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PGA and LIV Merger Deal Increases Saudi Arabia’s Influence in Golf

The partnership is a major victory for Saudi ambitions in sports, but the announcement split players. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan described his meeting with golfers late in the afternoon as “heated.”

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Alan Blinder

The alliance between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf ends a bitter fight in the sport.

The PGA Tour, the dominant force in men’s professional golf for generations, and LIV Golf, which made its debut just last year and is backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in Saudi money, will together form an industry powerhouse that is expected to transform the sport, executives announced Tuesday.

The rival circuits had spent the last year clashing in public, and the tentative agreement that emerged from secret negotiations blindsided virtually all of the world’s top players, agents and broadcasters. The deal would create a new company that would consolidate the PGA Tour’s prestige, television contracts and marketing muscle with Saudi money.

The new company came together so quickly that it does not yet even have a name and is referred to in the agreement documents simply as “NewCo.” It would be controlled by the PGA Tour but significantly financed by the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund . The fund’s governor, Yasir al-Rumayyan, will be the new company’s chairman.

The deal, coming when Saudi Arabia is increasingly looking to assert itself on the world stage as something besides one of the world’s largest oil producers, has implications beyond sports. The Saudi money will give the new organization greater clout, but it comes with the troubling association of the kingdom’s human rights record, its treatment of women and accusations that it was responsible for the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a leading critic.

The agreement does not immediately amount to a Saudi takeover of professional golf, but it positions the nation’s top officials to have enormous sway over the game. It also represents an escalation in Saudi ambitions in sports, moving beyond its corporate sponsorship of Formula 1 racing and ownership of an English soccer team into a place where it can exert influence over the highest reaches of a global game.

“Everybody is in shock,” said Paul Azinger, the winner of the 1993 P.G.A. Championship and the lead golf analyst for NBC Sports. “The future of golf is forever different.”

Since LIV began play last year, it has used some of the richest contracts and prize money in the sport’s history to entice players away from the PGA Tour. Until Tuesday morning, the PGA Tour had been publicly uncompromising: LIV was a threat to the game and a glamorous way for Saudi Arabia to rehabilitate its reputation. The PGA Tour’s commissioner, Jay Monahan, had even avoided uttering LIV’s name in public.

But a series of springtime meetings in London, Venice and San Francisco led to a framework agreement that stunned the golf industry for its timing and scope. Monahan, who defended the decision as a sound business choice and said he had accepted that he would be accused of hypocrisy, met with PGA Tour players in Toronto on Tuesday in what he called an “intense” and “certainly heated” exchange.

The deal, though, proved right the predictions that there could eventually be an uneasy patching-up of the sport’s fractures. The PGA Tour’s board, which includes a handful of players like Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy, must still approve the agreement, a process that could be tumultuous.

It was only a year ago this week that LIV Golf held its inaugural tournament, prompting the PGA Tour to suspend players who competed in it. But by the end of the year, even though the circuit was locked in an antitrust battle with the PGA Tour and its stars were confronting uncertain futures at the sport’s marquee competitions, LIV had some of the biggest names in golf on its payroll. Its players have included the major tournament champions Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Cameron Smith.

The players were familiar, but LIV’s 54-hole events — the name derives from the Roman numerals for that number — were jarring, with blaring music and golfers in shorts not facing the specter of being unceremoniously cut midway through. The PGA Tour, meanwhile, defended its 72-hole events, where low performers do not compete into the weekend, as rigorous athletic tests that adhered to the traditions of an ancient game.

The less-starchy LIV concept drew plenty of headlines, and the league won even greater attention because of its links to former President Donald J. Trump, who hosted LIV tournaments and emerged as one of its most enthusiastic boosters. The league, however, was still largely dependent on the largess of a wealth fund that had been warned that a rebel golf circuit was no certain financial bonanza. It stumbled to a television deal with the CW Network, and big corporate sponsorships were scarce.

The league accrued some athletic successes, even as its players faced the risk of eventual exclusion from golf’s major tournaments, which are run by organizations that are close to, but distinct from, the PGA Tour.

Last month, Koepka won the P.G.A. Championship , which was organized by the P.G.A. of America. Koepka, Mickelson and Patrick Reed were among the LIV players who fared especially well at the Masters Tournament, administered by Augusta National Golf Club, in early April.

Within weeks of the Masters, though, after a run of mutual overtures and months of bravado, PGA Tour and Saudi executives were convening in secret to see if there was a way toward some kind of coexistence, in part, Monahan suggested, because he did not think it was “right or sustainable to have this tension in our sport.” The result was an agreement that gives the tour the upper hand but is poised to make permanent Saudi Arabia’s influence over golf’s starry ranks.

Monahan, the tour’s commissioner, is in line to be the chief executive of the new company, which will include an executive committee stocked with tour loyalists. But al-Rumayyan's presence, as well as the promise that the wealth fund can play a pivotal role in how the company is ultimately funded, means that Saudi Arabia could do much to shape the sport’s future.

In a memorandum to players on Tuesday, Monahan insisted that his tour’s “history, legacy and pro-competitive model not only remains intact, but is supercharged for the future.”

That was hardly a consensus view. Mackenzie Hughes, a PGA Tour player, acidly noted on Twitter that there was “nothing like finding out through Twitter that we’re merging with a tour that we said we’d never do that with.” And Terry Strada, the chairwoman of 9/11 Families United, who had assailed the Saudi foray into golf because of misgivings about the kingdom after the 2001 terrorist attacks, said Monahan and the tour had “become just more paid Saudi shills, taking billions of dollars to cleanse the Saudi reputation.”

The tour and the wealth fund both had incentives to forge an agreement, besides the prospect of concluding a chaotic chapter marked by allegations of betrayal and greed.

LIV had faced setbacks in civil litigation against the PGA Tour that threatened to drag al-Rumayyan into sworn testimony and force the wealth fund to turn over documents that could have become public. The tour has been under scrutiny from Justice Department antitrust investigators , who had examined in recent months whether the tour’s tactics to counter LIV had undermined golf’s labor market.

The litigation between the tour and LIV will end under the terms of the agreement announced Tuesday. The fate of the antitrust inquiry was less clear — experts said the new arrangement would not automatically immunize the tour from potential legal trouble — but LIV’s standing as its leading cheerleader evaporated.

For this year, the world’s professional golfers are unlikely to see seismic changes in their schedules or playing formats, with LIV and the PGA Tour expected to hold competitions as planned. There may be far more consequential changes later, though, chiefly because the new PGA Tour-controlled company will determine whether and how LIV’s team-oriented format might be blended with the tour’s more familiar offerings.

LIV players are expected to have pathways to apply for reinstatement to the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour, circuits from which some had resigned when faced with fines and suspensions, but they could face residual penalties for leaving in the first place. Through a spokeswoman, Greg Norman, the two-time major tournament champion who has been LIV’s commissioner, declined to be interviewed on Tuesday.

No matter what comes of the LIV brand or style, Tuesday’s announcement is a singular milestone in the Saudi quest to become a titan in global sports. With the deal, the kingdom can move, at least in golf, from a well-heeled disrupter to a seat of power at the establishment’s table.

Saudi officials have repeatedly denied that political or public relations motives undergird their eager pursuit of sports investments. Instead, they have framed the investments as necessary for shoring up the resource-rich kingdom’s finances and to enhance its standing on the world stage.

Beyond its imprint on golf , the wealth fund previously purchased Newcastle United, a potent English soccer team, and a company with close ties to the fund has eyed investments in cricket, tennis and e-sports. And Saudi Arabia has tried to become a host of major sporting events, from boxing matches to its pending bid to host the World Cup in 2030.

But when Saudi Arabia barged into golf last year, it was nearly unthinkable that al-Rumayyan would so swiftly become a formal ally of Monahan and the sport’s other power brokers.

“Anybody who thought about it logically would see that something was going to have to happen,” Adam Hadwin, a PGA Tour player, said on Tuesday. It was inconceivable, he suggested, that the world’s best players would only compete against each other at the four major tournaments, but an armistice “happening this quick and in this way is surprising.”

For much of the last year, LIV players have deflected questions about Saudi Arabia’s history on human rights and other matters that helped make the kingdom’s surge into golf an international flashpoint. They were, they often said, merely golfers and entertainers.

Until Tuesday, Monahan had tried to use the stain of Saudi Arabia to undercut the new league and its golfers.

“I would ask any player that has left, or any player that would ever consider leaving: Have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?” he said last year.

On Tuesday, when Monahan declared that the leaders of golf’s factions had “realized that we were better off together than we were fighting or apart,” it was his tour’s players facing questions about lucrative connections to Riyadh.

“I’ve dedicated my entire life to being at golf’s highest level,” Hadwin, the tour player, said. “I’m not about to stop playing golf because the entity that I play for has joined forces with the Saudi government.”

Reporting was contributed by Andrew Das , Kevin Draper , Lauren Hirsch , Eric Lipton , Victor Mather , Ahmed Al Omran and Bill Pennington .

Kevin Draper

The PGA Tour commissioner acknowledges secrecy and hurdles on the deal.

Tuesday morning’s announcement from the PGA Tour hailed its deal to merge operations with LIV Golf as a “landmark agreement to unify the game” and end the contentious litigation between the competing golf tours.

