Golf is, somehow, united again just one year after it was torn apart and bitter lines of division were drawn.
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf are aligned with — you guessed it — Saudi investment holding the key to bringing the warring factions together.
The irony is surely not lost on you.
A new entity will now be created, bringing the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and Europe’s DP World Tour all under the same umbrella, opening the door for the world’s best players to reassemble.
So how did it so suddenly come to this, and what does it mean for professional men’s golf moving forward?
Here, we do our best to answer all the big questions.
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READ MORE ON THE MERGER
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Biggest LIV-PGA merger questions answered — and why shock Smith return now looms
No f***ing way’: Inside fiery players meeting where stars turned on PGA chief
‘All bullsh*t!’ PGA commissioner blasted | 01:50
WILL THERE STILL BE THREE (BIG) TOURS?
Yes, for now.
LIV Golf still exists and will continue with its 2023 schedule as planned, alongside the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
There’s no explicit mention in the official press release of whether LIV Golf will continue in 2024, although we can assume for now that it is with the new entity committing to finding a “cohesive schedule of events” that satisfies all three tours.
The release also speaks in glowing terms about LIV Golf, calling it “groundbreaking” — which is surely a positive sign for it.
Given Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is LIV’s sole funder, however, things can change very quickly.
If PIF decides it’s satisfied with its new PGA and DP World Tour deal, and choses to pull its LIV funding, the whole thing would come crashing down swiftly.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has already flagged that he doesn’t believe LIV can continue under its current format alongside the traditional tours. Rory McIlroy went one further and said he believes it will be canned altogether, but there’s still a lot to play out.
For what it’s worth, LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman addressed his troops on Wednesday and said not only is it business as usual, but LIV’s potential to grow has been signficantly boosted by the agreement.
Either way, it appears that LIV’s future will be decided by an impending “full empirical evaluation”, which Monahan flagged.
Live reaction: Players respond to merger | 02:02
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR AUSTRALIA?
The reality is that if LIV Golf is under some threat, then so too is the Adelaide event which was so succesful earlier this year.
The South Australian government had a four-year deal with LIV Golf, but that counts for nothing should the whole operation fall through.
There are other, more positive ways, this could play out for Australia though.
One possibility SA premier Peter Malinauskas flagged was the potential for “greater cross-pollination between players from the US PGA Tour and LIV Golf”.
This might be fanciful in its current format — don’t expect PGA Tour players to be outright joining LIV Golf now — but there are other ways big players could land on these shores.
The PGA Tour would be foolish to have not taken note of this year’s LIV Golf Adelaide event which was played in front of passionate crowds that sold out all three days.
It’s not outside of the realms of possibility that, backed by PIF’s dollars, the PGA Tour could expand further globally and commit to bringing one of its own tournaments to Australia, as it already does to Japan.
This could compliment the LIV event that already exists, or effectively be a replacement if the PIF pulls funding for it.
Another possibility is for favourable calendar changes and increased financial incentives to make the prospect of touring Australia in the summer more appealing.
Indeed, the PIF’s involvement in the PGA Tour is expected to be a positive for the game globally, with the Asian Tour calling it a “massive stride forward”.
As for the PGA of Australia, chief Gavin Kirkman said it remains in open dialogue with the PGA and DP World Tours to ensure “positive benefits” for the Australiasian tour.
Paul Gow said he hopes that the merger will turn into a boon for Australian golf, but warned that the nation has been burnt before.
“We’ve been left behind before by the PGA Tour,” he told Sky Sports Radio. “That is a pattern that they’ve gone through for the last seven or eight years.
“We’ve been promised things before. And we now know they break them.
“I hope it gives us a pathway. The Asian Tour, which was helped out by LIV, were hoping the same thing after they got $400 million for their tour, so I’m hoping it’s very similar here.”
CAN LIV GOLF PLAYERS RETURN TO THE PGA AND DP WORLD TOURS?
Yes, albeit not yet — and the details around their reintegrations are sketchy.
The official press release for the merger said that the three organisations “will work cooperatively and in good faith to establish a fair and objective process for any players who desire to reapply for membership”.
That will not be the case until after the 2023 season, when “fair criteria and terms of readmission, consistent with each Tour’s policies” will be determined.
