On Tuesday morning the golf world was hit with absolutely stunning news as CNBC reports the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have agreed to merge. It's an extremely unexpected end to the war between the two leagues that took place in the public eye and the courtrooms. Per CNBC:
The PGA Tour has agreed to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf in a deal that would see the competitors squash pending litigation and move forward as a larger golf enterprise.
The two entities signed an agreement that would combine the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s commercial businesses and rights into a new, yet-to-be-named company. The agreement includes DP World Tour, also known as the European PGA Tour.
PIF is prepared to invest billions of new capital into the new entity, CNBC’S David Faber reported on Tuesday. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
As part of the agreement, the three groups will establish “a fair and objective process for any players who want to re-apply for membership with the PGA Tour or DP World Tour” following the end of the 2023 season, according to a release.
Here's what PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said about the deal in a press release on Tuesday morning.
Wow. An unbelievable turn of events. There are so many angles to consider. How does Phil Mickelson feel about this after waging a personal vendetta against the Tour and all who defended it on Twitter for the last few years? What about the guys like Rory McIlroy, who turned down generational wealth from the Saudi-backed league only to join forces with them without a choice? How will the Tour's actions sit with, well, anybody? They've been standing on the moral high ground preaching against LIV for quite some time. Turning around and making a deal after that is not going to sit well with fans and possibly players.
It's hard to overstate how important this news is for the future of golf. Today is the day everything changed.
This article was originally published on thebiglead as The PGA Tour is Merging With LIV Golf .