But when Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, finally spoke to news reporters eight hours later, the agreement sounded far more tentative. He described his meeting with players about the agreement as “intense” and “certainly heated.” Monahan also acknowledged that most of the PGA Tour’s policy board — which is made up of five independent directors and five golfers — was kept in the dark about the tour’s negotiations with LIV over the last seven weeks.

He called the deal a “framework agreement” and said there were numerous issues that needed to be worked through before a “definitive agreement” was presented to the policy board to ratify, raising the possibility that it could be rejected and golf’s cold war could stretch on.

Among the issues that Monahan said were still unsettled included the future of LIV itself as an independent golf tour; the pathway for LIV players to rejoin the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour in Europe; whether PGA Tour players who declined to join LIV would somehow be financially compensated; and whether LIV players would have to forfeit some of their compensation.

“Ultimately, everything needs to be considered,” Monahan said.

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Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, said that many members of the PGA Tour policy board — more or less its board of directors — were kept in the dark about the negotiations. The agreement reached with LIV is only a framework agreement; once there is a finalized agreement, the policy board, which includes players, will have to vote to approve it.

Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, says there is no definitive agreement on whether PGA Tour players will somehow be made whole for money they turned down when they declined to join LIV, or whether LIV players will somehow have to give up money to rejoin the PGA Tour. “Ultimately, everything needs to be considered,” Monahan said.

Monahan is being asked repeatedly about his past criticism of the morals of taking LIV and Saudi money. “I recognize that people are going to call me a hypocrite,” the PGA Tour commissioner said. “Anytime I said anything, I said it based on the information I had at the moment, and based on someone trying to compete for the PGA Tour and our players. I accept those criticisms. But circumstances do change.”

The PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan on his just-completed meeting with players: “I would describe the meeting as intense. Certainly heated.”

More details about the merger, and how PGA Tour players feel about it, should be emerging soon. Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, is hosting a players meeting in Toronto at the site of this week’s RBC Open. After that, Monahan will take questions from the news media.

The talks of a merger began in secret meetings after the Masters in April.

For month after month, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf were content to bludgeon one another in news conferences and court filings. But in the weeks after the Masters Tournament in early April, rival executives began a series of private meetings.

Convening first in London and then Venice and ultimately San Francisco, PGA Tour leaders met with representatives of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, including Yasir al-Rumayyan, the golf fiend who is the wealth fund’s governor. According to a person familiar with the discussions, who insisted on anonymity to describe private talks, the sides effectively reached an agreement around Memorial Day but kept word of it secret from even leading executives and players until Tuesday.

The nature of the agreement — for now — keeps the PGA Tour in control, thanks to a provision that allows it to have a majority of board seats in the new company that will house the tour and LIV Golf. The wealth fund will control a minority stake in the new company, but its exclusive right to invest in it going forward opens the door for Riyadh to grow its influence in the years ahead.

But in the interim, the fate of the LIV Golf league itself appears to rest most clearly with the PGA Tour and its allies, with the new company expected to undertake an extensive analysis of the LIV format to determine whether and how it can coexist with the long-dominant tour.

A group of 9/11 relatives called the PGA Tour’s planned merger with LIV a ‘betrayal.’

A group of relatives of people killed on Sept. 11 issued a blistering criticism of the planned merger between the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series and the PGA Tour, calling the tour and its commissioner “paid Saudi shills” for agreeing to it.

Relatives of 9/11 victims have been vocal in their opposition to the Saudi-backed LIV series almost since its inception. Most of the hijackers of the planes used in the 2001 attacks were Saudi. The 9/11 families have saved some of their harshest criticisms for those who have taken part in LIV events and hosted its tournaments. The latter group includes former President Donald J. Trump and his family, who were urged last year to cancel an event at a Trump golf course in New Jersey.

On Tuesday, one group of relatives, called 9/11 Families United, declared that its members were “shocked and deeply offended” by the merger deal. In a statement, the group called it a “betrayal” by the PGA Tour and its commissioner, Jay Monahan.

“The PGA and Monahan appear to have become just more paid Saudi shills, taking billions of dollars to cleanse the Saudi reputation,” said the 9/11 Families United chairman, Terry Strada.

Critics of Saudi Arabia frequently deride its investments in teams and leagues as “sportswashing” and say it is a thinly veiled effort to rehabilitate the kingdom’s reputation amid accusations that it has financed terrorism and murdered a Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi .

Strada criticized Monahan for “co-opting” the 9/11 community last year in the PGA Tour’s initial and strident opposition to the Saudi-backed golf tour, only to cut a merger deal this week.

“Mr. Monahan talked last summer about knowing people who lost loved ones on 9/11, then wondered aloud on national television whether LIV golfers ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour,” Strade wrote. “They do now — as does he. PGA Tour leaders should be ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed.”

Members of Congress from both parties weighed in.

“So weird. PGA officials were in my office just months ago talking about how the Saudis’ human rights record should disqualify them from having a stake in a major American sport,” said Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat of Connecticut, in a message posted on Twitter . “I guess maybe their concerns weren’t really about human rights?”

And Representative Chip Roy, a Republican of Texas, added : “In the end, it’s always about the money. Saudi Arabia just bought themselves a one-world golf government.”

During the 2020 presidential campaign, President Biden vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” for human rights abuses, most notably the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, who lived in Virginia and was a columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of the Saudi crown prince and the country’s government.

As one of his first foreign policy actions in office, Mr. Biden authorized the release of a U.S. intelligence report that said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved the killing.

Mr. Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents while visiting Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul in 2018 to get documents for his upcoming wedding. He was strangled by Saudi agents and then dismembered.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken happened to be in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks this week with Saudi leaders and other Gulf state officials about the possibility of the kingdom normalizing ties with Israel. It wasn’t clear if the PGA-LIV merger would be a part of discussions.

An earlier version of this blog item incorrectly stated Chris Murphy’s position in Congress. He is a senator, not a representative.

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The deal sets up a structure combining nonprofit and for-profit entities.

The merger establishes an unusual structure for how golf will be governed going forward.

The PGA Tour, which is a nonprofit organization, will remain that way and retain oversight over the “sanctioning of events and administration of the competition and rules” for the tour, according to the release announcing the merger. Basically, the PGA Tour will still have full control over how its tournaments are played.

But all of the PGA Tour’s commercial businesses and rights — such as the rights to televise its tournaments, which garner hundreds of millions of dollars annually — will be owned by a new, as-of-yet unnamed for-profit entity. That entity will also own LIV Golf as well as the commercial and business rights of the PGA European Tour, known as the DP World Tour.

The board of directors for the new for-profit entity will be chaired by Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, who also oversees LIV. Three other members of the board’s executive committee will be current members of the PGA Tour’s board, and the tour will appoint the majority of the board and hold a majority voting interest.

With the PGA Tour controlling the for-profit holding company and remaining in charge of administering its own tournaments, it may seem as though the PGA Tour will forever remain the dominant voice in men’s professional golf. But that could change.

The Public Investment Fund will invest “billions,” according to al-Rumayyan, into the new for-profit entity, and it will also hold “the exclusive right to further invest in the new entity, including a right of first refusal on any capital that may be invested in the new entity, including into the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour,” according to the release.

If the Public Investment Fund invests more money — because the economy goes south and sponsors pull out of tournaments, for instance — in the for-profit entity, it will surely demand more board seats and greater voting rights, potentially tilting control of men’s professional golf toward Saudi Arabia.

The merger doesn’t end the U.S. antitrust inquiry into the PGA Tour.

What does this merger mean for the Department of Justice’s antitrust inquiry into the PGA Tour ? In short: Not much.

For about a year, cheered on by LIV Golf, the Justice Department has been investigating the tight-knit relationship between the PGA Tour and other powerful entities in golf, and whether there has been any collusion within the Official World Golf Rankings. A number of high-profile LIV players, like Phil Mickelson, have been interviewed in the inquiry, and lawyers representing the PGA Tour met with Justice Department officials in Washington as recently as last month.

But while Tuesday’s merger will end litigation between LIV and the PGA Tour, it will not necessarily change the Justice Department’s case. The department’s inquiry has looked into allegations of past conduct; if there was any illegal conduct, a merger does not prevent the PGA Tour from being punished for it.

“The announcement of a merger doesn’t forgive past sins,” said Bill Baer, who led the Justice Department’s antitrust division during the Obama administration.

In fact, the merger could cause the Justice Department to even more closely scrutinize the PGA Tour, for a separate but related reason.

The federal government, through the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, reviews over 1,000 mergers for approval each year. It is not yet clear which agency will lead the review of the PGA Tour and LIV’s proposed merger, but if it is the Justice Department, it will certainly scrutinize what looks to be on its face “a merger to monopoly, eliminating competition between these two competing professional golf organizations,” Baer said.

The Department of Justice declined to comment on the merger announcement.

Victor Mather

Here is what tour leaders and players are saying about the merger.

PGA Tour officials and LIV leaders hailed the announcement on Tuesday that their competing golf series would be joining forces, but players were split on the news. Here’s what they were saying:

“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 , who is expected to be the chief executive of the new entity.