Needless to say, there’s plenty of ambiguity in that — what is “fair” is subjective, after all.
It could mean anything from a free-for-all without punishment for LIV Golf players, to brutal fines applied on a scale that relates to each star’s sign-on fee.
PGA Tour insider Dan Rapaport reported that the latter is most likely.
“I’m told the guys who took the LIV money and wanna return to the PGA Tour will definitely pay a fine,” he tweeted. “Won’t be equal for every player, either.
“Will that be enough to assuage guys who are pissed they turned down $100 million to stay loyal, only for the two to merge? Hmm…”
It’s worth noting that the DP World Tour has already issued up to A$1 billion in fines for its members who joined LIV Golf, forcing many to resign to escape further punishments.
The PGA Tour had not taken the same stance, but rather indefinitely suspended any of its members who joined LIV Golf.
It’s therefore highly likely that the PGA Tour will seek some sort of financial punishment to be written into the reintegration criteria to save face.
The same criteria would most likely not apply to the DP World Tour given their different approach.
Monahan said this week at the Canadian Open that players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour “will be rewarded”, but again, it’s not clear how.
“Loyalty as a leader always needs to be rewarded. How that manifests itself is something I’m going to be working on. Down the road that’s something I look forward to being more specific about,” he said.
WHO COULD RETURN TO THE PGA TOUR?
Depending on how substantial the financial roadblocks are, everyone from Smith to Koepka could be seen at PGA Tour events again next season.
Any return from those players, however, will be met with a wave of criticism and claims of hypocrisy.
Many of these players were eager to stress that they didn’t join LIV Golf just for money, but to also enjoy a less demanding schedule.
By joining LIV Golf, they could make more money while playing less often, with events only lasting three days and featuring guaranteed cash prizes due to the lack of a cut.
DeChambeau called it “a business decision, first and foremost”, adding: “I get to have a life outside of the game of golf as well.”
He also said he would “love to play PGA Tour events when they would allow me to.”
Smith had a similar explanation when he defected, saying he was eager to “spend more time in Australia with friends and family” by joining LIV.
Johnson — who resigned from the PGA Tour — was another to play the family card when he joined, saying: “This is something that I thought was best for me and my family.”
These are the sort of quotes sure to be brought back up should any of them seek to fill up their schedules with PGA Tour events again.
As things stand, 14 LIV Golf events and four majors constitutes a full yearly schedule for many already, while any more tournaments could make these players busier than ever.
For example, if Smith was to play those 18 events, two more in Australia and, perhaps, the Players Championship, that’s already more than 20 tournaments in one year. And that’s without the FedEx Cup, which he may be allowed to compete in once more from next year.
Even so, Smith — still the highest-ranked LIV Golf player at world No.9 — is one name who could well make a big return.
He was on a trajectory to be world No.1 and had just won the Open Championship when he made the jump to LIV Golf. Now, he could potentially pick-up where he left off.
Smith has previously indicated he wanted to get to world No.1, saying that it “hurt” to be sliding down the rankings.
“I feel as though I was really close to getting to number one, and that was definitely something I wanted to tick off,” he said.
Former PGA Tour and Fox Sports expert Paul Gow said he expects Smith to make the return given the stage of his career.
“For Cam, getting to No.2 in the world and on his way with a bullet to No.1, taking on the (Jon) Rahms and the Koepkas, this has got to be a great day for him,” Gow said on Fox Sports News.
“He can get back to playing with the best guys in the world on a more regular basis.”
Koepka is another player who’s in top form and has an uber-competitive side which could lure him back. He’s previously said that if he was not suffering an injury crisis at the time of joining LIV Golf, it would’ve been a harder decision to make.
“Honestly, yeah, probably, if I’m being completely honest,” Koepka said. “I think it would have been (a harder decision).”
WHY NOW?
It’s simple: Both parties stood to benefit greatly from a merger, albeit for different reasons.
For LIV Golf, its alternative product had stalled in season two.
Season one gained a surprising amount of traction, while a field containing Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson was far better than many thought it could form.
But since Smith’s signing at the end of season one, LIV Golf couldn’t get any other big names to cross the threshold.
