Report reveals LIV Golf’s ambitious plan to sign all top 12 golfers, including Tiger Woods

LIV Golf had plans to sign all 12 of the world’s top golfers. The plan was part of the controversial series’ initial framework put together by an outside consulting firm.

According to confidential documents reviewed by the New York Times, LIV Golf has set out a highly ambitious plan to sign the world’s best golfers, including Tiger Woods. The documents deemed the borderline unrealistic plan necessary for the financial success of LIV.

The documents found are part of a plan called “Project Wedge.” According to the Times, this was framed in 2021 by the firm McKinsey & Company. As per the report, there were a number of scenarios for the Saudi Arabian pro golf venture to become profitable and this included a large number of signings.

It is safe to say that the Saudi-backed series, which ultimately launched in June 2022, drastically fell short of this target. The rebel series didn’t manage to sign the “world’s top 12 golfers, attracting sponsors to an unproven product and land television deals” as mentioned in the plan. The New York Times report also revealed that the documents mentioned golf as a “sport with declining viewership.”

It also mentioned that the moves must be made without significant retaliation from the PGA Tour for a successful outcome.

Did LIV Golf fail in its plans?

As of November 2022, LIV Golf has fallen well short of signing 12 of the top players. While they managed to get some big names including Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson, and Cameron Smith among others, they failed to get their biggest targets, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

The series, which is in transition to becoming a 14-event league in 2023, is yet to land a TV deal. The inaugural series of LIV didn’t have any major sponsors on board. Moreover, the series faced strong retaliation from the PGA Tour and is now in a legal fight with the American circuit.

While McKinsey’s plan may seem unrealistic, it was indeed the right approach for LIV. Treating LIV Golf as a struggling start-up, it was necessary for the series to pull big profits and excitement to assert dominance over the game. It’s interesting to note that the documents mentioned LIV to have a projected revenue of at least $1.4 billion a year in 2028. However, its current condition projects major losses for the circuit.

Following a moderately successful inaugural season, LIV Golf is now set to launch its second season. The 14-event schedule of the tour will begin in 2023 with a prize purse of $405 million.

Why did Tiger Woods turn down LIV's offer?

It is noteworthy that the multimillion-dollar LIV Golf series did try to execute its initial plans to sign the top names of the golf. The controversial circuit, backed by the Government of Saudi Arabia, reportedly made a lucrative offer of around $1 billion to Tiger Woods. However, the legendary golfer turned it down.

Woods reportedly said no to the hefty paycheck and slammed the project. The golfer came out and said that the series led by Greg Norman was not good for golf. The ace golfer even called out the high-profile players who had accepted the offer to join the LIV series and said that it wasn’t a smart move.