LIV Golf’s technical difficulties at Mexico City event perfectly sums up tumultuous week for organization originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After headlines emerged about LIV Golf’s funding being in question, the league has been rumored to be on the brink of bankruptcy. Despite the news, the tour continued play for its Mexico City event, but even this was not problem-free.
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After around 10 minutes of golf had been played, the broadcast froze on Fox Sports and displayed a technical difficulties screen on the tour’s YouTube page. The stream was out for about two hours and 39 minutes, after a “severe local power outage” cut transmissions from the broadcast.
Here’s everything you need to know about the outage from Mexico City, including a timeline of events.
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LIV Golf’s technical difficulties
On Thursday afternoon, LIV Golf traveled to Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City. Arlo White, one of the event’s commentators, addressed the alleged issues that surrounded the tour at the beginning of the broadcast.
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“Reports of the imminent demise of the LIV Golf League were, in fact, greatly exaggerated,” White said. “It must be exhausting trying to will the LIV Golf League out of existence. Take the day off, everybody. Enjoy the golf.”
Viewers did indeed try to enjoy the golf, and they did for a brief moment after Joaquin Niemann, last year’s winner in Mexico, aced his first hole of the tournament on a par-3 hole. However, this was a short-lived sight for viewers, as the broadcast cut to a technical difficulties screen on the LIV Golf YouTube channel, and a frozen frame on Fox Sports.
An hour and 20 minutes later, the broadcast briefly changed to SMPTE color bars, further confusing the YouTube viewing audience. This could not have come at a worse time for LIV Golf.
After five grueling minutes, the broadcast was still offline, this time with a white technical difficulties screen. The tour did add music to the technical difficulties screen, though, ensuring viewers were engaged with the broadcast.
Just over two and a half hours after first being spotted by viewers, the LIV Golf YouTube broadcast has begun showing play again from Mexico City.
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The tour didn’t need any other reasons to be questioned on social media, but today really didn’t help LIV’s case around the golf world.
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