LIV and Let Die

The Inside Story of the War Between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf

By: Alan Shipnuck

Narrated by: Alan Shipnuck

Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Alan Shipnuck, the New York Times bestselling author of Phil, returns with a major new work of insider reporting on the battle for the soul of professional golf between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League.

Over the past two years, professional golf has been at war, and Alan Shipnuck has been our most trusted correspondent on the front lines. Following closely on the heels of his bestselling sensation Phil, Shipnuck turns to the conflict that made Mickelson, and many other top golfers, villainous in the eyes of the public: LIV Golf’s controversial—and belligerent—storming of the professional golf world. (LIV’s unofficial motto, immortalized on hats gifted at a staff party: “F--k ’Em All.”)

In LIV and Let Die, Shipnuck delivers the inside story in real time, with fly-on-the-wall reporting from the yachts where LIV was hatched and within the corridors of power as the PGA Tour flailed to fend off the threat. Shipnuck has traveled seamlessly between both tours—having countless conversations with players, caddies, CEOs, agents, financiers, lawyers, flaks, fans, and Instagramming wives—to deliver a no-holds-barred account of the most chaotic moment in golf history. Anyone who has a stake in professional golf lined up for an interview with Shipnuck—because they knew everyone else was talking to him, too. The disruption to an old, proud sport was largely conducted in the shadows, but LIV and Let Die delivers numerous revelations about what really happened, and why.

Shipnuck’s unparalleled access and award-winning reporting chops provide rich portraits of the brand names at the center of this sprawling tableau: Greg Norman, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Jay Monahan, His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Dustin (and Paulina!) Johnson, Pat (and Ashley!) Perez, Patrick (and Justine!) Reed, Bryson DeChambeau, Jimmy Dunne, and many more.

Bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf has upended the men’s professional game with vast riches—blatant “sportswashing,” from the mouth of Mickelson himself. Says Brandel Chamblee, “I think the LIV players are in a morally indefensible position, with a willful blindness to the consequences of their action, making them complicit to the ongoing atrocities.” Rory McIlroy said of playing a tournament alongside LIV golfers, “It’s going to be hard for me to stomach.” But the battle to thwart LIV revealed a deeper struggle within the game. “The Seminole guys, the Augusta National guys, they’re used to having all the power in the golf world,” says LIV’s Peter Uihlein. “They don’t like to be challenged. They’re not used to it.”

The bitter feuding (and trolling) between the PGA loyalists and the LIV camp made the battle between the tours deeply personal—but for the top leaders of the two tours it was strictly business, and in a series of secret meetings they reshaped the future of the sport. LIV and Let Die provides the previously unknown background and crucial context to understand the armistice between the tours that shocked the world in June 2023.

Long known as the most fearless writer on the golf beat, Shipnuck has delivered another hotly anticipated book packed with juicy nuggets and in-the-room-where-it-happened action...think Bob Woodward moonlighting on the sports desk. LIV and Let Die is the definitive account of the biggest (non-Tiger) golf story this century and a lively page-turner that in places reads like a spy thriller.

©2023 Alan Shipnuck (P)2023 Simon & Schuster Audio

Good but very biased

Overall this was insightful. It would have been much better if Alan would have left his personal feelings and political leaning out of it. He’s clearly biased against LIV, the Saudis and Donald Trump. So be it, but I am not interested in his view, I am interested in the facts. Real shame he chose to do it this way because many of us are interested in this topic. A word of advice to Alan, “it’s going to be a tough life if you only deal with the people you agree with”. Let’s all agree that the Saudis can do some bad things. Many would say that the Americans are no better given CIA black sites, destruction in Iraq, etc, etc. it’s hard to take the moral high ground.

Compelling story

For a non- golf fan interested generally in sports and geopolitics, this was an intriguing story with a wild cast of characters. Shipnuck stays pretty balanced in his criticism of all parties, and begs the question, what would you do with a ridiculous offer from LIV?

Interesting and unbiased

Alan Shipnuck's book is a great listen and a must listen for liv-friendly golf fans. Interesting and unbiased.

Great depth!

Very engaging listen, so many twists and turns. Tons of side stories and history lessons that provide a great foundation for understanding

Not a Ton of New Info & Too Much Trump Hate

A lot of what’s in the book you know from Twitter if you are a devout follower of all things “Golf Twitter.” If you haven’t and only know of some high level moments over the past 3 years, then this will be a great book to get up to speed. I enjoyed hearing the backstory from different generations of the past who all tried to do this same very thing we call LIV today. My biggest negative for the book is that Alan obviously hates all things Trump and his supporters. He goes out of his way to drop a negative Trump comment wherever he can. On a positive note, the shining star of the book is Alan’s audio performance.

Great inside story

Because I follow golf pretty closely, I found myself saying, "I knew that already," many times while listening to this audiobook. However, I also found myself mesmerized by the amount of new information that Alan was able to uncover in his reporting. For a book like this, having the author read it helped bring the story to life. You can hear the enthusiasm in his voice as he details the behind-the-scenes workings of both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. This is well worth the time and money.

Entertaining

This book is full of heroes and villains some people can be both. Final line, the money wins. And the full story is yet to be told.

I didn’t want it to end!

I love it when Alan Shipnuck narrates his own audiobooks. They are always great. The history and insight in this book was amazing! 

Excellent well told true story

Alan gives a fair assessment of the ‘war’ in an unbiased opinion. Great read or listen!

Solid review of the LIV saga

As a golf fan, I enjoyed recounting the LIV soap opera and behind-the-scenes dealings over the past several years. Alan is a fantastic reporter and had to weave together a lot of backstory and characters, which he does well.

Although I enjoy authors reading their own books, this would be better read by someone else. Some of the snarky inflections in tone don’t serve the audio version well.

The author’s political leanings do shine through at times, but it’s not a deal-breaker. After all, much of the book is political.