When it comes to shaking up the golfing world in recent years, you can’t look far past LIV Golf for rocking the boat and they’ve now gone out and done it again with their latest signing.
LIV have snapped up some of the biggest names in golf in recent years, with the likes of Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka all making the leap to the PIF-backed tour.
This off-season has been a touch quieter in terms of new players being added. Indeed, Tom McKibbin’s impending arrival is probably the biggest talking point.
McKibbin is set to earn around $5m up front from LIV but while his signing is a big deal, it’s arguably been trumped by LIV Golf announcing a partnership with one of golf’s biggest social influencers.
LIV Golf announce Rick Shiels partnership in major blow to the PGA Tour
Anyone who follows the game of golf will know Rick Shiels and he’s now confirmed he’s signed a mega partnership deal with LIV.
Golf fans have been left split over Shiels’ move to LIV but there is no doubt this is a major move in terms of pushing the boundaries both for LIV and Shiels himself.
YouTube golf has grown into a behemoth for golf content and Bryson DeChambeau is very much the pro leading the charge right now.
However, Shiels has been there from day one it seems and he’s now going to be shooting some of the best content around.
Shiels has confirmed videos with all the LIV players on quests like Break 75 and 10 Shot Challenges, while he’s also set to play in five-man scrambles and some on two on two events.
In a nutshell, LIV have managed to secure themselves golf’s biggest YouTuber – Shiels has just under three millions subscribers – and in doing so, they’ve tied down those eyes and views to their product and players.
Whatever the opinion on LIV, they have done something the PGA have ignored for so long and now with DeChambeau and Shiels both onboard, we could end up seeing a whole new world for golf.
The PGA Tour has until very recently seemed to ignore the YouTube scene. The addition of the Creator Classic was a step forward in 2024.
But now, with LIV having millions of eyeballs the PGA Tour simply won’t have, this very much feels like LIV’s most important signing since they landed Jon Rahm.
Three YouTube stars the PGA Tour could sign as Rick Shiels goes to LIV
In terms of the PGA hitting back in some way, you’d have to think they need to have a look at bringing some content creators onboard.
They already have Wesley Bryan on their tour, so the idea of bringing him and his brother George into play feels like a natural step.
From there, the PGA could look to some other huge names to try and tip the balance in their favour.
US stars Good Good golf are one of the biggest channels on YouTube for golf and have a raft of young fans who follow them.
Finally, another popular English YouTube star, Peter Finch, could also be a smart pick up. Finch has worked with the DP World Tour and done on-course interviews in big tournaments like The Open, while his calm demeanour and likeability would translate well to viewers.
Whether or not the PGA goes down this route remains to be seen but with LIV landing Shiels, it feels only a matter of time before the PGA strike back.
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