LIV Golf will make its Tennessee debut this week at The Grove, bringing its party atmosphere, huge cash payouts and past major champions with it to Nashville.
Last week’s U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau is in the field, along with others playing for a $25 million total purse.
Casual fans might be unfamiliar with LIV, an upstart league formed in 2021 through backing from the Public Investment Fund (PIF), a wealth fund of Saudi Arabia.
LIV is billed as a laid-back version of men’s professional golf with its motto “golf, but louder.” Music blares on the course during play. Players are allowed to wear shorts. The tournaments are shorter — 54 holes, no cut — than those on the PGA Tour and there’s a team competition within the individual competition.
It will seem like a completely different event to spectators who have attended the PGA Korn Ferry Tour’s Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, which has been held at The Grove for the past three years.
Here’s what you need to know about LIV Golf Nashville 2024.
What is LIV Golf’s rivalry with PGA Tour?
LIV was formed in 2021, held its first event in 2022 and has since become a bitter rival of the PGA Tour.
Through billions of dollars of funding from the PIF, LIV has signed some of the PGA Tour’s top young players and major winners, such as DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm.
Players who left the PGA Tour for LIV were suspended and no longer receive Official World Golf Ranking Points, excluding some from major championship exemptions. Others are still eligible for majors due to past major finishes or world ranking points they gain from competing in other international events.
More: Major champion says LIV Golf, PGA Tour arrangement is still ‘chaos’ and will be difficult to repair
The PGA Tour and the PIF became entangled in litigation. The two sides came together last June for what was deemed a “framework agreement” that would align men’s professional golf, but no official agreement has been reached.
More: A year after LIV Golf-PGA Tour ‘framework’ shocked the world, here’s a timeline of what’s happened
Human rights groups, as well as the 9/11 Families United group, have raised flags about the Saudi government’s investment in American sports, pointing to its ties to the 9/11 attacks and human rights violations.
More: What is LIV Golf Nashville 2024 purse, payout for tournament at The Grove?
Where is LIV Golf playing in Nashville?
The tournament will be held at The Grove, a private, gated golf community located 36 miles southeast of downtown Nashville near Franklin.
The Grove will play as a par 71 course at 7,297 yards long. For context, Pinehurst No. 2 was a par 70 playing 7,548 yards for last week’s U.S. Open.
More: How all 12 LIV Golf players fared at the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2
Escalante Golf, which owns several courses where LIV events have been played, such as Pumpkin Ridge (Oregon) and The International (Massachusetts), purchased The Grove in October 2023.
The Grove was once home to the PGA Korn Ferry Tour’s Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation. The Simmons Bank Open has since moved to Vanderbilt Legends Club North Course.
What is the LIV Golf Nashville 2024 tournament format?
LIV plays 54-hole tournaments without a cut, hence the name LIV, which is 54 in Roman numerals.
That differs from the PGA Tour’s 72-hole events that take only the top 70 players after the first two days.
LIV’s individual competition features 54 players competing for a $20 million purse, with $4 million going to the winner. But there’s a little more to it.
More: What’s next for Bryson DeChambeau? He’s heading to Nashville for LIV Golf’s next event
Those players make up 13 teams of four that compete for a $5 million purse, with $3 million going to the winning team. (Two “wild card” players who do not belong to a team will compete as individuals.)
Each player finishes with a three-round total score to determine the individual winner. The top-24 finishers earn points that go toward determining the individual season champion.
In the team competition, each team accrues a cumulative score over the three rounds. During the first two rounds, only the top three players’ scores on each team count towards their team’s score. In the final round, all four players’ scores count.
The top eight teams earn points in the season team standings, and the season team championship is decided in the final event of the season using a hybrid format of match and stroke play.
You can find the full standings here.
How to buy tickets to LIV Golf Nashville 2024 at The Grove
Tickets can be purchased here. Most ticket options for Saturday, including grounds passes, are sold out.
What fans should know about LIV Golf Nashville at The Grove
Who is playing? LIV players sign contracts to play each of the season’s 14 events, so barring injuries, everyone in the league will play. That means major winners DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka, Louis Oosthuizen, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel, Cameron Smith, Henrik Stenson and Bubba Watson will all be in Nashville. Rahm withdrew from the U.S. Open last week due to a toe injury but is scheduled to play and met with media on Wednesday.
When does play begin?: Pairings of three will tee off on each hole for a shotgun start each round. The top three leaders will tee off on the first hole for the second and third rounds. Friday and Saturday’s start times are 12:15 p.m., with a 12:05 p.m. start set for Sunday.
About the music: Yes, music will be played throughout locations on the course and the course will not be quiet. No, fans are not allowed to yell during players’ backswings. LIV asks them to be respectful while golfers play.
Party hole: The par-3 15th will have stadium-style seating with live music and drinks. Members of LIV’s loyalty program LIV X are eligible for $100,000 if/when a LIV player makes the first hole-in-one.
Concerts: Michael Marcagi will perform live at the Fan Village at 5 p.m. Friday. Dan + Shay will perform after Saturday’s round is complete.
Parking: Parking is free at Renaissance Festival (2135 Newcastle Rd, Arrington, TN 37014) beginning at 9 a.m. all three days, with complimentary shuttles provided to and from the golf course. Rideshare can only drop off/pick up at Page Middle School (6262 Arno Rd. College Grove, TN 37046).
Gates open at 10:00 a.m. all three days.
How to watch LIV Golf Nashville 2024
Stream: LIV golf app (all three rounds), CW app (Friday round), Caffeine (all three rounds)
TV: CW (Saturday and Sunday rounds only)
Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.