Meanwhile, its team-based format was struggling to get off the ground with public buy-in to the likes of Stinger and Ripper GC lacking.
TV viewership in the US was also said to be seriously lacking despite striking a proper broadcast deal for season two.
As for the PGA Tour, it was facing a potentially damaging Department of Justice investigation over alleged anti-competitive behaviour relating to LIV Golf.
The decision to ban its members from playing on the PGA Tour, if they turned out for LIV Golf, was coming under intense scrutiny, while a lawsuit would’ve meant in-depth investigation into operations for both parties.
The PGA Tour was also still just wiping the egg of its face after LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship, and effectively secured his Ryder Cup ticket in the process.
It would’ve been easier for the PGA Tour if LIV Golf players simply faded away into obscurity, but that wasn’t going to be the case.
In the end, it was easier for both parties to drop the lawsuits and collaborate.
‘You know what wins?… Money’: Paul Gow | 06:44
WHY WEREN’T PLAYERS INVOLVED?
In short, because there would’ve been major blowback — although, this is happening now anyway.
With LIV Golf merging, its players who abandoned the traditional tours for big-money sign-on fees have had their cake, and now they’re about to eat it, too. Well, mostly (more on this later).
The door has been opened for them to re-enter the fold, and the likes of Smith, Johnson and Koepka can do so having cashed bonuses worth more than A$150 million.
While those players said ‘yes’ to the money, many others said ‘no’, choosing to stay loyal to the PGA Tour in the hope it would pay-off long-term.
The likes of Ricky Fowler, for example, was reportedly offered as much as A$110 million but chose to stay.
Hideki Matsuyama was reportedly offered an absurd figure in the neighbourhood of A$500 million — largely due to his immense influence on Asian golf — but turned it down.
It’s therefore no surprise that the immediate reaction from many PGA Tour members to the merger has been one of outrage.
FULL REACTION >
DOES THIS MEAN LIV GOLF WILL BE RECOGNISED BY THE OWGR?
No, but its members will at least be able to accrue points again by rejoining the traditional tours.
LIV Golf still doesn’t meet the following OWGR criteria:
— A chance for golfers to qualify to play on the tour
— An average field of 75 players
— 72-hole tournaments
— 36-hole cuts
— Operate for a full year while satisfying all criteria
LIV Golf could eventually be recognised by the OWGR having applied for an exemption last July. The process can take up to a year, and possibly longer.
WHO WILL RUN THE SHOW?
According to the press release, the PGA Tour “retains administrative oversight” for its events. This includes the sanctioning of events, administration of competition and rules, as well as “other ‘inside the ropes’ responsibilities”.
That reads as if the PGA Tour runs its own show as per usual, although it’s not quite that simple.
The PGA Tour’s decision-making will now have a heavy influence from the PIF itself with its governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan joining the Policy Board alongside commissioner Jay Monahan and chair Ed Herlihy.
As for outside of the ropes, the board of directors for the new entity has Al-Rumayyan as chair, Monahan as chief and an executive committee that includes the pair alongside Herlihy and policy board member Jimmy Dunne.
A full board is yet to be announced, but will feature representation from all three founding members.
However, we all know that, at the end of the day, it’s the money that runs the show — and it’s PIF that will now be in the driver’s seat.
One of the most significant details from the press release is that PIF will make a substantial capital investment into the new entity, which it says is to “facilitate its growth and success”.
But the PGA Tour has sold far more than just an investment opportunity.
It is now effectively the same as LIV Golf insofar as PIF being the entity’s “exclusive investor”, which also has the exclusive right to invest further. PIF also holds the right of first refusal on any new capital being invested.
In other words, we can stop calling LIV Golf the “Saudi-backed circuit”, because now all men’s golf is Saudi-backed.
LIV Golf and DP World Tour will retain administrative oversight over their respective tours, too.
IS GREG NORMAN STILL INVOLVED?
Watch this space closely.
The name of Norman, the outspoken Australian chief of LIV Golf, was notably absent from the official press release.
Norman has not gained any higher role out of the merger and, worse still, is that he was seemingly kept in the dark about the whole thing.
