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Golf

Money Talks: The PGA Tour Has Announced It Is Merging With LIV Golf

Jun 6, 2023

In a surprising turn of events, the PGA Tour made a momentous declaration on Tuesday by revealing its decision to merge operations with LIV Golf. This breakaway league, financially backed by Saudi Arabia, had caused significant upheaval in professional golf, enticing top-tier players with lucrative salaries, a less demanding schedule, and tournaments of lower intensity.

The announcement comes on the heels of months filled with acrimonious exchanges, deep-seated animosity, and fervent discussions surrounding the human rights track record of LIV’s Saudi supporters. Simultaneously, the PGA Tour and LIV were embroiled in an ongoing legal battle, each party having filed lawsuits against the other. LIV Golf initiated an antitrust suit in August, alleging that the PGA Tour deliberately sought to impede competition by banning players who had defected to LIV. Responding to this, the PGA Tour filed a countersuit, accusing LIV of engaging in “tortious interference” by enticing golfers to violate the terms of their existing tour contracts.

In a joint statement announcing the agreement, the PGA Tour disclosed that both sides had mutually agreed to resolve all pending litigation. The agreement also involves the DP World Tour, a league based in Europe. The three entities will merge to form a new commercial organization, operating for profit, while retaining their distinctive tours, at least for the time being. The PGA Tour will continue to function as a non-profit entity, adding a surprising twist to the narrative as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund assumes a prominent role as a major sponsor—an aspect that left many in the golf community astounded, considering the extensive criticism levied against LIV’s Saudi funding by tour officials and golfers over the course of 18 months.

The players on the PGA Tour are furious. Imagine turning down the insane amount of money that LIV was offering just to have them flip on you and not tell you. That is basically what happened.

How will scheduling work? The newly established organization is committed to creating a well-coordinated lineup of thrilling events that will captivate fans, sponsors, and all relevant parties. Initially, PIF, the PGA TOUR, LIV Golf, and the DP World Tour will serve as the primary investors in this venture.

It seems as if there will be no alterations for the 2023 season as both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will proceed with their respective schedules as planned. A reliable source connected to the PGA Tour revealed that the 2024 schedule will largely resemble the traditional format. This implies that they are likely to continue with the designated events model. However, it remains unclear to what extent LIV Golf’s format will be incorporated into the proceedings.

Money talks folks and the PGA looks like a bunch of idiots. Let’s see how the internet reacted.

https://twitter.com/codyswilliams/status/1666086360875421696?s=20

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