty of opportunities that are arising too. And that’s certainly the case when it comes to betting on golf. And betting on golf is huge business – from 2020 to 2023, for example, betters in just on US state, Colorado, wagered 145.4million on golf, making it the tenth most lucrative sport in terms of total amounts wagered (NBA was the undisputed leader) in that region. In the UK, golf climbs up to position seven on that particular list. So in short, it’s a lucrative business.
Golf betting
Betting on golf has long been one of the bookmaker’s biggest go-to markets. And that’s especially true when the majors swing around. Punters love to browse the list of favourites and pick their overall winner, studying the odds and perusing the markets to find a value outsider or bet that might just bring in that lucrative return. And because it’s often so hard to predict the winner of a major (or indeed any golf event), the returns can indeed by much better than on, say, a two-horse race such as a football match. Of course you do get the occasional odds-on winner, such as Scottie Scheffler at the recent Masters.
But the golf betting sites might just see the breakaway LIV tour as something of a boon for business. Why? Because it offers up a huge number of alternative events and markets to bet on. And for a bookmaker, that has to be good, right? Indeed, and one of the major new draws brought to the game of professional golf from the LIV model is the ‘team’ concept, something alien to the big events on the PGA tour. And now that LIV and the PGA Tour seem to have patched up their differences, the attraction of the team concept has not been lost on PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan who stated that “The PGA Tour’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model…combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV – including the team golf concept – to create an organisation that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans.”
What is the LIV team concept?
The LIV tour, as of 2024, consists of 14 events featuring a field of 54 players, as per the 2024 LIV format guide. There are major differences from the established PGA tour in that there is no cut and there are shotgun starts. But a major innovation is the existence of a team format within that 54-player field.
What is the format exactly? Well, there are 13 teams of four players, plus an additional two Wild Cards at each event. These two players, although not part of the teams, still earn points and can form part of a team at a later stage. The teams are decided by a draft at the start of the season, and then compete in the 13 regular season events which decide the finals seedings, with the Team Championship – the prize on offer for each competing team – only decided at the season-ending showpiece. The format is a knockout style but in an intriguing twist this involves both stroke and match play formats. Teams score cumulatively over the whole three days of the event, but only the top three players’ scores are considered on the opening two days of the three-day event, with the fourth player’s score only coming into play on the final day.
Plus in true LIV style, there in an interactive element to proceedings. Those who sign up to the LIV loyalty programme get a chance to shape the composition of the event face-offs by selecting who plays together. And only the top eight teams score at each event. In short, there’s plenty to get the head around, especially if you are used to the more traditional format.
What it means for bettors
Despite the unconventional nature of the LIV set-up, or rather exactly because of it, plenty more betting markets are unearthed. Of course there are the usual array of outrights, exact score options and so on, but the team dynamic adds new markets such as the head-to-head and winning team scenarios. In some ways, it’s a bit like having the Masters and Ryder Cup all in one! And when it comes to adding more markets, that has to be a hit with the golf betting sites and those enthusiastic on betting on golf, of which there are many.
LIV golf may not be for everyone – Rory McIlroy has famously stated that it “isn’t for me”, along with some other more choice quotes, but no one can doubt the innovation involved. And it’s that innovation which promises to see golf betting numbers continue to climb.
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