LIV golf is played under lights.
According to Liv Golf official websitethe season opener in Riyadh, scheduled for February 6-8, will begin at 6:15pm local Saudi time. Considering Riyadh Golf Club's time is eight hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, LIV Golf officials believed that holding the event under lights would help attract U.S. golf fans. Ta. American viewers will watch LIV Golf's first tournament of 2025 begin at 10:15 a.m. ET. This is much easier to wake up to than other tournaments held in the Middle East.
Typically, major events in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates begin while much of the Western Hemisphere is asleep. Rounds typically end by 8 or 9 a.m. ET, so Western fans won't be able to see the ending unless they wake up early.
However, LIV officials decided to get creative, including using lights to illuminate the course so that the world's most important market could participate at the right time. Last month's Crypto.com showdown, in which PGA Tour stalwarts Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler defeated LIV Golf stars Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, also took place under lights, so it's likely that LIV officials will be watching this in Riyadh. It probably encouraged him to implement tactics. However, Showdown turned out to be a huge disappointment for a variety of reasons, one of which was the night sky. The golf ball was difficult to follow at times, but perhaps LIV's broadcast team will use advanced tracers and lighting to enhance it and make it easier to see.
Another reason for this unconventional approach could be LIV's new broadcast deal with FOX Sports. The network will broadcast a significant number of LIV events in the U.S. this year, and this will be Fox's first golf coverage since the 2019 U.S. Open. But it's worth noting that LIV's season-opening event will take place on the same weekend as this year's Super Bowl in New Orleans, which Fox owns the rights to. Fox has not yet announced whether the season opener will be broadcast in Saudi Arabia, but the tournament is scheduled to run from Thursday, February 6 to Saturday, February 8, to ensure it does not overlap with any key games.
The WM Phoenix Open also takes place that weekend, so the golf competition begins between the PGA Tour and LIV.
In any case, the people involved with LIV are trying something different from what they've done in the past, hoping to get more attention in the United States.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