“There is no question that the LIV model has been positively transformative for golf. We believe there are opportunities for the game to evolve while also maintaining its storied history and tradition.” — The Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan , who will become chairman of the board of the merged tour.

“Awesome day today.” — Phil Mickelson , who left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf.

“Nothing like finding out through Twitter that we’re merging with a tour that we said we’d never do that with.” — Mackenzie Hughes , PGA Tour player.

“Very curious how many people knew this deal was happening. About 5-7 people? Player run organization right?” — Michael Kim , PGA Tour player.

“This is one of the saddest days in the history of professional golf. I do believe that the governing bodies, the entities, the professional entities, have sacrificed their principles for profits.” — Brandel Chamblee , a Golf Channel analyst who has been sharply critical of the LIV Tour.

“Welfare check on Chamblee.” — LIV golfer Brooks Koepka , referring to Chamblee, who last week declared that “any yielding to or agreement with them is a deal with a murderous dictator.”

“Now that we’re all friends, is it too late for us to workshop some of these team names?” — Max Homa , PGA Tour player, referring to LIV teams like Crushers, Iron Heads and Majesticks.

While the merger is a tectonic shift for golf, nothing will change immediately in how fans watch golf. The PGA Tour, LIV Tour and DP World Tour are expected to proceed as scheduled and separately, at least through 2023. Afterward, it is unclear whether LIV will continue, and whether LIV golfers will apply to re-join the PGA Tour or DP World Tour.

Ahmed al-Omran

Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi state entity bankrolling LIV, the Public Investment Fund, said the agreement was reached after he held talks with PGA Tour officials in London. “The way we’re doing our partnership, it’s gonna be really big in many senses,” he said during an appearance on CNBC.

“We will be investing in the game of golf and doing many new things that I think will have better engagement from the players, the fans, the broadcasters, the sponsors, everyone else,” Al-Rumayyan said. He added that the PIF would invest “billions of dollars” into the sport without giving a specific timeline. “Whatever it takes,” he said.

Eric Lipton

Trump praises the PGA and LIV golf merger.

The Trump family, which has been the host of LIV tournaments in the United States and a big booster of the series’ efforts to break away from the PGA Tour, expects to continue to see tournaments played at its golf courses once the merger is complete.

“This merger is a wonderful thing for the game of golf,” Eric Trump said in an interview on Tuesday. “I truly believe that.”

His father, Donald J. Trump, also praised the deal. On Truth Social, the former president’s social media platform and personal megaphone, he wrote: “Great news from LIV Golf. A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf.”

The LIV series has been a boon for the Trump family, which lost major tournaments after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the capitol, including the one of golf’s four majors, the 2022 P.G.A. Championship. That tournament had been scheduled to be played at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, but its organizer, the P.G.A. of America, stripped the club of the hosting rights days after the capitol attack.

Last July, just before the first LIV tournament was played at Trump National Bedminster, Mr. Trump predicted that the series would ultimately merge, and he suggested that players that stayed loyal to the PGA Tour were making a financial mistake.

“All of those that remain ‘loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA, in all its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes, and you will get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social in July 2022 . “If you don’t take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger takes place, and only say how smart the original signees were.”

LIV has tournaments scheduled this year at Trump-owned golf courses in Florida and New Jersey, and it just completed a tournament at a Trump course in Virginia. Negotiations are underway for more potential tournaments at Trump-owned facilities next year, though it is now unclear if the series will continue in its current format.

When asked if the Trump family had played a role in urging the PGA and LIV groups to merge, Eric Trump on Tuesday declined to comment. But he did say that the family has close friends developed over many years in the golf world, including those associated with the PGA and LIV groups.

Ahmed Al Omran

reporting from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

The merger is seen as a victory for Saudi Arabia.

The deal to merge the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the rival league financed by billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, was seen as a victory for Saudi Arabia on multiple levels.

The merger marked the greatest success to date of Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a player in global sports. From the outset, its billion-dollar play for control of golf seemed like nothing less than an attempt to seize control of an entire sport.

Now, by merging with the PGA Tour, the oil-rich kingdom has gained a foothold that guarantees it outsize influence in the game’s future. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi state entity bankrolling LIV, the Public Investment Fund, will become chairman of the new golf organization. The sovereign wealth fund will have right of first refusal on new investments in the merged tour, according to the statement announcing the merger .

The rival tours had clashed for months in litigation that will now draw to a close, so the deal will protect Mr. Al-Rumayyan, a golf aficionado, from the prospect of being deposed and scrutinized in American courtrooms. He also serves as chairman of Aramco, the Saudi state oil company, which has been a major sponsor of Formula 1 racing.

The deal could also lend legitimacy to the kingdom’s entry as a major player in global sports in the form of a serious partner and not just a well-funded disrupter.

Critics have accused Saudi Arabia of using its spending power in sports to distract from its poor human rights record, but Saudi officials have repeatedly rejected these allegations.

At the same time, this deal could serve as a blueprint for future moves as the kingdom grows its ambitions to further expand its influence and reach in sports and entertainment. ‌‌

By establishing a start-up golf tour that rose rapidly to become enough of a threat for the PGA Tour and bring them to the negotiation table, Saudi Arabia could see potential to do the same in other arenas. Under the terms of the deal, the Public Investment Fund holds veto power on bringing any new investors, giving themselves insurance from any possible dilution of their power in the new arrangement.

The sovereign wealth fund has already managed to achieve a quick return for their investment in Newcastle United as the English soccer club qualified for the UEFA Champions League merely 18 months after it was purchased.

The announcement of the merger with the PGA Tour comes less than one year since LIV’s first event in June 2022 .

In addition to soccer and golf, Saudi Arabia is eyeing investments in cricket, tennis and e-sports via Savvy Games Group, which is backed by the sovereign wealth fund. The group plans to invest $37.8 billion to make Saudi Arabia a global hub for gaming.

The kingdom has also served as host to major sports events including Formula 1 races, major boxing matches and WWE as part of plans to diversify its economy away from heavy reliance on oil.

Saudi Arabia is making a major push in soccer, too.

Golf is not the only sport where Saudi Arabia is looking to increase its influence: It is also making a major play in soccer.

Its most prominent investment to date was its purchase last year of the English Premier League team Newcastle United, a deal that gave the kingdom, through its huge Public Investment Fund, a foothold in the world’s richest soccer competition. But Saudi Arabia is also bidding to host soccer’s World Cup in 2030, and this week the country’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, announced that the PIF would invest more than $1 billion in the country’s domestic league in hopes of making it one of the 10 best leagues in the world.

As Tariq Panja and Ahmed Al Omran reported in The Times last week, the plan is focused on attracting more than a dozen of the world’s best players to the Saudi league by offering them some of the richest deals in sports history. Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time world player of the year, moved to Saudi Arabia in January, and reports of nine-figure offers to others — including Lionel Messi — are rampant. The French striker Karim Benzema accepted one this week : He will join the Jeddah-based club Al-Ittihad in a multiyear deal that will make him one of the world’s best-paid players.

Similar in ambition to the Saudi-financed LIV series in golf, the kingdom’s plan for soccer involves the PIF. This week it took a controlling stake in four of the Saudi league’s biggest clubs in what appears to be a centralized effort — supported at the highest levels of the Saudi state — to turn the country’s domestic league, a footnote on the global soccer stage, into a destination for top talent.

The basics of the sweeping golf merger.

After two years of sniping, lawsuits and ill will, the major men’s golf tours agreed to merge on Tuesday. The blockbuster announcement came as a surprise given the fierce competition and legal action among the tours. Here’s what we know, and don’t know.

What happened on Tuesday?

The PGA Tour, which runs golf in North America; the PGA European Tour, which is known as the DP World Tour and holds events in much of the rest of the world; and the upstart LIV Tour agreed to merge their operations.

The Saudi sovereign wealth fund, which spent billions to launch the LIV Tour, will invest in the new company, and the governor of that fund will become its chairman.

All the lawsuits among the tours will be ended as part of the deal.

How did we get here?

The LIV Tour started last year and offered big-name players from the other tours huge sums to jump ship. Many did, notably Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Cameron Smith. Some veterans like Phil Mickelson also joined. Those players were suspended from the PGA Tour as a result.

Others, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, did not take reported offers. Many players and officials of the PGA Tour were sharply critical of LIV, both for dividing the golf world and for associating with the Saudi government and its poor human rights record.

How will things change?

There is a lot we don’t know at this point. The LIV Tour had team events as a focus of its model, and in its statement, the PGA Tour mentioned that the tours planned to “grow team golf going forward.”

But there are many unknowns. Will the tours continue to operate separately? The statement referred only to “a cohesive schedule of events.”

Will the enormous disparity between the LIV purses and the purses on the other tours remain? Will LIV continue to hold 54-hole, three-day tournaments with shotgun starts and no cuts, while the other tours maintain their traditional four-day formats?

The PGA Tour did say that the tours would develop a process for LIV players who want to reapply for membership with the two older tours after the 2023 season.

It is hard to overstate how surprising this news is. Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour and an architect of the merger, once laid out the case against the Saudi-backed LIV in stark moral terms. “I would ask any player that has left, or any player that would ever consider leaving, have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour,” Monahan said last year.

