Shocking news dropped Tuesday morning that could change the game of golf forever: The PGA Tour agreed to merge with the Public Investment Fund — the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia that owns and backs LIV Golf — to form a larger global golf entity.
We've seen countless player reactions, a heated players' meeting, and a telling Rory McIlroy press conference unfold since then, with eyes on what this PGA-LIV merger really means for everyone moving forward.
With that in mind and so much still in the air, we're starting to see an assortment of golf odds, from the naming of the new organization, the first LIV golfer to win under the combined tour, the timing of the finalized agreement, and more.
I break down some of those key markets and give you a couple of free golf picks in this full PGA-LIV merger breakdown below.
Merged tour name odds
| Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| Global Golf Association (GGA) | +400 |
| World Golf Tour (WGT) | +500 |
| World Golf Association (WGA) | +600 |
| World Golf Organization (WGO) | +600 |
| Professional Golf League (PGL) | +900 |
| World Golf Federation (WGF) | +900 |
| Global Golf League (GGL) | +1,200 |
| Golf Enterprise Tour (GET) | +1,800 |
| Collective Golf Tour (CGT) | +1,800 |
| International Golf Tour (IGT) | +2,000 |
| Golf International Tour (GIT) | +2,500 |
| Golf Professionals Association (GPA) | +2,800 |
| Tour International Golf (TIG) | +3,300 |
| International Golf Federation (IGF) | +10,000 |
Odds as of June 8, 2023.
Handicapping the name of a merged golf organization backed in some part by the Saudis? This is what dreams are made of.
Considering the organization is expected to oversee the PGA Tour (and any sister leagues like the DP World Tour) and not actually become a league itself, I'm leaning towards "Association" and "Organization" when scanning these odds and mostly ruling out "Tour" and "League". Call me an overthinker!
Global Golf Association (GGA) and World Golf Association (WGA) both feel too similar to PGA, so I'll take World Golf Organization (WGO) at +600 instead.
Best bet: World Golf Organization (+600)
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First LIV player to win on merged tour odds
| Golfer | Odds |
|---|---|
| Brooks Koepka | +600 |
| Cam Smith | +800 |
| Dustin Johnson | +1,000 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +1,200 |
| Patrick Reed | +1,800 |
| Mito Pereira | +1,800 |
| Joaquin Niemann | +1,800 |
| Talor Gooch | +1,800 |
| Charles Howell III | +2,000 |
| Harold Varner III | +2,500 |
| Peter Uihlein | +2,500 |
| Sergio Garcia | +2,500 |
| Any other LIV golfer | +100 |
Odds as of June 8, 2023.
Yes, Brooks Koepka (+600) is a force in the majors and is a rightful favorite here after winning the PGA Championship at Oak Hill.
With that said, I'm looking at Cam Smith (+800) as I have just a little more faith that he'll show up week in and week out and we're also getting a better price.
His LIV results run hot and cold (although better overall this season), but the Aussie was No. 2 in the world just nine months ago after winning the Sentry TOC, THE PLAYERS, and The Open in a seven-month stretch.
I think he'd certainly prefer to play against the top guys on the PGA Tour and that level of competition may be all he needs to get back into world-class form.
Best bet: Cameron Smith (+800)
Covers golf betting tools
Miscellaneous merged tour odds
| Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| LIV golfer to win first merged tour event | +400 |
| PGA golfer to win first merged tour event | -650 |
| Any PGA golfer to boycott an upcoming PGA Tour event | +175 |
| Any PGA golfer to boycott the U.S. Open | +2,500 |
| Jay Monahan to step down as merged tour CEO by the end of 2023 | +250 |
| Team event to be introduced on PGA Tour before 2024 | +750 |
| Rory McIlroy or Tiger Woods to leave the PGA Tour | +2,000 |
| A fight to break out between players at first merged tour event | +5,000 |
| First merged tour event to take place in January 2024: Yes | -170 |
| First merged tour event to take place in January 2024: No | +130 |
| New golf entity agreement to be finalist before September 1 | -260 |
| New golf entity agreement to be finalist after September 1 | +175 |
Odds as of June 8, 2023.
Among the wild options on the odds board above is a Yes/No market on whether the first merged tour event will take place in January 2024 — and I have a hard time seeing that happen.
While the merger agreement is a big move and came much faster than anyone could imagine, it's just that... an agreement.
There's an endless supply of legal matters to be handled before this gets finalized and to suggest it will all be dealt with inside seven months with plans for a tournament to start 2024 in place feels incredibly lofty.
I fully expect another standard PGA Tour schedule to be rolled out for 2023-24. Anything otherwise would be almost as much of a shock as the announcement.
Best bet: First merged tour event to take place in January 2024: No (+130)
