What does golf’s blockbuster ‘merger’ mean for the game and its players?
The playing of a Presidents Cup, for so long the Ryder Cup’s poor relation, in Saudi Arabia now has to be on the table. The deal struck between LIV Golf and one‑time rivals, the PGA and DP World Tours, is all about bang for buck.
The Saudis will believe they have saved face by joining forces with golf’s establishment – there will be no more potentially embarrassing litigation – but their desperate bid to earn legitimacy via sport also means this deal has to work two ways.
The Presidents Cup, a PGA Tour entity which pits the rest of the world except Europe against the US, is an example of potentially useful collateral. So too is LIV’s controversial commissioner, Greg Norman.
LIV’s DeChambeau says Saudis ‘trying to do good for world’ amid PGA merger
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The Australian’s long-time and deep-rooted resentment towards the PGA Tour is such that his involvement in what has been portrayed as golf’s brave new dawn is inconceivable. Whether next week, next month or quietly over a longer period of time, Norman will have to step back from his integral role in the disruption plan.
Long before a “merger” that was only weeks in the making, the PGA Tour had made it plain there was no chance of amicable discussion while Norman was in the room. When it surprisingly transpired, he was not. Norman is not the only one attached to LIV who will surely soon discover services are no longer required.
Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), insists the controversial and multibillion-dollar deal “makes financial sense to us”. Pushed on whether he anticipates significant monetary return, he added: “That’s the wholeidea.”
This is of course a departure from the LIV we have come to recognise. An aggregate of hundreds of millions of dollars has been thrown at players to join the rebel tour. Pat Perez, who has one top 10 in 27 major starts, played in eight LIV tournaments during 2022 and collected $8m for his efforts. Perez was not the only one who could not believe his luck.
A team concept, pushed so strongly as LIV’s supposed unique selling point, has failed to attract brand sponsors. As a commercial enterprise, LIV has made about as much sense as whacking a six‑inch putt with a driver.