Al-Rumayyan said Norman was only informed about the merger via a phone call around the time of the announcement.
Norman was scathing in his criticism of the PGA Tour during the entire golf war, which led to Tiger Woods saying that fences can’t be mended until the two-time major-winner left.
“Greg has to go,” Woods said.
At the time of writing, Norman remains the LIV Golf commissioner, but for how long remains to be seen given his notable omission from the talks.
Norman was already taking a less public role in season two, while there has long been speculation that he was on the outs with Al-Rumayyan since bumbling a number of press engagements last year.
WHAT ABOUT THE PLAYERS WHO STAYED LOYAL TO THE PGA TOUR?
This is already ugly, and will continue to be so.
Players are said to be furious that they weren’t involved in any discussion about a merger. They’re even more furious about the way they found out.
Crazy to think, but you found out about the merger in the same way as Collin Morikawa or Jon Rahm.
All this just months after crunch meetings with players that helped develop massive changes to the PGA Tour in response to the LIV Golf threat.
At the core of their disapproval, however, is the aforementioned concern with money. Many players feel betrayed having turned down big sums of Saudi money effectively for nothing.
These players will now have their noses rubbed in it next season when they inevitably line-up alongside Smith or Koepka at a regular PGA Tour event, and not just a major.
How this unrest plays out remains one of the most intriguing elements of the merger.
There’s already a feeling that Monahan’s position is untenable given he was the one who convinced many players to stay, only to eventually hop into bed with the Saudis while taking an elevated role.
“Tell me why Jay Monahan basically got a promotion to CEO of all golf in the world by going back on everything he said the past two years?” tweeted PGA Tour member Dylan Wu. “The hypocrisy. Wish golf worked like that. I guess money always wins.”
Meanwhile, Rapaport said he spoke to a number of players about how Monahan survives as chief, with one responding: “He won’t. He can’t.”
WILL THE GOLF SCHEDULE LOOK DIFFERENT?
There’s likely to be some changes, although they will be minor.
The release says that the new entity is committed to providing a “cohesive schedule of events that will be exciting for fans, sponsors and all stakeholders”.
Given LIV Golf already targeted quiet weeks on the PGA Tour for its tournaments — i.e. ones without majors or elevated events — the schedule is arguably already cohesive.
WHAT ABOUT TEAM GOLF?
You probably didn’t even ask this question given few seem to care about LIV Golf’s team format, but it’s important to answer anyway.
LIV Golf, and indeed the PIF, seems willing to die on this hill.
As part of the merger, there is going to be a renewed, and strengthened, commitment to “feature and grow team golf” moving forward.
There’s little explanation as to the how and why, but there are multiple mentions in the release, including one that was notably shoehorned into Monahan’s main statement.
“This transformational partnership recognises 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 organisation that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans,” Monahan’s statement reads.
Monahan seperately said there would be a “comprehensive evaluation of LIV Golf to determine how best to integrate team golf into the professional game”.
How this plays out is unclear, but it appears that the PGA Tour’s commitment to team golf will extend beyond the biennial Ryder and Presidents Cups.
It could mean anything from the introduction of the PGA Tour’s own team competition borrowed from LIV Golf, the addition of select team events, or simply just a public acknowledgment that team golf is an exciting concept.
WHAT ABOUT THE RYDER CUP?
In a way, it’s crisis averted for the Ryder Cup.
With the merger, the Ryder Cup’s selection criteria won’t need to come under the microscope, and awkward discussions can be largely avoided.
For example, Koepka’s strong results at the Masters and PGA Championship — he won the latter — meant he was virtually assured of automatic selection based on points.
A landmark, controversial ruling from the PGA of America would’ve been the only thing to deny him of that.
It should be said that LIV Golf likely won’t have strong representation at this year’s Ryder Cup given its members can only earn points at the four majors.
They cannot properly re-enter the fold until next season, meaning many like DeChambeau will hope to be taken as a captain’s pick.
In Europe, the situation is a little more murky given a number of players already tore up their DP World Tour memberships, which are required to be selected.
This includes Ryder Cup legends Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood.
As of next season they will be able to re-join, however, given they’ve already been fined and could face further barriers to return, the question is: Will they even want to?