In a “privileged and confidential” memorandum to PGA Tour players on Tuesday, Commissioner Jay Monahan said the Saudi wealth fund will hold a minority stake in the new, for-profit company that will encompass the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the DP World Tour, as the European Tour is now marketed. Monahan is going to meet with players later Tuesday at a PGA Tour event in Toronto.

At last year’s U.S. Open, which came right after the first LIV competition near London, the mood was tense. Next week’s U.S. Open, scheduled to be played in Los Angeles, is virtually certain to carry a different vibe.

It is safe to assume that former PGA Tour players who left for LIV will ultimately be welcomed back into the fold. In their joint statement on Tuesday, the tour and the wealth fund said they expected to develop “a fair and objective process for any players who desire to re-apply for membership” with the PGA Tour. Among the big names who joined LIV: Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith.

The agreement between Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund and its erstwhile rivals is a watershed in global sports. About a year after LIV Golf tore onto the scene, it has prompted the wholesale reshuffling of a sport more hidebound than most. And the wealth fund has shown immense interest in other sports, including soccer and Formula 1 racing.

Here is the latest on the PGA-LIV Golf deal.

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the insurgent league bankrolled by billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, said on Tuesday that they had agreed to a merger, ending a bitter and costly fight for supremacy of men’s professional golf that had divided top players, everyday fans and corporate sponsors.

The merger represented the most stunning success to date of Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a player in global sports. Yet unlike its purchase of a Premier League soccer team or its sponsorship of events as diverse as boxing cards and Formula 1 auto races, its billion-dollar play for control of golf seemed from the start like nothing less than an attempt to seize control of an entire sport — one that in the United States has occupied a rarefied place in the sports firmament for more than a century.

LIV Golf had sparked a crisis for the PGA Tour , which has scrambled to reinvent its economic model as it has watched some of its biggest stars switch circuits. But LIV itself has also been a target of fierce criticism, immense skepticism and bitter litigation. Although much about the circuit’s operations remains unclear — many documents that would reveal details are under court seal — some information about its structure and its operations has emerged in legal filings, interviews, business records and internal documents reviewed by The New York Times. And some LIV critics contend that the sovereign wealth fund is using sports to distract from Saudi Arabia’s record of human rights abuses.

Now, by merging with the PGA Tour, LIV Golf has gained a foothold that guarantees it outsize influence in the game’s future after a long struggle to break through, especially in the United States, where the PGA Tour has long dominated men’s professional golf. The governor of the Saudi state entity bankrolling LIV, the Public Investment Fund, will become chairman of the new golf organization, which was created so quickly that it was announced before it even had a name.

Here are a few other notable parts of the deal:

The Public Investment Fund also will have right of first refusal on new investments in the merged tour, according to the statement announcing the merger . That leaves open the possibility for Saudi Arabia to take more ownership of the sport in the future should the tour need to raise more capital.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the wealth fund and the PGA Tour said the former rivals would “implement a plan to grow these combined commercial businesses, drive greater fan engagement and accelerate growth initiatives already underway.”

Under the terms of the tentative agreement, the Public Investment Fund will at first be the exclusive investor in the blended operation, along with the established tours, which includes the DP World Tour, and LIV. Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, is expected to be the new group’s chief executive, with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the wealth fund’s governor, installed as its chairman.

The Trump family, an early and eager partner of the Saudi-backed series, took a victory lap after the merger was announced.

Wells Fargo Championship

Quail Hollow Club

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Rory McIlroy's evolving stance on LIV Golf and the PIF: A comprehensive timeline

This week, we attempted to compile every public quote Rory McIlroy has made about LIV Golf, its predecessor the Premier Golf League, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and all the related drama in the golf world over the last four years. We scoured press conference transcripts, interviews with various media sources in the United States and abroad, and dozens of TV and podcast appearances. In all, it yielded a grand total of 26,506 words—about a third of the way to a novel—and it's inevitable that we missed something along the way.

You'll be relieved to know that this post isn't 26,000 words long, but it's not short either—picking out the important quotes is difficult because they all seem important. In tracing McIlroy's public comments since pre-pandemic 2020, when the PGL seemed to be on the verge of … well, something , maybe … to last week in Pebble Beach, when Rory took issue with Jordan Spieth's contention that the PGA Tour might not need a PIF investment in the wake of its deal with the Strategic Sports Group, what emerges is a story of shifting opinions, but also a surprising consistency over time. In fact, it’s tempting to argue that even the changing opinions reflect a consistent goal—reuniting the game—and the only reason the opinions change is because McIlroy’s view on the best way to accomplish that goal also changes. (Of course, you can also read it on a more cynical level, and say that any of the changes are also motivated by whatever personal benefits accrue to him.)

McIlroy’s shift reflects the broader changes in the sport itself, and the intention here isn't to call the four-time major champion a hypocrite. As the most public-facing figure of any player, McIlroy had the most to lose by going on the record over and over. Instead, this is a kind of one-man oral history from someone who rarely shied from the hard questions. To the extent that his changes of heart reflect something about his character, good or bad, that's for the reader to decide. As a document of a turbulent four years, though, it's plenty fascinating without judgment.

We'll start in 2020 and divide the saga into four parts. Many quotes have been shortened with ellipses for clarity and length.

PART 1: The PGL Era

From 2020, when McIlroy first spoke publicly on the subject, to early 2022, the breakaway narrative was defined by the Premier Golf League . The brainchild of British businessman Andy Gardiner, the PGL was a blueprint for team golf, and today’s LIV format retains many of the main elements. After years of building connections and gathering funding, including from the PIF, Gardiner and his team were attempting to make inroads in early 2020, including asking PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan for a meeting to discuss the potential for the two to work together to boost professional golf. Whether they were on the verge of success or not is still a subject of debate, but once the pandemic hit, what momentum the PGL had built was halted, and the remaining months of this era were a slow fade into irrelevance before the Saudis revived the idea without Gardiner. McIlroy, who according to Gardiner had loosely supported the concept in its infancy, didn’t take long to rally against the idea when it became a tangible possibility.

January 2020

On the PGL: "Those guys have been talking to a few of us for six years. They approached me at the end of 2014. … I love the PGA Tour. … I certainly wouldn't want to lose what's been built in the last 40 or 50 years. … I'm still quite a traditionalist, so to have that much of an upheaval in the game I don't think is the right step forward. But I think, as I said, it might be a catalyst for some changes on this tour that can help it grow and move forward and, you know, reward the top players the way they should be. "

February 2020

On potential conflict between players who leave the PGA Tour to play the PGL: "I could see that, definitely. … People are looking at it purely from a monetary standpoint. … I would like to be on the right side of history with this one, just sort of as Arnold [Palmer] was with the whole Greg Norman thing in the '90s. Again, I value a lot of other things over money , and that's sort of my stance on it at this point."

On the PGL proposals: "The more I've thought about it, the more I don't like it. The one thing as a professional golfer in my position that I value is the fact that I have autonomy and freedom over everything that I do. … I read a thing the other day where it said if you take the money they can tell you what to do, so if you don't take the money, they can't tell you what to do. … I feel like I would give that up by going to play this other league. For me, I'm out . My position is I'm against it until there may come a day that I can't be against it. If everyone else goes, I might not have a choice."

Rory McIlroy at the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational, when concept of the Premier Golf League was being floated among players.

Keyur Khamar

On structural changes the PGA Tour could make: "I don't want to come across as all sort of elitist, but I think there [are] some smaller fields, maybe a few more events with no cuts. … I think being a golf fan these days can get quite exhausting following so many different tournaments, different tours, all that stuff. So maybe … sort of streamline it a bit might be … a good place to start a conversation."

On possible Saudi funding for the PGL: " I didn’t really like where the money was coming from either. I wanted to be the first one to speak out against it. I’m glad that I have. I’m glad that I’ve done that.”

At this point, the pandemic hit and the PGLs momentum stalled. Eventually, officials with the PIF would decide not to partner with the PGL, co-opting the idea of a breakaway circuit. Moving forward, McIlroy's quotes on the matter are few and far between until 2022, when renewed Saudi efforts to start what would become LIV Golf began to have a real impact.

On a potential future merger between the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) and PGA Tour: "I've sort of been calling for it for a while. Yeah, I would like to see that. I think for the health of both tours, a world tour is something I've always wanted, but it had to be done the right way. I think the PGL coming in and trying to do it their way wasn't the right thing, so trying to make change from within the game already and not letting an outsider come in is the right way to do it. "

January 2021

On the newly announced alliance [signed in December 2020] between the European and PGA Tours: "It obviously leads to more cohesion of the professional game as a whole. I think at the minute, the professional game is a little fractured. … It just makes everything a little more cohesive and by the governing bodies and the tours working better together, I think it will just make it a more streamlined product for the players, for the media, for the consumer, basically for everyone."

On whether his view on the PGL had changed: "No, it hasn't changed at all. I haven't heard much about them over the past year. If they've been making the rounds, they certainly haven't been approaching us or my team. … I just can't see where they can go from here. "

On the progression of the PGL: “ People can see it for what it is, which is a money grab . Which is fine if that's what you're playing golf for is to make as much money as possible. Totally fine, then go and do that if that's what makes you happy. But I think the top players in the game, I'm just speaking my own personal beliefs, like I'm playing this game to try to cement my place in history and my legacy."

