LIV Golf is reportedly targeting a tournament at another golf course with PGA Tour ties.
Sports Business Journal first reported that The Grove in College Grove, Tennessee, outside of Nashville, is in discussions to host a LIV Golf event next year. The course, which was designed by LIV CEO Greg Norman, is also home to the Korn Ferry Tour playoff event, the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, and was already on the schedule for Sept. 12-15, 2024, after hosting the event each of the past two seasons.
GolfChannel.com has heard similar from a source close to LIV. The source stated a few days ago that LIV was “looking” at The Grove as a potential host site.
The Grove was recently purchased by Escalante Golf, which owns and operates other courses that have hosted LIV events, including Pumpkin Ridge and The International. The source told GolfChannel.com that the sale of The Grove was finalized in mid-October and that Escalante was expected to make a decision by mid-November on whether it would move forward with the KFT contract or sign on for a LIV event, implying that it was one or the other.
While LIV would not comment on next year’s schedule, this wouldn’t be the first time it has held a tournament on a past PGA Tour venue. This year it played its season opener at Mayakoba Resort’s El Camaleon Golf Course, which was a longtime PGA Tour fall stop. In response to Mayakoba dealing with LIV, the PGA Tour moved the event to the Tiger Woods-designed course in Los Cabos, Mexico, this year.
As of Wednesday afternoon, The Grove was still listed as the Simmons Bank Open’s host course while The Grove’s website still proudly displayed, “Proud home of the Simmons Bank Open,” on its welcome page.
A KFT spokesperson provided GolfChannel.com with the following statement, though would not say whether a potential relationship with LIV would see The Grove lose the Simmons Bank Open:
“We are fortunate to have top-tier partners in Simmons Bank, Brandt and Mandy Snedeker and the Tennessee Golf Foundation. The Nashville community has shown its support for the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation since day one and we are confident we will find the best long-term solution for the tournament and the Korn Ferry Tour.”
