LIV Golf Agrees to Merge with PGA Tour

Facts

• After more than a year of hostility and litigation, the Saudi-backed LIV Golf announced Tuesday it has merged with rival PGA, ending all pending legal disputes.¹
• The deal, which also includes the PGA European Tour — called the DP World Tour — will create a “collectively owned, for-profit entity” that will benefit from the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) — controlled by the Saudi prince.²
• PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan acknowledged that "there’s been a lot of tension" since the PIF formed LIV Golf and spent billions to lure away some of the PGA’s biggest names, but he said the move was needed to "unify the game of golf."³
• Monahan has repeatedly criticized LIV and golfers such as Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson for their relationship with the Saudi regime. Meanwhile, 11 well-known golfers, headlined by Phil Mickelson, filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA last year, which LIV joined, prompting a countersuit from the PGA Tour.⁴
• While exact details about the merger aren’t fully known, reports say the new golf entity will have a Board of Directors, the majority of which will be appointed by the PGA Tour. The PIF will also make new investments and have exclusive rights to invest more in the unknown business.⁵
• The Saudi government, which has invested heavily in sports leagues, has been criticized for its alleged human rights abuses.⁶

Sources: ¹NBC, ²CNBC, ³ESPN, ⁴Associated Press, ⁵CBS, and ⁶Reuters.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by PGA Tour. After more than a year of fighting, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have come together to reach an agreement that will grow the game of golf and benefit all fans and stakeholders. With the generous investment from the PIF and the global reach of the PGA Tour, golf will be promoted to new parts of the world and fans will be able to experience the game in new and improved ways. This collaborative effort ends hostility that has dragged golf down and will pave the way for a bright future.
• Narrative B, as provided by Esquire. The PGA sold out for Saudi cash after spending the last year criticizing golfers who left the tour for bigger paychecks from LIV. This merger is a massive betrayal of the golfers and fans who stuck with the PGA Tour and decided against participating in the Saudi-backed league. Saudi Arabia’s government has yet to be held accountable for its human rights abuses, yet it continues to get its way by throwing money at people and entities. The PGA should be ashamed of itself.