Guide to the LIV Golf 2023 season

A relatively quiet sport is about to get louder once again as LIV Golf kicks off its 2023 schedule in Mexico this weekend.

The PGA TOUR's rival circuit shook up the professional golf world in a big way in its debut season, and it certainly hopes to do more of the same over this year's 14-event schedule.

Here's what you need to know ahead of Friday's start:

What's new?

Last October, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman told the press in Miami he hoped to gain seven new top-10 or top-20 players before the 2023 season. The rosters heading into Mayakoba include six additions - none inside the top 30 of current world golf rankings. No. 34 Thomas Pieters, the highest-ranked player, decided to jump ship from the PGA TOUR after voicing his displeasure with a lack of invite to last weekend's Genesis Invitational. South Americans Mito Pereira and Sebastian Munoz lead the rest of the bunch, while TOUR veteran Brendan Steele, Danny Lee, and Dean Burmester round out the list.

With an underwhelming lineup of player additions, it's safe to say the biggest offseason news for LIV Golf was the television deal it signed with the CW Network in the United States. LIV streamed all its first-year action on YouTube worldwide but pointed to a lack of television contract as a main reason for limited exposure. The agreement with the CW should help to solve that problem.

"The CW will provide accessibility for our fans and maximum exposure for our athletes and partners, as their reach includes more than 120 million households across the United States," Norman said in a statement ESPN obtained. "We're very proud to note how consequential it is that a league that has only existed for one year has secured a full broadcast deal in its debut full league season."

Team rosters

Adding six new golfers wasn't the only change. Several teams will have a different look - or a different name - when the season starts in Mexico.

One of the more notable moves was Talor Gooch's departure from the champion 4 Aces outfit to join Bubba Watson's Range Goats GC. Gooch and Pieters' inclusion should make the Range Goats one of the favorites entering the campaign.

Matthew Wolff departed Phil Mickelson's Hy Flyers GC lineup to join Brooks Koepka, Jason Kokrak, and Chase Koepka on Smash GC - another quartet that could offer stiff competition.

Steele will immediately slot in with Mickelson's new-look roster, with Munoz and Pereira joining Joaquin Niemann and David Puig on Torque GC.

Cameron Smith, the top player on LIV Golf, is once again back as a team captain, but his franchise's name will change from Punch to Ripper GC.

Schedule

There are 14 events planned for 2023, and the circuit will visit Mexico, Australia, Singapore, Spain, England, and Saudi Arabia alongside eight events in the United States.

The season tees off with the Mayakoba event at El Camaleon Golf Course - a former PGA TOUR venue in Mexico. It's not the only notable course addition, as The Gallery Club in Tucson, Valderrama in Spain, Old White at The Greenbrier, and Trump National Doral have all hosted TOUR events in the past.

The team finale shifts from Miami to Saudi Arabia this year, with the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Jeddah serving as the site for the closer.

• Feb. 24-26: Mayakoba, El Camaleon Golf Course, Mexico
• Mar. 16-19: Tucson, The Gallery Golf Club
• Mar. 31-Apr. 2: Orlando, Orange County National
• Apr. 21-24: Adelaide, The Grange Golf Club, Australia
• Apr. 28-30: Singapore, Sentosa Golf Club
• May 12-14: Tulsa, Cedar Ridge Country Club
• May 26-28: Washington D.C., Trump National Golf Club D.C.
• June 30-July 2: Valderrama, Real Club Valderrama, Spain
• July 7-9: London, Centurion Golf Club, England
• Aug. 4-6: Greenbrier, Old White at The Greenbrier
• Aug. 11-13: Bedminster, Trump National Golf Club Bedminster
• Sept. 22-24: Chicago, Rich Harvest Farms
• Oct. 20-22: Miami, Trump National Doral
• Nov. 3-5: Jeddah, Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, Saudi Arabia