Tiger Woods’ former coach and golf fans all agree about night golf after LIV’s first event of the season in Riyadh

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LIV Golf’s first event of 2025 is being played under the cover of darkness at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia.

In a first-of-its-kind move, the 54-hole golf league is being played at night with floodlights in use. Before LIV Golf Riyadh started, fans were excited to watch the world’s best players compete in the unique conditions.

With ball flights more visible against a dark backdrop, the overall viewing experience is certainly more intriguing than what’s seen at regular PGA Tour and LIV events.

After the first round, fans are convinced night golf should become, at least, an annual feature.

LIV Riyadh: Hank Haney shares thoughts on night golf

During the first round, the 4Aces’ X account asked, “RT if you think professional night golf should be a thing?”

And the response was largely positive.

Tiger Woods’ former coach Hank Haney wrote on X, “At least once a year.” And it’s a sentiment shared by golf fans.

Golf fans agree on professional floodlit golf

This fan wrote on X: “Just like baseball, watching the ball fly into the night sky is pretty awesome. I won’t say it’s the best time to play, but it certainly has its place.”

Another added: “I really enjoyed it, something different. I always felt the majors should have lights on the last six holes, just in case you had a delay, could finish the same day.”

“This over the TGL any day of the week,” said this X account. “This is actually pretty cool,” another wrote.

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy’s concerns about night golf

Despite the overall positive feeling around night golf, there are some drawbacks.

During the LIV vs PGA Tour Showdown in Las Vegas, world number one Scottie Scheffler highlighted some of the challenges presented when playing under the cover of darkness. “Under the lights was fun. Like you said, it’s really challenging. The distances that we were hitting our shots changed significantly from the beginning of the match,” he said.

Rory McIlroy also claimed putting was particularly hard in the dark. “We were just saying before we got back on air how difficult it is to play under the lights and how difficult it is to putt under the lights especially,” said the four-time major winner.

LIV Golf Riyadh is the only breakaway league that will be played under the cover of darkness this year. Next up is the popular Adelaide stop, followed by back-to-back events in Hong Kong and Singapore.