LIV Golf 1.0 the era of big talk and bigger paychecks is over. Whatever comes next for the breakaway tour, cut loose by Saudi Arabian funding and now on the hunt for outside investment, the days of Golf But Louder are done.Without a doubt, LIV fundamentally changed the structure of mens professional golf, forcing the PGA Tour into reworking its entire structure, schedule and financial model. LIV altered the professional arcs of some of the games greatest players, gave others the opportunity to destroy their own reputations, and provided a pathway back to prominence for the once-lost Anthony Kim. LIV also brought the concept of sportswashing into the mainstream of the American sports conversation, forcing sports fans to decide just how much politics they were willing to accept with their sports.Thats a hell of an impact in just a few short years, but that also leads into another LIV lesson: the impossibility of competing with the established American sports framework. Even a league funded by bottomless oil wealth ultimately couldnt compete with a vulnerable legacy organization.So what does that mean? Competing with the PGA Tour is a lost cause for LIV, so coexistence is now the only path forward. And if LIV is going to survive and thrive in the years to come, version 2.0 will need to learn from the mistakes of its predecessor. And oh, are there plenty of lessons to learn.Golf, but humblerLIV Golf fired off the tee in 2021 with swagger, attitude and arrogance, largely mirroring the personality of firebrand Greg Norman. Longtime PGA Tour antagonists like Norman and Phil Mickelson spoke openly (and in court filings) of wanting to upend the Tours entire business model, torching the very house in which theyd grown wealthy. That didnt sit well with Tour traditionalists, and the badass playacting came off as more silly than intimidating. Youre smacking a little white ball around a field, gentlemen. Lets not pretend this is armed combat.Know your role If the PGA Tour-LIV battle was a Ryder Cup, LIV would have scored some early Friday upsets, but the Tour found its footing by Saturday, and the outcome was never in doubt on Sunday. That doesnt mean LIV deserves to vanish, but it does mean LIV needs to understand its new role in golfs ecosystem. Theres room and opportunity for a truly international tour, one which doesnt center on the United States. LIV can serve a worldwide golf-starved audience, even if that means sacrificing some face domestically.Target the PGA Tours inefficiencies The Tours intense focus on American markets represents a massive opportunity for LIV Golf. More to the point, the Tours intense focus on its best players and marquee sites presents a clear path for LIV. Domestically, LIV can target markets left behind in the PGA Tours grand new have-and-have-not two-track plan for both players and tournament venues. And with relations warming between the two Tours or, at least, the Tour viewing LIV as much less of a threat theres the opportunity to develop a more viable pathway between the two tours. A lower-track PGA Tour player might find more earning opportunity on LIV, and now that LIVs existential threat is done, the Tour ought to consider opening those gates a little wider. Though the comparison isnt exact, both NASCAR and the WNBA allow their top-tier competitors to participate in other, lower leagues. A LIV-PGA crossover is logistically possible, its just a question of the will to do so.Get those OWGR points LIVs key selling point for younger players had been its massive paychecks. With that likely gone, LIV will need to demonstrate that its a viable route to the majors the one true benchmark for success in the game today, over and above even the PGA Tour. LIV has made steps in this direction, getting some small sums of Official World Golf Ranking points and receiving open acknowledgement from Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley at this years Masters. LIV needs to do whatevers necessary to get as many points as possible for its competitors, and if that means more harsh relegation for underperforming players, so be it. LIV 2.0 needs to demonstrate that its a viable league all on its own, not as some screw-you alternative to the PGA Tour.Dont try so hard Right from the jump, LIV attempted to position itself as a fully-formed, end-to-end league of teams, colors, iconography and legacy. As with everything LIV did, thats understandable you dont carve out space for yourself by asking politely but LIVs attempts at identity creation dont read as rebellious, they feel like theater kids gone wild:Flash Mob breaks out on first tee before start of #LIVGolf London pic.twitter.com/RVmXpB9S9g Mike McAllister (@thegolfeditor) July 7, 2023Wanting to cut against the staid, starchy, stodgy tradition of golf is admirable; attempting it through choreographed dance and desperate attempts at memes aint the right way to go. Playing golf and hanging at tournaments are both cool enough in themselves without trying to make a viral moment out of thin air.Go West and East LIVs proponents, whether internally or on social media, tend to puff up even the slightest bit of good news. But its indisputable that, by any measure, LIVs tournaments in South Africa, Australia and South Korea have been significant successes. Ratings and attendance in the United States, not so much. That would seem to strongly suggest that LIVs future lies beyond the boundaries of America. Believe it or not, there are nations out there, and sponsors too, who are both interested in golf and also have nothing whatsoever to do with the United States. Really. Its true.Bryson yes, Rahm no Although the identity of LIVs mysterious potential benefactor remains unknown, hints seem to suggest that theres a strong desire for LIVs biggest names Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm to remain connected with the league. Thats understandable; golf is a sport of personalities, after all. DeChambeaus value is obvious; hes a YouTube star, with a potential audience of millions who arent traditional golf fans. Rahm is a golf fans star; while hes one of the most dynamic players in the game, he doesnt move the needle beyond golf fans in America. If LIV has to make a choice between the two, DeChambeau is the way to go. (Rahms massive contract is likely LIVs largest current liability; getting out from under that wont be easy, but its necessary.)YouTube it allLike all golf tours, LIV has flirted with YouTube, but the new version ought to partner more with existing YouTube creators those that arent already aligned with the PGA Tour, that is. DeChambeau could lead the way here, allowing LIV to reach audiences who dont intersect with a traditional golf gallery.Ditch the politicsLIV was born political; when youre funded by an autocratic regime with decades of documented human rights violations, well, some people are going to be aligned against you from the jump. And when you align yourself with a with-us-or-against-us president by playing at his namesake golf courses, that drives off another chunk of your audience. LIV would be better served to avoid these kinds of openly political statements going forward and focus on the golf. Shut up and putt, in other words.Ultimately, LIV has an opportunity to rebrand and realign itself to be what it always claimed to be more golf for more audiences. Growing the game, to coin a phrase. Its not as triumphant as toppling the PGA Tour or as glorious as standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the majors, true. But theres a way to profitability for LIV, even if that way runs very far from golfs traditional venues.