LIV Golf Indianapolis Insights and Amusements

The Boys are on the ground at the Club at Chatham Hills (henceforth known as Chills, per the locals), a Pete Dye design — “the guy who designed Sawgrass,” as the LIV Golf official website referred to him.

We put our Riomar Shoes to the test on a muddy Thursday afternoon to see what the season finale had to offer.

Listen Between the Lines: Players were able to choose “walk-up songs” for their tee shots on the “Party Hole” 12th. Some were typical — Dustin Johnson chose the latest Morgan Wallen single, Matthew Wolff went with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” — but Tom McKibbin’s choice of “Breaking Free” from High School Musical got a kick out of his playing partners. Even Jon Rahm got into the mix, singing along to Justin Bieber’s “Beauty and a Beat” as he rolled off the first tee. But the real winner? Tyrrell Hatton’s decision to roll with “I Want To Break Free” by Queen. A source told The Boys the selection was no accident and was being openly discussed in the locker room ahead of what could be Hatton’s final LIV start. The song can be heard clearly on the first round broadcast posted on the league’s YouTube channel.

Get In Loser, We’re Going Shopping: Though our favorite merch items — “Chills” hats — are sold inside the pro shop, the official merchandise tent contains plenty of treasures: headcovers from LIV Hong Kong, team-branded shot glasses, and much more. But the best bargain? A $55 RangeGoats GC pickleball paddle. Whether you love, hate, or feel completely indifferent about the RangeGoats like most people, that’s a heck of a deal for a paddle.

Who Are You Wearing?: Fans were sparse on Thursday, even for the marquee group of Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Lucas Herbert. It was only Thursday, so perhaps Indianapolis fans will show out much more over the next three days. I will say: there is much more LIV apparel being worn by fans than you might expect. Albeit in limited numbers due to the small crowd, there really are people wearing Southern Guards, 4Aces, Ripper, etc. gear, along with plenty of LIV-branded hats and shirts. None of the fans we surveyed seem to care much about the outcome of the team competition, but people do wear the merch.

Neighborhood Watch: I knew that the Club at Chatham Hills was woven through the streets of a suburban neighborhood, but it takes being on the ground to truly appreciate how close people’s backyards are to the action on just about every hole. In fact, one local real estate developer is actively trying to sell a house that backs up to the course during the golf tournament. He told us he successfully coaxed a few LIV patrons who were curious buyers into a showing and even offered the Boys a walk-through. Chatham Hills makes for quite an intimate setting, with people watching from their back patios as the golfers compete. On the eighth tee, which is basically in a cul-de-sac, Sergio Garcia was just about to address his ball when someone’s car alarm went off in their driveway. Garcia was unfazed and went on to make birdie.

Proofreaders Needed: It may be a low priority in the grand scheme of things at LIV Golf, but a spellchecker should be added to the list of needs ahead of LIV 2.0. Among the errors spotted at Chills: the “Kid’s Autograph Zone” (which, to be fair, only one kid *could* be in), LIV’s “Meida Office,” and a sign telling “Spectors” to look out for shouts of fore.

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Hospital Balls: Yes, we saw a few thrown by Tua Tagovailoa at Colts-Falcons camp on Wednesday — a “former NFL executive” who may or may not produce The Shotgun Start called it “perhaps the worst single practice by a quarterback that I have ever seen” — but an errant shot into the 14th green by fill-in Cleek Max Rottluff almost sent me to the medical tent. To be fair…I was legitimately the only spectator (spector?) on the entire hole. A shout would’ve been nice, though!

Making It Up As We Go: With the league’s future in flux and LIV Michigan cancelled, some were concerned LIV Indianapolis would not even happen. There are some visible signs that things are being strung together on the fly in Indy. Wednesday’s Pro-Am was condensed to nine holes from the originally scheduled 18. I spotted a sixsome (four ams, two pros) followed directly by a fivesome. Some players who thought they were originally in the Pro-Am were texted the night before and told they were no longer part of it. Cleeks GC simply played as a foursome with no amateurs. This event might have been a little bit cobbled together. More evidence? The standard bearer in Carlos Ortiz’s group was only working with a handwritten “E.” Fortunately, given the conditions, they knew they wouldn’t need the even-par label for long.

Noise Complaint: A small child was screaming at the top of its lungs in a pool approximately 30 yards away from the 16th green while a group stood over their putts. I asked a nearby rules official if anything could be done if a player felt aggrieved by these outside forces. His response? “Well, they’re playing music.” You know what? Fair enough!

Biblical Flooding: After a week’s worth of rain in the Indianapolis area, including more Wednesday night, Thursday’s round was played with preferred lies in effect. The course itself drained pretty well, but players were not impressed by the green-to-tree transitions. Upon seeing the mudslide that was the path from the 14th green to the 15th tee, Miguel Tabuena offered a one-word reaction: “Shit.” Dean Burmester offered a similar assessment after his round: “There are certain greens that are basically mud.”

54 Watch: Will a 54 get carded this week, triggering the $54 million payment promised by Yasir Al-Rumayyan? Probably not. But if there were ever a golf course and conditions for it, this would be the week. I don’t think Chatham Hills would put up much of a fight against professional golfers even in tougher conditions, but with the course this soft and hardly a breath of wind, it’s barbecue chicken, to quote Shaquille O’Neal. On Thursday, four of the 57 LIV golfers hit all 14 fairways while 46 hit at least 10. For reference, in the first round of the BMW Championship at Bellerive, 14 of the 50 PGA Tour players in the field hit 10 or more fairways.

Do You Believe in Miracles?: With 54 holes left, the Majesticks are on the brink of the biggest accomplishment in franchise history. With LIV Michigan cancelled, the team championship is being decided in Indianapolis, and the regular season standings have been thrown out the window. Whichever team shoots the lowest cumulative score over four rounds takes home a collective $8.4 million and the team championship title, no matter what they did during the rest of the season. Which team is on top after the first round? The Majesticks, who are currently 12th in the table out of 13 teams, and haven’t made any noise all year. Step aside, Leicester City. A Majesticks win on Sunday would be one of the most improbable underdog stories in modern team sports history.