“I think of myself as a businessman” – Bubba Watson on settling in as a leader at LIV Golf

Bubba Watson recently recalled an event where he saw his son watching the YouTube telecast of the LIV Golf last year.

He observed that his son was ecstatic that a South African team, the Stingers, was leading the table and he didn't care about the individual scorecard. It was at that moment that he felt it was right to switch to the Saudi-backed league.

“I think of myself as a businessman and when I saw Caleb’s reaction, I knew who LIV was targeting,” Watson was quoted by Sports Illustrated. “It’s not the 60-year-old falling asleep on Sunday afternoon. It’s the younger generation. That’s when I knew they had a product.”

Watson joined LIV a month later. This year, he will make his debut on the tour as a player at Mayakoba El Camaleon Golf Club in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Watson leads the RangeGoats, which includes Talor Gooch, Thomas Pieters, and Harold Varner III.

12 teams, including RangeGoats, are competing for $5 million in prize shares and $20 million in individual shares.

“It will be a challenging year because I want to prove to myself and my team and the world that I can still golf. I still have a lot to offer to the game of golf,” said Watson.

There have been several reasons given by the players behind their defection to LIV Golf. Some said it was to push the PGA Tour to do more for its members, while others said it was due to financial reasons. Then there were a few who felt they wanted to play on a shorter schedule. Watson was among those who wanted to play golf in the team format.

“If you’re doing it for money then it’s really not the right reason to do it. Professional golf needs a team event. Change in the game is good. Competition is good. You do what you believe is right. You’re not going to make everybody happy," said Watson.

Watson added that they were not rivals on the PGA Tour but just 48 professionals trying to create a league. He will return to professional golf after a long break as he underwent surgery for a torn meniscus that he suffered during the 2022 PGA Championship.

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LIV Golf 2023 Broadcast details

LIV Golf will feature 12 teams competing in 14 events over the year

The first event of the 2023 LIV Golf League begins on Friday, February 24, with 12 teams featuring in the competition. The purse size of the event is $25 million, which includes $20 million for individual event and $5 million for team one. The league will kick-offf at 2.15 pm ET.

Unlike last year when the Saudi-backed circuit didn't find any broadcast partners. The telecast will be done by Nexstar-owned CW in the United States. For the rest of the world, LIV Golf has launched an app called LIV Golf Plus, which will stream all the matches live and also provide on-demand coverage.

The app is available across 180 territories on ios and android. Fans can also stream the event on the website LIVGolfplus.com.