Mark Harris
Videos by OutKick
Clay Travis got to experience something on Thursday that very few people have been afforded the opportunity to, and that’s play in a LIV Golf Pro-Am.
After attending the star-studded pre-tournament party on Wednesday night in New York City, Travis teed it up at Trump Bedminster on Thursday afternoon alongside four-time major winner Brooks Koepka and three-time PGA Tour winner Pat Perez.
It was as laid-back of a round of golf as there can be with two very successful professional golfers, so much so that Travis, Koepka, and Perez were able to joke about seeing former President Donald Trump without a tie on for the very first time.
TRUMP, DUSTIN JOHNSON, PAULINA GRETZKY, NELLY, CAITLYN JENNER, BROOKS KOEPKA, AMONG STAR-STUDDED ATTENDEES AT NYC LIV GOLF EVENT
Travis was also able to ask the very important question of whether or not he was the worst player Koepka and Perez had ever played a pro-am with.
“No, no, not even close,” Koepka joked, to which Perez confirmed Koepka’s statement, saying “sadly enough, no.”
One of the biggest things that makes LIV Golf different than anything else we’ve ever seen in professional golf is tournaments being played over the course of just 54 holes instead of the traditional 72.
DONALD TRUMP TEES OFF IN THE LIV GOLF PRO-AM AT BEDMINSTER
On top of that, each tournament round is a shotgun start, which means no waiting around for tee times and no six-and-a-half hour rounds like we saw at The Open at St. Andrews earlier this month.
Travis asked Koepka what makes LIV Golf different, and time was the first thing he mentioned.
“It’s quicker, number one, and number two, it’s about the speed of things,” Koepka explained. “We’re done [faster]. Like yesterday, I couldn’t have been out here more than four hours, you’ve got more time with your family.”
Travis also brought up his kids and the younger generation that may be intimidated by the game of golf. With LIV Golf events being streamed directly on YouTube, that in itself is growing the game.
“Everybody wants to talk about growing the game, but to grow the game you have to reach out to this younger generation and making it fun,” Koepka explained. “It’s quicker, everything with their own TV (YouTube) everything reaches out to that younger generation.”
“My kids don’t watch traditional television,” Travis said to Koepka who agreed that “that’s how that younger generation is.”
There was plenty of chirping going on between Travis, Koepka, and Perez, but the biggest shot may have come from LIV CEO and two-time major champion Greg Norman who compared Travis’ golf swing to his grandmother’s.
Love ya Clay. Gotta work on the man boobs though. Wish you could get rid of 2 pros and cup of shit in the morning. Brady Quinn is being brought down. Started listening to ESPN again.
IDK man, I get why some people don’t like Jonas Knox but I don’t mind him. Dude’s kinda a goofball but him and Lavar Arrington aren’t a bad combination with Q. ESPN’s competing timeslot is KeyShawn, JWill, and Max Kellerman. That’s a downgrade. Kellerman is hella annoying.
Congrats Clay. I have been reading this site for 2 years. It’s been fantastic. I paid 99.99 tonight just to be able to comment via a membership. The comment I would like to make is, “How can you attack LeBron James on a consistent basis for his relations with China AND decide in would be great to do a LIV Pro-Am? I am not a fan of James nor the LIV tour. This site has exposed hypocrisy on a consistent basis in politics and culture. I am disappointed OutKick violated their own principles in this instance
The difference is Clay/Outkick have never been social justice activists. LeBron & the NBA have consistently put themselves out there to bring “awareness” to social “injustice” in America, while totally ignoring Chinese internment camps and erosion of rights in the once free city of Hong Kong. The NBA postponed a playoff game due to a resisting felon being shot (Jacob Blake). The entire NBA playoff bubble was on the cusp of being cancelled due to George Floyd. The NBA and LeBron consistently shit on America as being this terrible place while simultaneously being silent regarding anything with China and collecting billions of dollars for their viewership.
Clay/Outkick on the other hand are pro-capitalism. Is funding from Saudi Arabia ideal? No. But, it’s a new opportunity for players and takes away a monopoly of the sport from the PGA Tour. The main difference is that Clay isn’t shitting on America while being silent about Saudi Arabia. It’s about consistency. If you set a precedent then stick with it. LeBron & co have set a precedent but won’t apply it equally in fear of upsetting a major cash cow. Clay/Outkick have not set a precedent.
Also important to note, Saudi Arabia, like it or not, is a regional ally to the US w/ regards to Iran, and Saudi Arabia is not a major economic threat to America. China, on the other hand, is in the midst of overtaking the US in GDP and global influence. In other words, China is the biggest threat to the US and LeBron & the NBA will support their propaganda as long as the money keeps flowing.