By Greg Norman
WSJ
September 16, 2022
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but it is also what you get when a serious challenger suddenly confronts a 54-year-old entrenched monopoly. On Aug. 24, the PGA Tour responded to LIV Golf by boosting its purses, setting a pay floor, and structuring events so that fans get to see the tour’s best players—all among the innovations we introduced when we launched LIV in June. It is a classic case of competition benefiting workers and customers. LIV Golf is the best thing that has ever happened to the careers of professional golfers. The PGA Tour never would have changed without it.
When LIV came on the scene, the PGA chose sticks instead of carrots, threatening and then banning golfers who teed off in LIV tournaments. LIV still assembled players who have won 21 of the last 51 major golf tournaments, including six U.S. Opens and seven Masters Tournaments since 2010. LIV has two recent No. 1 players (Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson), the current No. 2 player (Cameron Smith), and other popular golfers (Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Sergio Garcia).
