PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf announce merger to “unify golf”

In an unexpected move, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf made a joint announcement yesterday morning that they have formed a new commercial entity to unify the game of golf worldwide.

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the entity that owns LIV Golf, and the agreement between the three parties will combine PIF’s golf-related commercial businesses, which includes LIV, with those of the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour. Additionally, PIF will invest in the new partnership to facilitate growth.

Perhaps the biggest part of the arrangement is the mutually agreed-upon cessation of all pending litigation between the parties. In addition, golfers who joined LIV Golf can reapply for membership with the PGA TOUR or DP World Tour after the end of the 2023 season.

PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said he was optimistic that the new partnership will deliver the competition and love of the game that will ensure a strong future for the sport.

“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,” he said.

A number of people in the golf world took to social media to express their displeasure at the news of the merger.

Mackenzie Hughes, ranked 67^th on the PGA TOUR, said, “Nothing like finding out through Twitter that we’re merging with a tour that we said we’d never do that with.”

Collin Morikawa, a two-time major champion ranked 18^th on the PGA TOUR and staunch supporter of the tour, said, “I love finding out morning news on Twitter.” He then added, “And everyone thought yesterday was the longest day in golf,” referring to the U.S. Open Qualifying that took place on June 5^th.

The gripe most players have with the news is that it wasn’t communicated to them in any fashion before the announcement. Monahan sent a memo to players afterward that explained the rationale and set up a player meeting that took place at 4pm EDT Tuesday, mere hours after the announcement.

For now, the newly formed entity doesn’t have a name, though rampant speculation on the new moniker has already begun in earnest (Global Golf Association, Golf World Tour and World Golf Association seem to be the favorites right now). Many aspects of the deal…