PGA and LIV to Combine Into One Entity, Litigation Ends

When the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) created a splash in the golf world a couple of years ago by announcing its own private league, LIV, eyebrows were raised. The PGA certainly wasn’t too pleased about it, especially when some of their players opted to join LIV. On Tuesday it was announced that both parties are ending hostilities and will merge into one entity.

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PGA and LIV Agree to Join Forces

And so the controversy that began when the PIF created its own golf league sees a new, unexpected chapter commence. In light of the announcement made by the PGA, all lawsuits involving LIV are immediately dropped.

As reports have already begun explaining, there are multiple layers to how this will work out. From a business angle, Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund is now a partner of the PGA, so much so that it will have a presence on the Tour board of directors. On the flip side, as specified by a Canadian Press article, it’s unclear how LIV players who used to tour with the PGA will be integrated. Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson come to mind.

One of the all-time greats, Australian Greg Norman, is technically LIV’s CEO. What happens to his role is anyone’s guess.

What name the new entity will take and when exactly it comes into effect are unknown at the time of writing.

PGA Explains, Players React

PGA commissioner Jay Monahan has already begun explaining his reasoning for this agreement, although several PGA players have made their opinions clear on social media about not having been part of the discussions.

“I love finding out about morning news on Twitter,” said Collin Morikawa.

Byeong Hun An also spoke out on Twitter, stating that while he can imagine what the business incentives were, it feels like a loss for anyone who invested so much energy in defending the PGA Tour for two years.

PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan:

“They were going down their path, we were going down ours, and after a lot of introspection you realize all this tension in the game is not a good thing,” he shared with the Associated Press on Tuesday.

“I understand the criticism. For me, you take the information you have at the time and make decisions in the best interests.”

It was revealed by the commissioner that things really got rolling at the negotiating table in the last seven weeks. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who heads the PIF, will be a member of the PGA Tour’s board. It is said that the PGA will continue to operate its own events.

In August 2022, Phil Mickelson and 12 other players filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA, with the LIV joining as plaintiffs. The argument regarded whether or not PIF’s leaders, based in Saudi Arabia, could be deposed because of its activities in the United States, and thus open to legal action. PGA countersued. All of the litigation is done and dusted with this announcement.