PGA Tour agrees to merge with LIV Golf

In a surprising turn of events, the PGA Tour has agreed to merge with LIV Golf and the DP World Tour, the PGA Tour announced Tuesday. As part of the deal, the Public Investment Fund’s rights and businesses — which include LIV Golf — will combine with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour’s business and rights.

The partnership is meant to help “unify the game of golf on a global basis,” according to the announcement. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will be the CEO and PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan will be the chairman. It’s unclear how LIV CEO Greg Norman fits into the equation.

“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA TOUR’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV – including the team golf concept – to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans. Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we’ve always made – to promote competition of the best in professional golf and that we are committed to securing and driving the game’s future.

“We are pleased to move forward, in step with LIV and PIF’s world-class investing experience, and I applaud PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan for his vision and collaborative and forward-thinking approach that is not just a solution to the rift in our game, but also a commitment to taking it to new heights. This will engender a new era in global golf, for the better.”

Tension between the two sides came about shortly after LIV started in June 2022. LIV players had been suspended from competing in PGA Tour events after the Saudi-backed tour came about last year. The two tours are also at the center of an antitrust lawsuit in which LIV sued the PGA Tour for bad faith and “egregious interference with LIV Golf’s contractual and prospective business relationships,” according to Golf Digest. Eleven players were involved in the suit, but they all removed their names as a result.

According to CNBC, however, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf would “squash pending litigation and move forward as a larger golf enterprise.”

Last month, Brooks Koepka became the first LIV player to win a major when he won the PGA Championship. He was also in contention at The Masters before Jon Rahm won the green jacket.