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PART 2: Saudi re-emergence and the first year of LIV Golf

When Yasir Al-Rumayyan and the Saudis lost faith in Andy Gardiner as the leader of the enterprise, they did not simply give up the dream of breaking into the world of professional golf. Instead, they began quietly building the infrastructure for what would become LIV Golf. The first LIV event was held in June 2022 in London, but momentum began to gather as early as February, which is also when McIlroy once again began to speak publicly about the new conflict.

February 2022

On why breakaway news seemed to be resurgent: "I have no idea. Again, I knew the way these guys have operated and it's all been smoke and mirrors, They've created rumors and spread rumors and tried to play one guy off another and said one thing to one manager and said a different thing to another manager and just sort of created this chaos and confusion around that group, and everyone's questioning everyone else's motives so they're just kind of playing everyone off one another."

On who might defect to LIV Golf first after Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau at the 2022 Genesis Invitational both said they were sticking with the PGA Tour: "Certainly for the younger guys, it just seems a massive risk. … I can maybe make sense of it for the guys that are getting to the latter stages of their career, for sure. … That's not what [the LIV organizers are] going to want, is it? They don't want some sort of league that's like a pre-Champions Tour . ... you look at the people that have already said no, [Jon] Rahm, No. 1 in the world, Collin Morikawa, myself. Like you've got the top players in the world are saying no, so that has to tell you something.

On whether Phil Mickelson's infamous remarks to Alan Shipnuck would end any chances of LIV's success: " Who's left? Who's left to go? I mean, there's no one. It's dead in the water in my opinion. … I just can't see any reason why anyone would go."

Rory McIlroy poses with Shane Lowry, Thomas Bjørn and Lee Westwood and their caddies at the 2022 Dubai Desert Classic, five months before LIV Golf would play its first event.

Luke Walker

On Greg Norman's claim that LIV golf was imminent: "I think Greg is in a very tough position because he's taken the role of being the leader of something that is very divisive. … I just think he's in a no-win situation. He's made that decision himself, and he has to deal with the questions that are being thrown at him. It's certainly not a position that I'd like to be in."

Later in the month, asked again about his "dead in the water" pronouncement: "Yeah, I might have been a little presumptuous at that point. It seems like it's still going. Greg and everyone behind it are very determined. I think we're just going to have to see how it plays out. … It's going to shape the future of professional golf one way or another."

On his ideal resolution: "Honestly I'm rooting for it all to be over. I'm just so sick of talking about it. I've made my decision, and I know where I want to play, and I'm not standing in anyone's way, and I'm not saying that they shouldn't go over there and play if that's what they feel is right for them. … The sooner everything shakes out, I think we can all just go back to not talking about it and doing what we want to do."

On the announcement of the first LIV field: "I'd say indifferent is probably the way I would describe it. … I have some very close friends that are playing in this event in London. … It's not something that I would do personally. But I certainly understand why some of the guys have went, and it's something that we are all just going to keep an eye on and see what happens over these next few weeks. But I certainly don't think the field is anything to jump up and down about. Look the field this week [at the Memorial]. Look at the field next week in Canada. They are proper golf tournaments."

On how the PGA Tour should discipline the players: "I certainly don't think they should drop the hammer. Look, they are well within their rights to enforce the rules and regulations that have been set. … It's going to end up being an argument about what those rules and regulations are."

On the players who went to LIV: "As we've seen, it's a young man's game nowadays. So someone that isn't guaranteed their [PGA] Tour card next year, another entity comes along and says, we'll guarantee you this amount for three years, plus you're playing for a ton more prize money, and you're playing less events, you can spend more time with your family. I mean, whenever you sit down and look at some of those things, you know, it's very appealing to some of those guys that are in that position. … You at least have to try to put yourself in other people's shoes and see where they are coming from."

On going for the money: "I think for me, speaking to a few people yesterday and one of the comments was, anything, any decision that you make in your life that's purely for money usually doesn't end up going the right way. Obviously money is a deciding factor in a lot of things in this world, but if it's purely for money. … It never seems to go the way you want it to."

On LIV preparing for its first event in London: " It's a shame that it's going to fracture the game . … The professional game is the window shop into golf. If the general public are confused about who is playing where and what tournament’s on this week and who is, you know, oh, he plays there, OK, and he doesn't get into these events. It just becomes so confusing."

On Jay Monahan suspending LIV players: "I think at this point, Jay's been pretty transparent in terms of he's just going to act within the tournament regulations and the rules that are set for a PGA Tour member. All he's doing is basically going by the book. I think that the majority of the membership that are here this week … really appreciate that."

On winning the Canadian Open the week of LIV's debut: "I alluded to it, I had extra motivation of what's going on across the pond. The guy that's spearheading that tour [Greg Norman] has 20 wins on the PGA Tour and I was tied with him and I wanted to get one ahead of him. And I did."

On getting his "dead in the water" prediction wrong: "I guess I took a lot of players' statements at face value [that they wouldn’t jump to LIV]. I guess that's what I got wrong. You had people committed to the PGA Tour, and that's what the statements that were put out. … I took them at their word, and I was wrong. "

On why he chose to speak out on behalf of the PGA Tour: "Because in my opinion it's the right thing to do. The PGA Tour was created by people and tour players that came before us, the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer. They created something and worked hard for something, and I hate to see all the players that came before us and all the hard work that they've put in just come out to be nothing. I think one of the other things as well is the PGA Tour has certainly given me a lot of opportunities, and I've benefited a lot from that."

On the ethics of the Saudi money, and the protests of the 9/11 families: "I think everything that's happening with [LIV], it legitimizes their place in the world. … I'm sure not every Saudi Arabian is a bad person … I've spent a lot of time in the Middle East, and the vast majority of people that I've met there are very, very nice people, but there's bad people everywhere. The bad people that came from that part of the world did some absolutely horrendous things. Of course, I understand where these families are coming from, and in this day and age everything is just so intertwined, and it's hard to separate sport from politics from dirty money from clean money. It's a very convoluted world right now. I certainly empathize with those families."

At the 2022 RBC Canadian Open, the same week as LIV Golf's inaugural event, Rory McIlroy took joy in winning his 21st PGA Tour title, one more than LIV commissioner Greg Norman.

Vaughn Ridley

On whether the players at LIV are complicit in the Saudis' sportswashing: "I don't think they're complicit in it. … They all have the choice to play where they want to play, and they've made their decision. My dad said to me a long time ago, ‘once you make your bed, you lie in it,’ and they've made their bed. "

On potential impact on friendships: "I don't think it will strain any relationships. I'm still going to be close with the guys that have made the decision to play those events. It's not as if you agree on absolutely everything that all your friends do. You're going to have a difference of opinion on a lot of things. That's fine. That's what makes this a great world."

On whether it's a surrender competitively to join LIV: "Yes, because a lot of these guys are in their late 40s, in Phil's case, early 50s. Yeah, I think everyone in this room and they would say to you themselves that their best days are behind them. That's why I don't understand for the guys that are a similar age to me going because I would like to believe that my best days are still ahead of me, and I think theirs are, too. So that's where it feels like you're taking the easy way out. "

On being the face of the PGA Tour: "Sometimes that's to my detriment, I guess, in some ways. But I'd rather be honest and speak my mind than just stand up here and give you mundane answers that aren't indicative of how I am actually thinking and feeling about the whole thing."

On Koepka going to LIV, and whether it surprised him: "Yes, because of what he said previously. I think that's why I'm surprised at a lot of these guys because they say one thing and then they do another, and I don't understand that … but it's pretty duplicitous on their part to say one thing and then do another thing."

On whether peace talks with LIV would be a good idea: "I think that needs to happen. It’s unfortunate, it’s messy … but I said this back at the very start in 2020, I think in the long term it will make the game better because I think it will force the tours to adapt and change and make the product better and focus on maybe the fan engagement side of things and focus on maybe some stuff that they’ve been neglecting over the years.”

On his most recent thoughts on Saudi funding: "Look, there’s so much chat about where the money’s coming from and Saudi and everything else, and they sponsor so many other things and they’re all over sport … Aramco are big sponsors of Formula 1, the Aramco Ladies Series in golf, which has actually been really good for the ladies in terms of big prize funds and so on, so I understand people’s reservations with everything. But at the same time, if these people are serious about investing billions of dollars into golf, I think ultimately that’s a good thing. … I just wish that we could have spent that much money within the structure that has existed for many decades in golf instead of being a big disruptor."

On the format of LIV itself: " There’s no room in the golf world for LIV Golf. I don’t agree with what LIV is doing. If LIV went away tomorrow, I’d be super happy. My stance hasn't softened on that … my stance on where the money is coming from is where I've sort of softened. … If these guys are willing to do that and scrap the whole LIV thing, that would be ideal."

August 2022

With LIV Golf up and running, playing three events between June and July and boasting about the millions of dollars being spent to get the tour off the ground, a handful of top players who remained loyal to the PGA Tour, led by McIlroy and Tiger Woods, gathered ahead of the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship in Delaware to discuss what could be done to try to stave off any more defectors to LIV.

