In the bitter civil war between the tradition-rich PGA Tour and its filthy rich Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf over the future of golf, money has come out on top.
Leaders of the two organizations bombarded Tuesday that they will merge through a deal that will drag global golf into a “new era” — whether the players, fans and sponsors like it or not.
The news, which dazzled players and executives on both circuits, follows years of bitter disputes that have pitted the sport’s leading figures against each other over money, power and ethics in the men’s game.
While LIV poached some of golf’s biggest stars – including Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson – with deals totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, those loyal to the PGA, including Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, pointed to the promise of eye-popping payouts. moral grounds. .
Ultimately, the PGA could not keep up with the relentless investment of oil money into a circuit financed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the investment arm of a country with a dismal human rights record. Had to give something.
Leaders of LIV Golf and the PGA Tour bombarded Tuesday that they will merge in a deal that will drag global golf into a “new era.” Pictured: Team champions celebrate during LIV Golf DC at Trump National Golf Club on May 28, 2023
Tiger Wood reportedly turned down an $800 million deal to join LIV Golf and instead reiterate his commitment to PGA. The merger has blindsided many players
Rory McIlroy has also spoken out against LIV, criticizing players who have joined the Saudi-funded circuit
The news of the merger marks an indisputable victory for LIV. Just 362 days after teeing off its first tournament, LIV has dismantled the status quo created by the PGA, the organization that has governed elite golf for nearly a century.
But the finer details of what comes next are far from clear, not least what the new organization will be called.
A press release announcing the merger says only that it will create a “new entity” to “unify the game of golf worldwide.”
In a telling sign of the role Saudi money has played in the deal, the announcement notes that the country’s public investment fund will “make an equity investment in the new entity to facilitate its growth and success.”
And in a nod to the toxic battle that preceded the deal, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan noted the “disruption and distraction” that led to the merger. “This will usher in a new era in golf worldwide, for the better,” insisted Monahan.
Monahan’s seemingly warm response, which also said the new organization will “benefit golfers, commercial and charitable partners and fans,” surprised some given his previously scathing comments about LIV.
He said in June that LIV’s events were worth nothing more than “exhibition games,” criticizing the source of the funding and asking, “How is this good for the game?”
Player reactions started trickling in on Tuesday as news of the deal spread.
Mickelson, lured to LIV by a $200 million deal, responded with the tweet, “Awesome day today.”
Phil Mickelson responded to the new with the tweet ‘great day’. He is one of the biggest names to join the LIV tour, the first tournament of which kicked off in June 2022
Brooks Koepka is another big name who has joined LIV, the Saudi-funded rival of the PGA Tour
In typical bombastic style, Donald Trump, whose courses have hosted several LIV events, said on Truth Social, “GREAT NEWS FROM LIV GOLF. A BIG BEAUTIFUL, AND GLAMOR DEAL FOR THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF GOLF. GONGRATS EVERYONE!!!’
But the news was not well received by everyone. PGA and European Tour golfer Collin Morikawa said, “I love finding morning news on Twitter.”
LIV Golf’s most outspoken critics, including Rory McIlroy and Jack Nicklaus, did not immediately comment on the merger.
Last week, Nicklaus, 83, said he no longer even considered players who joined the LIV circuit to be “part of the game.”
McIlroy, the former world number one and a director of the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council, has repeatedly condemned LIV. He said last July that ‘there is no place in the golf world’ for the circuit, adding: ‘If LIV goes away tomorrow I would be super happy.’
In a swipe at players who have joined LIV, he said, “A lot of these guys are in their late 40s, or in Phil [Mickelson’s] case, early 1950s.’ “The best days are behind them,” he added.
“That’s why I don’t understand guys the same age as me going there because I’d like to believe my best days are still ahead of me,” he said.
And I think theirs too. So there it feels like you’re taking the easy way out.’
McIlroy and his allies at PGA will no doubt feel thrown under the bus by the merger – especially given their apparent unity towards their rival.
Lawmakers also stepped in – pointing to the irony that a merger has been brokered by PGA chiefs who recently indicated a partnership would be unthinkable.
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy said, “So weird. PGA officials were in my office a few months ago to talk about how the Saudis should be disqualified from participating in a major American sport because of their human rights record. I think maybe their concerns weren’t really about human rights?’
Presenting itself as a way to ‘re-invigorate golf’, LIV caught the attention of fans and top players with huge purses and a format different from traditional PGA tournaments.
The inaugural LIV Golf Invitational at Centurion Club in Hemel Hempstead, near London, on June 11, 2022. Pictured: Saudi Golf Federation Chief Executive Majed Al Sorour (center), Saudi Public Investment Fund Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan ( left) and Chief executive of LIV Golf Investments, Greg Norman (right)
LIV Golf is funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, whose chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. The country is accused of concealing its abysmal human rights record through ‘sportwashing’
It offered tournament payouts worth $25 million, including a $4 million jackpot for winners and a guaranteed $120,000 for last place.
PGA responded by running prize pools – but none matched the largest on the LIV tour.
LIV also structured tournaments differently, with three rounds instead of four and the use of shotgun starts, where players tee off from different holes at the same time.
It also placed a lot of emphasis on team golf.
As the stars of the sport switched allegiances, PGA tried to fight back by suspending players who competed in LIV events.
The disputes led to lawsuits that led a judge to rule that the leader of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund should be impeached by PGA lawyers. The fund is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
The announcement of the merger adds: “In particular, today’s announcement will be followed by a mutually agreed end to all pending litigation between the participating parties.”
Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, has spearheaded the country’s efforts to boost its public image and distance itself from claims of extreme human rights violations in recent years.
US intelligence has said it believes Bin Salman ordered the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. He was murdered and dismembered by a Saudi hit squad at the country’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of “sportswashing” by pouring billions of dollars into global sport, attracting some of the biggest franchises, to try and boost its public image.
The PIF has an 80 per cent stake in Premier League football club Newcastle United and recently announced it will acquire Saudi outfits Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr earlier this year, while Lionel Messi has been strongly linked with a move to Al-Hilal this summer. They are two of the highest paid sports stars in history.