“LIV GOLF IS MORE THAN JUST A TOURNAMENT”.
Real Club Valderrama once again attracts the media spotlight from around the world by becoming the first course in continental Europe to host a tournament of LIV Golf, the new multi-million dollar super league that brings together many of the world’s biggest golf stars.
The general manager of the famous and prestigious golf club that hosted in 1997 the first Ryder Cup played on European soil outside the British Isles, Javier Reviriego, talks in this interview about the celebration of LIV Golf at RC Valderrama and the new leisure activities introduced by the event for the enjoyment of the public. He also discusses the club’s relations with the DP World Tour in this new stage and gives his opinion on the existing conflict between the PGA Tour and the PGA World Tour. and LIV Golf, describing the current situation in professional golf as “convulsive”.
–First of all, how are the preparations for the LIV tournament to be held in June?
-The truth is that everything is going very well. At the beginning of May we will start setting up the tents and all the staging involved in a LIV event. We are also planning to start a promotional campaign for the event in the next few weeks.
The pace of ticket sales is very good and we will most likely limit the capacity so that the public can follow the golf without stress. As this is the first year, we think it is important that the spectator’s experience is very good.
-Will there be many differences with respect to the events that have been held at Valderrama in recent years?
-Without a doubt, the LIV tournaments are much more focused on the fans. I had the opportunity to attend the Mayakoba LIV and I was very surprised by the closeness of the players with the public. There is more interaction and spectators have more opportunities to be close to their idols.
In general terms, I would say that this is more than just a golf tournament. Everything is focused on the public enjoying a great day of golf, but also different activities before and after the game. There is all kinds of entertainment in the village area and a concert at the end of the round.
Regarding the sporting part, I would say that the main difference is the shot-gun. I had my doubts about this format, but I could see that a very special atmosphere is created on the driving range before all the players take the field. The public is very concentrated in one area and this creates a very good atmosphere. The same happens at the end, all the players go to the driving range and the public can enjoy them or visit the village where there are lots of activities.
-Is it true that there is music during the game?
-That’s right, there is a DJ playing music in the background while the pros play. It’s certainly something different and I was quite surprised.
I had the opportunity to ask several players and they all agreed that it didn’t bother them at all. In any case, it won’t be something totally new for us, since we had a DJ on the 17th hole in the DP world Tour tournament in the past.
Speaking of the DP World Tour, I imagine that after so many years the decision to switch to the LIV circuit was not an easy one for Real Club Valderrama…
-Our relationship with the European Tour goes back a long way and has always been excellent. Very great events have been held at Valderrama and will always be part of the history of European golf. Nobody can change that.
That said, the reality is that we had differences in recent years. The objectives we had with the Valderrama Masters were not met. We made a great effort to attract sponsors such as Andalucía, Estrella Damm or Santander; we also worked hard to get the event declared of special public interest and we invested heavily to improve the course. We had a plan with the DP World Tour for the tournament to become a Rolex Series and unfortunately it was not fulfilled. The expectations were not only generated by Valderrama: the Tour also convinced us that it was possible to turn the tournament into one of the best on the circuit. Of course, ending our business relationship with them was a difficult decision, especially considering that we have very good friends on the Tour. We wish them all the best.
In the end, our club belongs to the members and there is a Board of Directors that has to make decisions for the benefit of the members and with the future of the Club in mind. In this case it was thought that the best thing to do was to embark on a new project with LIV. We know that it is a gamble that involves certain risks, but we are willing to accept them.
-So the decision not to continue with the DP world Tour was made before LIV came on the scene?
-Before making the decision, we made a very detailed analysis of many factors. For us it is essential to have a good group of players, we think that the level of the event is determined by the category of the professionals and the course. The fields we had in recent years were not top players, we only had two or three top 50 players in the world.
When LIV appeared we analyzed all the pros and cons. Without a doubt, guaranteeing us players of the level of Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, etc., seemed very attractive and had a great impact on our decision. Many of these players have never played in Spain and it will be a great opportunity for the Spanish public to see them up close.
-How do you assess the current situation of professional golf?
-It can be said that the situation is convulsive. It is evident that the irruption of LIV has generated a great ‘earthquake’ for which many were not prepared.
To put everything in context, think that the PGA Tour has never had competition, never feared that its position of total dominance would be affected. We have all seen, for years, how the best European players went to play in the United States (mainly for economic reasons). We have also seen how the PGA Tour announced its calendars without coordinating with the European Tour or how none of the WGCs (World
Golf Championships) were played in Europe.
By this I mean that the PGA Tour has had no problem whatsoever in exercising its power and strengthening its dominant position with higher and higher prizes for players. No one can deny that this has progressively weakened the DP World Tour. It is a fact.
Suddenly LIV appears, a player with great financial capacity, and signs several world-class players who are also very media-conscious. My opinion is that some people did not measure well or did not have enough capacity to evaluate the consequences of LIV’s irruption. We must not forget that players are professionals and that they make a living from this; they have every right to make decisions that improve their income.
-Do you mean that traditional tours should have negotiated with LIV?
First of all, they should have certainly sat down with LIV to listen to their proposals. When a sovereign wealth fund like the Saudi one makes a decision to invest in professional golf, I think the smart thing to do is to listen and try to understand their approach.
My opinion is that it would have been very easy to agree and all the mess that has been made would have been avoided. I can think of several formats: they could have let LIV sponsor and organize several WGCs (which were in clear decline). They could also have reached an agreement for the LIV tournaments to be played after the FEDEX Cup…in short, I think that with money and know-how there are many possibilities to organize world golf well. Undoubtedly, both players and spectators would have benefited from an agreement.
-Do you think there is a way back and that they will be able to understand each other in the coming months?
-Well, the truth is that I see it as complicated. The American golf media campaign against LIV has been and is brutal; the establishment sees their business in danger and they have been merciless in their criticism of LIV. I can accept that there is criticism of the format, but I can’t understand why people criticize the issue of prizes and fixed fees for players. Many of the professionals who criticize it have been years charging fixed prices for participating in certain tournaments; in fact, several European players did not step on the DP World Tour if there was no fixed price (no need to name names).
In any case, in February 2024 the trial between the PGA Tour and the LIV is scheduled to take place and I would not rule out that there would be an agreement before that. For me, the worst thing is the issue of the Ryder Cup, it is a very prestigious tournament, probably the biggest showcase of our sport, and it seems that the best are not going to play. This is difficult to understand. I hope and wish that it can be solved. I will have a hard time seeing a Ryder without Sergio Garcia or Dustin Johnson.
-How do you see the future for Valderrama?
-We have signed for five years and we expect the tournament to be a great success. We have spoken many times with the LIV team and they have a very clear vision of where they want to go. Of course, we are aware of the challenges ahead, but we will bring all our experience to achieve the objectives.
For the time being, we are going to focus our efforts on putting on a great show and that golf fans in our country can enjoy it. We will continue to invest in improving the course and presenting it in the best possible conditions; we are going to have a group of world-class players and I am sure that the tournament will serve as a great promotion for Andalusia.
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