On the players meeting in Delaware: "I think the one thing that came out of it, which I think was the purpose, is all the top players on this tour are in agreement and alignment of where we should go going forward, and that was awesome. … We need to get the top guys together more often. "

On whether Mickelson was vindicated in his original comments about the PGA Tour’s issues: "As much as I probably don't want to give Phil any sort of credit at all, yeah, there were certain points that he was trying to make. But there's a way to go about them. There's a way to collaborate. … Were some of these ideas, did they have merit? Of course they did. But he just didn't approach it the right way."

Rory McIlroy is congratulated by PGA Tour commission Jay Monahan after winning the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup title in August 2022.

Kevin C. Cox

September 2022

As players jumped to LIV Golf, Monahan was quick to act, suspending them from competing on the PGA Tour. Similarly, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley suspended and fined his players who jumped to LIV, but a U.K. court ruled put such disciplinary acts on hold pending a full arbitration hearing for February 2023. In the meantime, LIV players could continue to play in DP World Tour events, making for some awkward interchanges.

On playing with LIV players at Wentworth in the BMW PGA: "My opinion is they shouldn't be here but again that's just my opinion. But we are all going to tee it up on the first tee tomorrow and we are all going to go play 72 holes, which is a novelty for them at this point, and then we'll go from there."

On a path for LIV players to return to the PGA Tour: "I mean, they can always go through Q School, yeah."

On his objections to the LIV format: "There is this pyramid and this funnel that has been so good for golf for so many years, and I don't think it's a broken system. So whenever something like this comes along that is incredibly disruptive and they are saying things about how golf needs to change, it doesn't need to change. … It's incredibly divisive, and does it bring more eyeballs on to golf? Probably, because people are interested in the soap opera of it all, but that's not golf. The most interesting thing about LIV is the rumors and who is going and who is not going. It's not the golf right now."

On LIV not getting OWGR points: "You can't make up your own rules. There's criteria there and everyone knows what they are. If they want to pivot to meet the criteria, they can, and then all of a sudden … I certainly have no problem with them getting World Ranking points, at all. … If you don't meet the criteria, it's going to be hard to justify why you should have them.”

On how peace might happen: "There's obviously two lawsuits going on at the minute, there's PGA Tour versus LIV [in the U.S. courts] and there's this one that's coming up with the DP World Tour in February. Nothing will happen if those two things are still going on, and then I think from whatever happens with those two things, there's a few things that I would like to see on the LIV side that needs to happen. I think Greg needs to go. I think he just needs to exit stage left. … But right now, it's a stalemate because there can't be any other way."

November 2022

On the role he would play in any deal talks: "I don't need to be a part of it. Frankly, I wouldn't really want to be part of it. … I'm a golfer and I'm trying to stick to that line of work."

December 2022

On defecting players: "All I’ve wanted to do in golf is be the best version of myself, to get the best out of myself, to compare myself to the greats and those I’ve looked up to growing up. The people who have gone to LIV have given all that up … I actually feel sorry for them. I feel sorry that they’ll never know—and maybe this will change—but they’ll never know how good they can be. And to me that’s the fundamental essence of playing a competitive sport."

On his declining relationship with Sergio: "On the Friday of the U.S. Open … I woke up to a text that was sent at 5:30 that morning. He had an early tee time, I didn’t, and I woke up to this text basically telling me to shut up about LIV, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I was pretty offended and sent him back a couple of daggers and that was it. … I don’t know why I felt so strongly about it. I talked to a few people, ‘Why does this bother me so much? It shouldn’t bother me as much as it does.’”

PART 3: LIV enters its second season, Rory burns out

While LIV struggled to make inroads with the public in 2022, the league gained a certain foothold in 2023 by virtue of both Brooks Koepka winning a major championship, and their obvious commitment to staying the course and pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the league in the process. While the rhetoric between the two tours heated up, it became clear that LIV wasn’t going anywhere, and that the threat of poaching PGA Tour players would hang over the sport for at least the near future. For McIlroy, the burden of speaking on behalf of the PGA Tour for so long began to wear, and he hit a low point in early the year, particularly at the Masters, where he missed the cut.

January 2023

On playing well in 2022 while being a de facto spokesperson: "There's no point in just being a mouthpiece when you can't back that up by playing good golf and showing people the rewards people can have out here if they are playing well. And it's a merit-based system. That's the thing that I've always struggled with: If a 5-year-old boy or girl know that they work hard and they shoot the scores, there's a merit-based system in golf all the way through junior golf, amateur golf, all the way up to the professional level and they can make it to the top levels of the game."

On how much the tour's schedule changes, including the introduction of designated events, were in response to LIV Golf: "A lot of it. I'm not going to sit here and lie; I think the emergence of LIV or the emergence of a competitor to the PGA Tour has benefited everyone that plays elite professional golf. I think when you've been the biggest golf league in the biggest market in the world for the last 60 years, there's not a lot of incentive to innovate. This has caused a ton of innovation at the PGA Tour, and what was quite, I would say, an antiquated system is being revamped to try to mirror where we're at in the world."

While LIV golfers, such as Patrick Reed, were still playing in DP World Tour events up to February 2023, the divide between them and those who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour was evident.

Andrew Redington

On his own time commitment: "When I went on the board of the PGA Tour, I didn't imagine it would take up this much time. But I think it's been important work, and I'm proud of the steps that we and the PGA Tour have made to try to make everything better for the membership and try to stem the flow of players that have went to LIV."

On his relationships with LIV players: "I see some of these guys at home, I see Brooks [Koepka] a lot, I see DJ a lot, we sort of practice at the same place. As you said, I think the more face time you get with some people, the more comfortable you become in some way. … It's OK to get on with Brooks and DJ and maybe not get on with some other guys that went to LIV, right. It's interpersonal relationships, that's just how it goes."

On European LIV players severing ties with the Ryder Cup: "I think it's a shame, right? I think it's a shame that you've got the highest points scorer ever in the Ryder Cup [Sergio Garcia] and two guys [Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter] that when they look back on their career, that's probably going to be at least a big chunk of their legacy is the roles that they have played in the Ryder Cup for Europe. For those three guys to not captain Europe one day, it's a shame. "

On LIV players playing in the Ryder Cup: "I certainly think Brooks deserves to be on the United States team … but I have different feelings about the European team and the other side and sort of how that has all transpired and, yeah, I don't think any of those guys should be a part of the European team."

On his fatigue in 2023: "I wasn't gassed because of the golf. I was gassed because of everything that we've had to deal with in the golf world over the past 12 months and being right in the middle of it and being in that decision-making process. The golf's the easy part. I've always thought I've had a good handle on the perspective of things and where golf fits within my life, but I think over the last 12 months I'd lost sight of that, lost sight of the fact that there's more to life than the golf world and this silly little squabble that's going on between tours."

On where the professional game would be in a year: "I don't have a crystal ball."

On whether he wanted to speculate: "No."

On if he was making a conscious choice to talk less about LIV: "Yeah."

PART 4: The Framework Agreement and everything after

With the shocking news of the framework agreement hitting June 6, 2023, the PGA Tour vs. LIV saga took a sharp turn. Shock gave way to anger for some players on tour, and as for the framework agreement itself, a sense of confusion abounded —what was this, exactly? Rory claimed to be as surprised as anyone else, and from last summer to the present, his position has been defined by a commitment to reunion. That meant a growing tolerance for the PIF, which has evolved recently into overtly supporting their investment in the new Tour venture with the SSG, and total amnesty for the defecting players.

On hearing about the PGA Tour and LIV Golf signing a framework agreement for a possible partnership: "I got a text message on Monday night, I guess. From Jimmy Dunne … we had a chat. Took me through the news. Took me through the deal, structure of the deal, what it meant for us, what it meant for the DP World Tour. So, yeah, I learned about it pretty much at the same time everyone else did. … I think ultimately, when I try to remove myself from the situation and I look at the bigger picture, and I look at 10 years down the line, I think ultimately this is going to be, it's going to be good for the game of professional golf. I think it … unifies it and it secures its financial future."

On becoming a realist: "Whether you like it or not, the PIF were going to keep spending the money in golf. At least the PGA Tour now controls how that money is spent. So, you know, if you're thinking about one of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world, would you rather have them as a partner or an enemy? At the end of the day, money talks and you would rather have them as a partner. "

On LIV players potentially rejoining the PGA Tour: "There still has to be consequences to actions. The people that left the PGA Tour irreparably harmed this tour, started litigation against it. Like, we can't just welcome them back in. Like, that's not going to happen. And I think that was the one thing that Jay was trying to get across yesterday is like, guys, we're not just going to bring these guys back in and pretend like nothing's happened. That is not going to happen."

On his personal feelings: "It's hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I've put myself out there and this is what happens. Again, removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for the game of golf. There's no denying that."

On LIV: " I still hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. Like, I hope it goes away. And I would fully expect that it does. And I think that's where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF. Very different from LIV."

McIlroy acknowledged hurt feelings when the PGA Tour and PIF signed their framework agreement in June 2023.

On the public perception of the merger: "I said it to Jay yesterday, you've galvanized everyone against something and that thing that you galvanized everyone against you've now partnered with. So, yeah, of course I understand it. It is hypocritical. It sounds hypocritical."

