This is a real biggie, now PGA and LIV are merging. All of the legal matters between the tours have come to an end.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/06/pga-tour-agrees-to-merge-with-saudi-backed-rival-liv-golf.html
The combining new tour really speaks loudly in terms of financial and commercial size, money really talks.
Sure does! Details will be key, sounds like a scary time professionally for a lot of LIV players. Bad look for Phil Mickelson who just took a ton of money to publicly support the Saudis who just pimped out the entire LIV league including its commissioner who had no idea this was happening.
The Saudis were give premier sponsorship opportunities on an established tour, so a good move considering it’s an investment fund. LIV was dead on arrival and they took their opportunity to pay off the investment.
Ultimately, it looks as though the PGA still has control, and LIV will slowly become non-existent in the next few years, potentially as soon as its season ends in 2023.
The penalty fees to rejoin what now is the lone major professional tour might be a huge issue for a lot of the LIV defectors. Ultimately if the PGA wanted to really give them the middle finger they could ban a number of these guys from ever having a chance to succeed professionally. Most viewers would never know the difference.
End of the day - money talks & congrats to Phil who thought he was growing the game but instead chose money and gave those “scary MFers” a direct seat at the big boys table.
PGA tour caves in, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who is worth FIVE times more than Ellon Musk and Bill Gates combined, is the winner for the merge. Ex-PGA tour player, like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brook Koepka... who have signed up huge multi-million contracts with the LIV tour are big winners too.
Current PGA tour players, such as Rory Mcllroy and Tiger Woods, who have ardently supported the PGA tour and previously criticized the LIV and some of the PGA defectors, must have felt like got kicked in the teeth on the merge.
It's all about money, but 9/11 Families United has found they been betrayed by PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan*.
*https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4037257-9-11-families-deeply-offended-by-pga-tour-liv-golf-merger/
@Europa
I think it's too early to say that. The LIV players must still reapply to be apart of the PGA Tour. LIV no longer has the financial support of the PIF & they don't generate much if any revenue to keep the league afloat independently. I'm willing to bet the PGA Tour will have substantial financial penalties for those guys who took the massive signing bonuses with LIV and re-distribute that money amongst the guys who stayed loyal to the tour. Why wouldn't they? Essentially it's hey pay a 50% penalty Phil or you won't be playing another meaningful round again.
@HockeyNight11
Time will tell how those then PGA tour players, who signed up juicy multimillion contracts with the LIV tour will fare after the merge. But, "In October, after Mickelson had suggested that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf needed to come together, Monahan told ESPN at the Presidents Cup in Charlotte, North Carolina, that it would never happen."*
So, principles are lacked here in Mr. Monahan's PGA. To me, I give Rory Mcllroy and Tiger Woods, etc., who have sticked to the PGA tour with high regards of their royalty to the Tour and not being swayed or hypocritical by the money.
*https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/37806348/pga-tour-liv-golf-dp-world-tour-merge-explainer-whats-next
ESPN's Mark Schlabach has some excellent coverage and analysis on this subject.
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