On the intrusion of LIV: brute-force bumps, unexpected unification and the future of professional golf

In October 2021, the formal launch of LIV Golf took place. Its aim was to provide an alternative competition to the long-established and exclusive enclave of elite professional golf – the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) and European (known as the DP World for sponsorship reasons) Tours. What followed was 20 months of outspoken public wrangling between proponents of LIV’s shake-up of the golfing status quo, and defenders of the PGA’s assumed sanctity and professional legacy. On 6th June 2023, in an unanticipated and remarkable truce, it was announced that the three organisations were to be united under one umbrella entity. The proposed merger brought disputes between the three parties in courts of law to an abrupt end, but the courts of public opinion remain actively vocal and antagonistic. In this critical commentary, I analyse the events of this short-lived but intense jurisdictional competition from a sociological perspective, and strive to set an agenda for future research into jurisdictional competitions in professional sport. In doing so, I seek to answer three questions: How did LIV seek to legitimise itself as a credible competitor to the PGA? How did the jurisdictional contest end? What are the implications of the proposed merger for the profession and governance of elite competitive golf?