What Does the 'LIV' in 'LIV Golf' Mean?
The L, I and V in LIV are not initials. "LIV" is not an abbreviation or an acronym. In fact, the three letters that make up LIV aren't even, really, letters. They are numerals. Roman numerals. "L" is the Roman numeral for the number 50 (fifty). And "IV" is the Roman numeral for the number 4 (four). Put 50 and 4 together and that gives you 54 — which is what "LIV" means. It is the Roman numeral for 54 (fifty-four).
Why did the new golf league name itself after the Roman numeral for 54? Because 54 is the number of holes played in LIV Golf tournaments. Unlike all the top-level golf tours around the world that existed before LIV Golf came along, the upstart league chose not to go with four-round, 72-hole tournaments as its standard. (Some top pro golf tours do play 54-hole tournaments, but not as their standard length.)
Does that mean that "LIV Golf" is pronounced as "Fifty-Four Golf"? No. The league's pronunciation of its own name is also not El-Eye-Vee, because the L, I and V are not initials.
The correct pronunciation of the LIV is the same as in the name Olivia, or in the phrase "live and let live."
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