On coming to terms with Saudi influence: "I see what's happened in other sports. I see what's happened in other businesses. And, honestly, I've just resigned myself to the fact that this is, you know, this is what's going to happen. … It's very hard to keep up with people that have more money than anyone else. And, again, if they want to put that money into the game of golf, then why don't we partner with them and make sure that it's done in the right way."

On the players' meeting: "It was heated. People were surprised. People felt like they were in the dark about all this. Look, most of the gripes come from the guys that are, you know, trying to hold onto their cards. … They were already feeling somewhat vulnerable. And, honestly, it's hard for me to relate to those guys, because I've never been in that position. I try to empathize with it, but it's hard for me."

On LIV: "If LIV Golf was the last place on Earth to play golf, I would retire. That’s how I feel about it."

August 2023

On his involvement, and how it has changed: "Maybe less emotionally involved. Last year it was to do with, ‘how can we make the product of the PGA Tour better?,’ and I think I was really invested in that. So when it comes to, like, governance and investment and all that. … Not that I don't care about it, but it doesn't excite me as much as making the product better and how can we make this the most competitive landscape to play professional golf and how can we get all the best players to play together."

September 2023

On PIF's involvement in golf: "The only thing I would say about the PIF investments in other sports is that they went in and played within the ecosystems of those other sports. They didn’t try to buy F1, they didn’t try to buy the Premier League … the way I’ve looked at it is if the PIF are really interested in golf and they want to get in the system, at least if we provide them with a pathway to play within the system where they are not taking over the sport. It neutralizes any threat of LIV becoming something that it hopefully shouldn’t become. And they play within the boundaries that are set within our sport."

On his acceptance of PIF's involvement: "You see everything else happening in the world, you see big private equity companies in America taking their money — the biggest companies in the world. There’s a lot of whataboutism and all that stuff, but at the same time, if this is what is happening, then the way I’ve framed it is that the world has decided for me. "

November 2023

On the delay in making a deal: "I think getting something done sooner rather than later is a good thing … even if we get a deal done, it doesn't mean that it's actually going to happen. That's up to the United States government at that point, and whether the Department of Justice thinks that it's the right thing to do or whether anti-competitive or whatever. Even if a deal does get done, it's not a sure thing … but in my opinion, the faster something gets done, the better."

On whether he was enjoying his spot on the board: "Not particularly, no. Not what I signed for whenever I went on the board."

Less than two weeks after making this comment, McIlroy formally resigned his position on the board, eventually being replaced by Jordan Spieth.

On resigning his board position: "I just think I've got a lot going on in my life between my golf game, my family and my growing investment portfolio, my involvement in TGL, and I just felt like something had to give. I just didn't feel like I could commit the time and the energy into doing that."

In November 2023, Jon Rahm won the DP World Tour Championship and Rory McIlroy earned the year-long Race to Dubai title, both claiming their rewards from DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley. Less than a month later, Rahm has signed with LIV Golf and McIlroy had stepped down from the PGA Tour Policy Board.

On PIF being potentially shut out: "I would hope when we go through this process, the PIF are the ones that are involved in the framework agreement. Obviously, there’s been other suitors that have been involved and offering their services and their help … I sincerely hope that the PIF are involved and we can bring the game of golf back together."

December 2023

On Rahm going to LIV: "I have nothing but good things to say about Jon … the thing I realized is you can't judge someone for making a decision that they feel is the best thing for them. Is it disappointing for me? Yes. But the landscape of golf changed on June 6 , whenever the framework agreement was announced. I think because of that it made the jump from PGA Tour to LIV a little bit easier for guys. They let the first guys take the heat. This framework agreement legitimized basically what LIV was trying to do."

On the prospect of Rahm playing in the Ryder Cup: "Jon is going to be in Bethpage in 2025. … The European Tour is going to have to rewrite the rules for Ryder Cup eligibility. Absolutely. There's no question about that. I certainly want Jon on the next Ryder Cup team. "

On a continued split in the game: "My fear is that we continue down this path where we have competing tours, and it divides the eyeballs that are on the game, some people like LIV, the majority of people like PGA Tour. But if LIV start to take a few players each and every year, it's really going to be divided. And that's no good for anyone, you're basically cannibalizing yourself as a sport. … We need to get everyone back together and try to forget about what's happened in the past, let bygones be bygones and we all move forward together, and I think that's what's going to be the best thing for the professional game."

January 2024

On his current feelings on LIV defectors : "I was maybe a little judgmental of the guys who went at the start. I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realize that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger's position. You get this offer, and what do you do? We all turn professional to make a living playing the sports that we do. I think that's what I realized over the last two years. I can't judge people for making that decision, so if I regret anything, it was probably being too judgmental at the start. "

On what's preventing a global tour: "I think just different interests...I think what we need to do first is align interests of the players and the business and the fans and the media and try to get everyone's interests aligned. And then once you do that, then you can move forward. So it's the aligning of interests, which is the big key to trying to get to that dream scenario."

On whether he campaigns to fellow tour pros: "I'm done with that."

February 2024

On Jordan Spieth's remark that PIF might not need to be involved in the PGA Tour's future after the tour annoucned a $3 billion deal with the Strategic Sports Group : "I talked to him about his comments, and we had a pretty frank discussion. My thing was if I’m the original investor that thought that they were going to get this deal done back in July, and I’m hearing a board member say that, you know, we don’t really need them, now, how are they going to think about that, what are they gonna feel about that? They are still sitting out there with hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions, that they're gonna pour it into sport ... not having them as your partner, I don't think is an option for the game of golf. "

On Tyrrell Hatton going to LIV: "At the end of the day everyone needs to do what's right for them. I had a long talk with Tyrrell on Sunday, completely understood where he was coming from. … I'm not going to stand in anyone's way from making money and if what they deem life changing money … who knows, Tyrrell might still play TGL in 10 months' time depending on what happens."

On punishment for players who may return to the PGA Tour from LIV: "If people still have eligibility on this tour and they want to come back and play or you want to try and do something, let them come back. … I think it's hard to punish people. … Obviously I've changed my tune on that because I see where golf is and I see that having a diminished PGA Tour and having a diminished LIV Tour or anything else is bad for both parties."

LIV Golf tour live updates: Leaderboard, news as Charl Schwartzel wins first event, PGA Tour suspends players

The controversial LIV Golf International Series has arrived. While Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson headlined a 48-player field for the first event, Charl Schwartzel emerged as the winner by one stroke, taking home $4 million.

The PGA Tour wasted little time bringing down the hammer on golfers who choose to play LIV Golf, issuing a letter outlining suspensions that will affect some of the game's biggest stars, including Mickelson and Johnson.

What is LIV Golf, who's involved and will it be sustainable? Follow here for news, interviews, analysis and all the latest developments.

(Photo: Paul Childs / Action Images / Reuters via USA Today)

Rory Chimes in from RBC Canadian Open

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No post-round comments from Phil Mickelson

Final leaderboard from centurion club.

The top 10 finishers at the first LIV Golf event:

1. Charl Schwartzel (-7)

2. Hennie Du Plessis (-6)

T3. Branden Grace (-5)

T3. Peter Uihlein (-5)

5. Sam Horsfield (-3)

T6. Oliver Bekker (-2)

T6. Adrian Otaegui (-2)

8. Dustin Johnson (-1)

9. Talor Gooch (E)

T10. Louis Oosthuizen (+1)

T10. Justin Harding (+1)

T10. Graeme McDowell (+1)

Charl Schwartzel wins inaugural LIV Golf event

Charl Schwartzel won the first event of the controversial LIV Golf International Series and a $4 million paycheck, holding off Hennie Du Plessis by one stroke at Centurion Club in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

The 2011 Masters winner led after each round of the 54-hole tournament, shooting a 5-under 65 and 4-under 66 on Thursday and Friday before finishing with a 2-over 72 on Saturday. He had not won on the PGA or European Tour since 2016.

Read more here .

Pat Perez joins LIV Golf

LIV Golf officially added Pat Perez to its roster on Saturday. The 46-year-old, currently ranked No. 168 in the world, will join — along with Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed — at the circuit's second event in Oregon at the end of June.

A three-time winner on the PGA Tour, Perez last won at the CIMB Classic in October 2017. He most recently played at the Memorial Tournament from June 2-5, finishing tied for 26th. He last appeared in a major at the 2019 PGA Championship.

Patrick Reed: 'Portland can't get here fast enough'

Patrick Reed joined the LIV Golf broadcast on Saturday and confirmed he'll make his debut in the circuit's second event, which will take place at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore., from June 30 to July 2.

The 2018 Masters winner and Bryson DeChambeau have been announced as LIV Golf members since the start of the first event.

LIV Golf pulls from the Masters menu

Inside LIV Golf’s first event, where all the intrigue and hubris is off the tee box

Because as well as being an attempt to make golf more attractive to the TikTok generation — like cricket’s T20 format — it is also the latest chapter in the Big Book of Sportswashing and the opening shots in a battle for control of an entire sport.

Let us tackle those heavyweight issues in that order, as that is how events have played out this week.

