LIV Golf and the LIV Golf League are now in their third season, having started in June 2022 outside London with their Invitational Series, which ultimately became the LIV Golf League.
When the Saudi-owned concept was announced, there was confusion as to the name of the league, what it meant and how it should be pronounced.
What does the LIV Golf name mean?
The name LIV Golf is a play on the tournament format for their events. In Roman numerals, LIV is 54. L is 50, and IV is 4. LIV Golf tournaments are three 18-hole rounds, or 54 holes. That's 18 holes, or one round, less than the standard high-level professional golf tournament that is four rounds and 72 holes. In promotional material for LIV Golf, the Roman numeral and the Arabic number for 54 are shown interchangeably.
Why do this? Perhaps there was a sensitivity around using Arabic numbers. Maybe they thought it just sounded better to create a pun with the Roman numeral, LIV, and the verb "live" -- as in making a lifestyle choice about golf.
Starting in 2024, LIV Golf also has 54 players in their tournament fields, meaning there's symmetry between the number of holes played and the number of players competing. Two players are not affiliated with a team in each event, as there are now 13 four-person teams. Since LIV Golf goes off in threesomes for their shotgun starts, they needed to have a field size neatly divisible by three. Now each hole of the golf course has a threesome on it to start each LIV Golf tournament round, making pace a different factor than it was when just 48 players were competing and 16 holes started with players on them.
How is LIV Golf pronounced?
LIV Golf is prounced as "live golf," as in "live and breathe golf," the present form of the verb "live." Not as in "Saturday Night Live." It is also not an acronym, so it is not pronounced by individual letters: L-I-V.
