If you are a fan of professional golf then you are probably aware of the new kid on the block. LIV Golf is in its second year of operation with players that defected from the PGA and DP World Tour. What is LIV Golf? Many fans seem to be unsure of the differences between the traditional professional golf tours and how the new league works.
Here’s a quick breakdown, minus as much politics as possible, on the differences between the different Tours. That’s followed by how to bet on LIV Golf which will offer some wagering options, possible differences and a few quick tips!
What’s Different About LIV Golf?
First, for comparison, here’s how the PGA and other major professional golf tours work. The main format consists of tournaments of four rounds of 18 holes over four days. That’s a total of 72 holes not including playoffs. The number of players tops out at 156, with some events hosting 133 and 144 depending on the time of year. This is because of daylight hours and invitational events.
Players start in order from the No. 1 Tee. Sometimes, in the case of bad weather, they may tees off on both the No. 1 tee and No. 10 tee to get as many player’s rounds carded as possible. Also, professional tours include a cut-line where some of the players are eliminated.
LIV Golf is billed as being Golf – but louder. The implication is that it is more fun and appeals to both traditional and younger golf fans. LIV tournaments include only 48 players over three days and 54 holes. LIV is the Roman numeral for 54.
LIV starts its tournaments with a shotgun format. That means players tee off on every hole at the same time. Another aspect of LIV that is different from PGA events is that there is a team format. There are 12 teams in LIV with four players on each team. This means that individual players can still win an event but there will also be a team winner as well. They will face team playoffs during the closing part of the season.
There are other differences between the PGA Tour and LIV. That includes players wearing shorts, music playing constantly, and huge amounts of money being made available to players to help bring them to LIV. This is a golf product that is just beginning and it will be tweaked and that includes fans being able to bet on LIV Golf.
Currently, the ability to wager on LIV Golf is somewhat limited when compared to betting on PGA, LPGA, and DP World Tour events. The main issue is that each state regulates online wagering options and that process has just begun for different sportsbooks and LIV Golf. The options to bet on LIV Golf are increasing and should continue to do so.
Types of LIV Golf Betting Markets Available
The good news is that you can find some options available to bet on LIV Golf and the offerings will increase over time! That includes the standard option of picking the winner of the tournament winner. This works in the same way that you would if you were picking a winner of a PGA event.
Other options include standard wagers on first-round leaders, matchups, the best finish by nationality such as top American or top European and more. Hopefully, the ability to bet on LIV Golf by teams will be widely available. Right now, the offerings are somewhat limited but you can find platforms that offer wagering on LIV tournaments and you can expect them to grow as the league matures.
Here’s some good news! Tips for increasing your betting success for PGA Tour events can be applied to placing your wagers on a LIV tournament. It all starts with information in the form of stats. In the end, the number of holes played during a tournament does not come into play when picking an outright winner or who finishes inside the top ten.
Look at recent winners and how others have fared. You can also read over media and social media posts for any news concerning your possible picks. I tend to fade on a player if I read that they had a recent injury or big event happen in their personal life. I also fade on players that are going through an equipment change or making changes to their swing. This is for any Tour and tournament.
One thing that I rely on when looking at PGA events that is hard to apply to LIV golf is the amount of stats I generally lean on. I’m a big believer in looking for trends in stats and statistical rankings when it comes to putting, scrambling, and more. However, those stats are not as readily available for LIV players as they are for PGA Players.
The PGA loves stats and updates them all of the time. The LIV Golf website does a horrible job of dealing with these numbers as they focus mainly on their branding, who has won, and where the next event is. There is no historical data for their events to research. That means you’ll probably have to do some digging around on other sports sites for data. This is probably something that will improve in the future.
Live Golf Betting Guide for Beginners
Should You Bet on LIV Golf?
Yes! There’s no reason not to even if the offerings from sportsbooks are currently somewhat limited. This will change. Think of it this way; NASCAR is topped by the Cup Series. On any given Cup Series race day, the wagers are vast and the available prop bets come fast and furious depending on the betting outlet. They can range from who wins to the number of cautions and how many drivers get penalties.
Then there’s the Xfinity Series race, the Truck Series race, and the ARCA race. Betting options dwindle as you move through the different Series. By the time you get to the lesser Series, you may just be able to pick the winner outright. Think of the LIV product as being similar to the NASCAR Truck or Xfinity Series when it comes to betting options. You still can place a wager and win. You just may be limited on the different props but the options will increase.
As for politics, that’s not a topic I’m going to touch on. However, it is an emotional topic which makes it one of the headlines that I would consider looking over when doing my pre-selection research. Other than that, the LIV players still tee it up, hit approach shots, and then putt the ball for the win. That means you can still enjoy the process of how you choose to bet on LIV Golf.