SAUDIS BUY GOLF
Stunning deal as rival tours join forces… and LIV pumps in £1bn
THE golf civil war was declared over yesterday after an extraordinary peace deal was struck between the traditional tours and the Saudibacked LIV circuit.
After a year of fighting, litigation and chaos that ripped golf in half, the sport was left stunned by the shock announcement that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV had joined forces in a ‘commercial entity to unify golf’. While they will remain three separate competitive entities, the parties have agreed to combine their commercial operations and collectively draw from Saudi Arabia’s vast wealth in a new era of co-operation.
Amid the vagaries of the shared statement, golf insiders now say the kingdom has gained control of the sport, almost exactly one year after its first tournament in St Albans last June. On a dramatic day, we can report:
■ Many of the world’s top golfers had no idea the announcement was coming, causing anger and frustration.
■ LIV CEO Greg Norman was only notified minutes before the release was made public, heightening suspicions that he has been marginalised.
■ The Saudi Public Investment Fund, who have already pumped £2billion into LIV, are expected to invest a further £1bn in the new collaboration.
■ LIV golfers who were suspended indefinitely by the PGA and DP World Tour will be able to re- apply for membership from the end of this season.
■ The tours will work to avoid scheduling conflicts, with the possibility of cross-tour team events.
■ All lawsuits between the parties have been dropped.
Mail Sport revealed last month that following more than a year of acrimony, there were ambitious moves to
broker peace between the factions, with Newcastle United director Amanda Staveley recruited to that effort by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Talks between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV escalated rapidly in the past month, a period in which one of their acquisitions, Brooks Koepka, won the US PGA Championship. That victory was a huge boost for a circuit that had seemingly withered amid so much negative publicity and minimal TV exposure, but yesterday’s announcement has killed off talk about the start-up circuit vanishing into the background. The merger will be interpreted in some quarters as a triumph for sportswashing and it has also opened up the leaders of the traditional tours to accusations of hypocrisy, especially as PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan had previously criticised LIV’s Saudi funding in light of the Kingdom’s involvement in 9/11. Monahan earlier trumpeted the deal with a tour that was once his sworn enemy, saying: ‘This is a historic day for the game we all know and love.’
DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley added: ‘This is a momentous day — to partner in this new entity is energising and exciting.’
LIV have not yet put out their own statement, nor did they comment when asked by Mail Sport about Norman’s future. The merger will allow a pathway back to the jilted tours for the LIV rebels, though only after the conclusion of the 2023 season. The picture around future Ryder Cups will be less messy than the current version, though it remains to be seen how the Official World Golf Ranking body now view LIV, having previously snubbed their requests for recognition. Augusta National and the R&A have both come out in support of the partnership. Phil Mickelson, who defected last year for £160m, tweeted: ‘Awesome day.’
Former US President Donald Trump, who has hosted LIV events at his courses, said: ‘Great news from LIV Golf. A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf.’ Wesley Bryan, who plays on the PGA’s developmental Korn Ferry Tour, said: ‘I feel betrayed.’ Rory McIlroy — the biggest opponent of LIV — is scheduled to speak at a press conference before the Canadian Open today.