When Rick Shiels announced a multi-year partnership with LIV Golf in January 2025, the golf world didn’t just raise its eyebrows—it dropped its collective jaw.
With nearly 3 million YouTube subscribers and a digital empire that commands more attention than most televised tour events, Shiels became more than just a content creator. He became LIV Golf’s most valuable marketing asset.
And whether you love it, hate it, or still haven’t made your mind up about LIV, one thing’s clear: this deal changed the game.
The $10 Million Question
Let’s not sugarcoat it—this wasn’t some casual brand collaboration. This was a $10 million, full-access, content-saturated, strategic partnership that redefined how golf tours engage with fans.
While the PGA Tour tiptoed into creator territory by launching a “Creator Council” in late 2024, LIV dove headfirst into the digital deep end—handing the biggest golf YouTuber on Earth the keys to all 14 events, exclusive player access, and a blank creative checkbook.
Rick’s signature formats—Break 75, 10 Shot Challenge, 2 v 2 Matches—weren’t just invited into the LIV ecosystem. They became the ecosystem.
Why LIV Wanted Rick (And Needed Him)
Shiels isn’t just a guy with a camera and a smooth swing. He’s a one-man golf media network. In 2024 alone, he racked up 935 million views and over 20 million hours watched.
Compare that to traditional LIV tournament broadcasts, and the difference is stark. One of his Break 75 episodes at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club hit 350,000+ views—ten times the number of people who actually watched Joaquin Niemann win the event live.
That’s the kind of data that makes marketers drool.
From Fan Favorite to “Sellout”?
Of course, not everyone was thrilled. Shiels’ previous criticisms (or at least lukewarm takes) on LIV Golf made the announcement feel like a U-turn to some fans. Within 24 hours, his channel shed 20,000 subscribers. Reddit threads called him a “sellout.” YouTube comments weren’t exactly warm and fuzzy.
But here’s the thing—he knew it was coming. Literally. He wrote down every insult he thought might come his way before the announcement went live, just to brace himself.
And while the subscriber dip made headlines, the bounce-back made bigger ones. His viewership stayed strong. His fanbase, while maybe a bit more divided, is still showing up for the content.
The Content That’s Turning Heads
Since the deal, Shiels has gone full throttle. From teeing it up in Riyadh at night to walking the fairways with Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm, his LIV content brings fans closer than they’ve ever been to the action.
It’s not highlight reels. It’s not commentary. It’s storytelling—from a golfer’s point of view.
His 10 Shot Challenge episodes against pros continue to rake in views, and Break 75 has effectively become the unofficial course preview series for LIV venues. Forget drones and scoreboards—this is golf content that feels human.
Why This Matters for Golf as a Whole
Rick’s LIV deal isn’t just a flashy headline. It’s a warning shot to traditional sports media—and maybe even to the PGA Tour.
In a time when younger audiences are fleeing cable and chasing content that feels real, creator-led coverage isn’t a niche—it’s the future.
Even LIV’s “The Duels” YouTube series, which pairs content creators with LIV stars in made-for-digital matchups, has already become their most-watched video ever. And it’s not even close.
Meanwhile, the PGA Tour’s Creator Classic and Council initiatives feel more like PR stunts than content revolutions.
What It Means Going Forward
LIV Golf isn’t just trying to be a golf tour. It’s trying to be a content company.
And with Rick Shiels on board, it’s well on its way.
This partnership showed how much value lies in authenticity. In entertainment. In putting the audience first instead of sticking to decades-old broadcast formulas.
Whether you agree with LIV’s politics or not, the strategy is clear: dominate digital. And they just signed the biggest name in golf content to help them do it.
Final Thought:
Rick Shiels may have made some fans uncomfortable, but he also made golf content undeniably more watchable. And in a sport that’s desperate to reach the next generation, that might be the most valuable swing he’s ever taken.
