LIV Golf's scheduling gamble pays off as Jon Rahm's debut, dramatic finish take advantage of Sunday spotlight
CBSN
Gifted the Sunday showcase thanks to weather affecting the PGA Tour, the young league enjoyed its biggest moment
When the 2024 LIV Golf schedule was released, there were some curious dates that stood out. The league, now in its third season, was going head-to-head with [checks notes] the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (a signature event on the PGA Tour), the WM Phoenix Open (a staple on the Tour), the Arnold Palmer Invitational (signature), the Memorial (signature), the Travelers Championship (signature) and the first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Given LIV's dismal Year 2 television ratings, this strategy seemed ... odd. However, it paid off in a massive way on Sunday at LIV Mayakoba in Jon Rahm's debut and the first week of the LIV Golf season.
With the golf world primed for the final round from Pebble Beach featuring one of the great fields in that tournament's history, LIV stole the show. Pebble's final round on Sunday was wiped out because of weather (Monday got canceled as well), and some golf fans who were tuning in to see Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler simply changed the channel to see Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm instead.
