The announcement of the merger between the PGA and LIV circuits in early June surprised everyone. How could the North American tour, dominating in the world of golf, agree to ally with its new competitor set up from scratch by Saudi Arabia? The underside of this agreement is examined on Tuesday by a special committee of the American Senate.
According to the first elements revealed, it appears that American and Saudi officials have planned to completely disrupt the world of golf. Among the many sensitive points discussed during these negotiations, the possible dismissal of the general manager of LIV Golf Greg Norman and the creation of a new competition, “World Golf Series”, with a final stage in Saudi Arabia.
“Something hateful about the path you are taking”
Hearing in the Senate on Tuesday, Jimmy Dunne, one of the main architects of this agreement, indicated that the Saudi contribution envisaged would amount to “more than a billion dollars”. Powerful Senator Richard Blumenthal, leading the inquiry, urged the PGA Tour to reject the deal, denouncing Riyadh’s human rights record. “There is something detestable in the path you are taking now, it is a capitulation”, he assured.
The merger of PGA Tour and Europe’s DP World Tour with LIV Golf has taken the golfing world by surprise, with the tours embroiled in bitter legal battles. Launched in October 2021, the LIV has attracted many critics in the following months but also some of the best golfers in the world, former world number 1 and several times crowned in Grand Slams, from Dustin Johnson to Brooks Koepka, who has just won the PGA Championship. The ten-member PGA Tour Board of Directors must approve the deal announced last month before it can be finalized.