Premier Golf League CEO Andy Gardiner joins No Laying Up to discuss league format, issues facing pro golf

One of the first players Andy Gardiner spoke with about the Premier Golf League was Rory McIlroy.

“I was explaining the concept and at the time he was at the view that actually this is probably what golf needs. Now that was some time ago and he’s entitled to change his opinion but had Rory said to me, ‘Andy that’s rubbish,’ I’d have probably stopped,” Gardiner said to No Laying Up’s Chris Solomon. “So on we went.”

The CEO of the Premier Golf League – separate from the recently announced LIV Golf venture backed by Saudi Arabia and led by Greg Norman – joined No Laying Up for an in-depth, two-and-a-half-hour episode which covers the league’s format and relationship with the PGA Tour as well as the greater issues facing professional golf today.

Rory on the PGL: “I don’t see why anyone would be for it”

“The original notion was always to work with the PGA Tour, believe it or not. Some might call that incredibly naïve but it remains our strong desire,” said Gardiner. “Our earliest documentation set out the desire to work with the PGA Tour and the view that once the format was understood, we couldn’t see any reason why collaboration couldn’t be achievable.”

The format: 12 teams of four players will compete in an 18-event season from January-August with team and individual championships running parallel throughout the season.

A conversation with a “well-known broadcaster in the U.S.” about a shotgun start resulted in the change from the original format of 12 teams of six. The benefit? The entire field is playing at the same time for a five-hour broadcast window.

“We can make stars of 48 guys,” said Gardiner. “We want to make golf as watchable as possible.”

There will also be a 13th team – owned by the league’s foundation but run by third parties – where fans can pick three wild-card players each week. A max of 51 players means no cut, with 54 holes being played over three days.

The regular season is the first 17 events, after which the individual champion is crowned. Then it’s time for the playoffs, a $20 million winner-take-all finale. Each regular-season event is worth $20 million in total, with $4 million going to the winner and $150,000 to last place.

All four players on a team will play as individuals, but the team principal is based on two scores of the four. Players with counting scores will be picked first thing in the morning.

“The pressure’s on, so in the morning you’re going to get, ‘Who have you picked? Oh that’s interesting. Why did you pick those two?’” explained Gardiner. “So you get that every day. And that also then generates team content. Now that’s been tried off the course. But when you bring in a team component, you’re bringing in another dimension, another level of rivalry.”

For more on the creation of the league, listen to the full episode here.