PGA Tour boss wants to ‘shut down’ LIV Golf as merger plans thrown into doubt
The PGA Tour is expected to reach a deal with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, but there are questions about whether the deal is serious.
LIV is hoping to “shut down” its rivals in the golf sector as doubts grow over its proposed deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The PGA Tour has been at war with LIV since the Premier Group emerged in June 2022. But when the Tour began negotiating a framework contract with the PIF a year after the LIV was formed, it looked like the civil war was finally over.
In recent weeks, the PGA Tour missed a deadline to sign a deal with a foundation in Saudi Arabia, but decided to partner with Strategic Sports Group (SSG), which has pledged to invest £2.4 billion ( 3 billion dollars). New circuit. . As part of the initial framework agreement, LIV players are expected to be offered the opportunity to return to the PGA Tour, but a return plan is at the bottom of the negotiating priorities, according to a Golf Digest report. According to reports, Monahan is open to hosting the likes of Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka in some capacity, but has no plans to include LIV in her tour schedule. Allowing LIV stars to return to the PGA Tour has become a hot topic in recent weeks following Rory McIlroy’s comments. McIlroy has previously declared himself one of LIV’s biggest critics and has sworn allegiance to the PGA Tour. Thanks to the proposed settlement, the Northern Irishman has softened his stance and is willing to welcome Rahm and his teammates to the PGA Tour without penalty. “If people are still qualifying for this tournament and they want to come back and play or see something, let them come back,” McIlroy said at Pebble Beach. “I think it’s hard to punish people, but I don’t think it’s necessary to punish people. Looks like I’ve changed my mind about that. I look at where golf is and I see a decline in the PGA Tour and a decline in the LIV Tour or whatever is bad for both sides. “It will be much better to be together for the game and move forward together.” However, not everyone is on the same page with McIlroy as some of his fellow tour stars are taking issue with the backlash from LIV Golf members.
One person who disagrees with McIlroy is Justin Thomas. He said: “I would say there are a few players in LIV that make the tournament a better place, but I don’t agree that they should come back so easily. “I think a lot of us have made a lot of sacrifices. I understand that things change and everything changes, whether it was the truth of what I said, whether it was what I believed, whether it was the decisions I made or not. I understand that you will have a hard time with her, I think a lot of men will have a hard time with her and we sure don’t need to convince you why it is hard for us. time with her.
