How Has the Addition of Liv Golf into the Professional Golf Market Affected Consumer Engagement in the Sport of Golf?

The United States is seeing changes to the market for professional golf for the first time in its coveted history. For over 100 years, the PGA Tour has operated as a monopoly power in the world of professional golf in the US. That was up until the creation of the controversial LIV golf league, which is strongly funded by Saudi Arabian PIF’s. This paper aims to answer the question of how the addition of LIV golf into the professional golf market effects consumer engagement in the sport of golf. I hypothesize that LIV joining the market will lead to more consumer engagement in the sport of golf. This paper will discuss the Bertrand model in depth; in this model, firms choose what price to sell at rather than the quantity they will sell. An empirical section including data from 5 states consisting of their annual golf course revenues is included as a measure to test consumer engagement. This is a relevant subject to see how the PGA Tour and LIV golf operate under a duopolistic market structure in the US.