(Illustration: Sam Richardson / The Athletic)

Q&A: Matt Jones explains decision to join LIV Golf, desire to remain on PGA Tour

As he walked off the practice green on June 1, Jones stopped to speak with four writers from The Athletic , the Associated Press, ESPN and USA Today. In an effort to give full clarity on what goes into a player making the jump to LIV, the interview is being presented here in full .

(Photo: Reinhold Matay / USA Today)

Canadian Open, sponsor RBC move on without longtime tournament face Dustin Johnson

TORONTO – Laurence Appelbaum heard the news late on May 31, three days before the reveal of the full RBC Canadian Open field.

Dustin Johnson, a two-time major champion and RBC ambassador, was joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour. His name appeared on the list of golfers playing the tour’s first event, happening the same week as the Canadian Open, June 10-12.

When he heard the decision from the PGA Tour, Appelbaum, Golf Canada’s CEO, was surprised and shocked.

“DJ had been so effusive in his commitment to the PGA Tour about 60 days prior,” Appelbaum said. “And he was such an important part of Team RBC.”

Curtis Strange doesn't hold back on LIV

Dustin johnson done with pga tour, plans to play less golf.

Johnson said Friday he'll play the LIV Golf events and majors:

PGA Tour sets viewership milestone

Despite the LIV Golf Tournament being underway, the RBC Canadian Open averaged 385,000 viewers from 3-6 p.m. ET on Thursday.

DJ has spoken with The Masters

Will he be invited going forward?

Bryson is officially official

Sponsor rocket mortgage cuts ties with bryson dechambeau, 'it's hard to turn down'.

Justin Thomas talked about his concern that others will follow to LIV thanks to the money involved.

Rory McIlroy weighs in

The former world No. 1 said Wednesday that the controversial LIV series is "not something (he wants) to participate in" and implied that those doing so are in it "purely for money." On Thursday, he said golfers at the Canadian Open are "pleased" by the sanctions handed out.

He added that he does plan to check out the LIV Golf streams.

"I think like everyone else, I'm intrigued and I'm a fan of golf. I've got quite a few guys over there that I call friends that are playing," he said. "I'll see it and watch it and see what all the fuss is about."

McIlroy is out on the team names, though.

"Certainly not going out to buy any team merchandise any time soon," he said.

Justin Thomas talks PGA Tour sanctions

World No. 6 Justin Thomas, currently playing at the 2022 Canadian Open, on the PGA Tour’s decision to suspend LIV golfers:

“I’m pleased. Anybody that’s shocked clearly isn’t listening to the message that Jay is putting out.”

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LIV Golf Invitational Series: All you need to know ahead of inaugural tournament at Centurion Club

LIV Golf's inaugural invitational tournament, worth a record $25m at Centurion Club, gets under way on Thursday; Phil Mickelson, former world No 1 Dustin Johnson and Ryder Cup legends Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are among the playing field

Thursday 9 June 2022 07:35, UK

After months of speculation and back-and-forth between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, the new Saudi-backed series is to get under way on the outskirts of London on Thursday. Here's all you need to know about who is taking part, what is the format, and why the new league has been so controversial...

Who is going to play?

The event is not being recognised by the Official Golf World Ranking (OWGR), meaning no world ranking points will be on offer during the tournament, although that has not stopped a number of high-profile names agreeing to play at the Centurion Club.

Johnson makes U-turn to headline Saudi-backed event

• DeChambeau confirmed for LIV series | Reed, Fowler expected to follow
• McIlroy: Money decisions never end well | Rory, JT sticking with PGA

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Former world No 1 Dustin Johnson and Ryder Cup legends Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood were among the most notable names to commit, with major champions Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen also involved. Phil Mickelson was added to that list on Monday evening after months of controversy surrounding comments he made about the breakaway series.

Former British Masters champion Richard Bland and PGA Tour veteran Kevin Na also signed up, while reigning US Amateur winner James Piot is among the young players featuring in England.

Some 42 players were initially named in the field for the inaugural event, with five more added after the Asian Tour event at Slaley Hall on Sunday.

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Looking ahead to the second event at Pumpkin Ridge in Portland from June 30 to July 2, Bryson DeChambeau has said he will play in it and Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler are reportedly set to join him .

What does this mean for the Majors, Ryder Cup and other tours?

Johnson, Na, Garcia, Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace have all resigned from the PGA Tour, but Mickelson and DeChambeau do not plan to do so.

McIlroy questions quality of LIV Golf field

Norman 'surprised' by Na resigning from PGA Tour

Latest golf news

Johnson's decision to resign from the PGA Tour means that as of now he is unable to be selected for future Ryder Cups, although he remains hopeful that the situation may change.

European Ryder Cup legends, Garcia, Poulter and Westwood are also hopeful they will be allowed to take part in future events. Rory McIlroy has ruled out joining the LIV series but believes those that do compete should not be disqualified from Ryder Cup selection .

Each of the four majors are independently run and can decide whether LIV golfers can participate in their competitions. The USGA confirmed on Tuesday that those teeing it up at the Centurion Club that have already qualified for next week's US Open - which is live on Sky Sports from June 16 - will be allowed to take part.

How did the idea come around?

Reports first began to surface of a rival league to the PGA Tour as far back as 2019, but it was only in late 2021 that the proposal truly began to take shape with the formation of LIV Golf Investments.

This new entity, with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) - owners of Newcastle United - as its majority shareholder, made an initial $200m commitment to the Asian Tour, later increased to $300m, and appointed former world No 1 and Open champion Greg Norman as its CEO.

In March, despite the PGA Tour threatening to hand out lifetime bans to players who defect to a rival league, LIV Golf announced the schedule for an eight-event, $225m invitational series beginning at Centurion Club in St Albans on Thursday.

LIV is the Roman numeral for 54, which is the number of holes to be played in each event. It also refers to the lowest score a player can shoot were they to birdie every hole on a par-72 course.

Why is it so controversial?

Due to the PIF's links to the Saudi government, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman serving as chairman, LIV Golf has faced accusations of sports washing.

Norman has adamantly denied such claims, telling Sky Sports in May that Saudi Arabia is "changing their culture within their country" and insisting "I do not answer to Saudi Arabia. I do not answer to their government or MBS".

Comments from a Mickelson interview with author Alan Shipnuck, who is writing an unauthorised biography of the six-time major winner, came to light in February, in which the 51-year-old questioned Saudi Arabia's human rights record and called the regime "scary".

Mickelson has since apologised for his "reckless" comments.

What is the format?

All 48 players compete against each other in a traditional stroke play format, with the lowest 54-hole total from the no-cut event being the winner, while a draft will help allocate players into the team format.

Each team will have a LIV appointed team captain who will select their three open team positions via a snake draft format, similar to those used on the Ladies European Tour in the Aramco Team Series.

For the first two rounds, the best two stroke play scores will count for each team. For the third and final round, the best three scores will count, with the lowest overall team score after 54 holes being named the team winner.

The format changes in the Team Championship, which is a seeded four-day, four-round, match play knock-out tournament. The top four seeds automatically receive a bye through the first round, with the remaining eight teams playing against each other to see who reaches the quarter-finals.

Team names and captains

Captains in bold, with the 48-strong field divided into 12 teams

4 ACES - Dustin Johnson , Shaun Norris, Oliver Bekker, Kevin Yuan

HY FLYERS - Phil Mickelson , Justin Harding, TK Chantananuwat (a), Chase Koepka

PUNCH - Wade Ormsby , Matt Jones, Ryosuke Kinoshita, Blake Windred

CLEEKS - Martin Kaymer , Pablo Larrazabal, JC Ritchie, Ian Snyman

IRON HEADS - Kevin Na , Sadom Kaewkanjana, Hideto Tanihara, Viraj Madappa

SMASH - Sihwan Kim , Scott Vincent, Jinichiro Kozuma, Itthipat Buranatanyarat

CRUSHERS - Peter Uihlein , Richard Bland, Phachara Khongwatmai, Travis Smyth

MAJESTICKS - Ian Poulter , Lee Westwood, Sam Horsfield, Laurie Canter

STINGER - Louis Oosthuizen , Hennie du Plessis, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace

FIREBALLS - Sergio Garcia , David Puig (a), James Piot (a), Jediah Morgan

NIBLICKS - Graeme McDowell , Bernd Wiesberger, Turk Pettit, Oliver Fisher

TORQUE - Talor Gooch , Hudson Swafford, Adrian Otaegui, Andy Ogletree

How much money will players earn?

The first seven events all have a prize purse of $25million, with $20m being distributed between the 48-man field and the remaining $5m being shared between the top three teams at the end of each week.

The winner will receive $4m (£3.2m), considerably more than the $2.7m awarded to Scottie Scheffler for his victory at The Masters and Justin Thomas secured for his PGA Championship success, while every player is guaranteed at least $120,000 just for completing 54 holes.

An Individual Champion will be crowned at the end of those events, with a $30m fund distributed for the top three players of the season, providing they have played in a minimum of four tournaments.

The prize purse doubles for the season finale in Miami and sees $50m allocated between each of the 12 four-man teams. Each player receives a 25 per cent cut of team earnings, with $16m awarded to the winning team and $1million for the team finishing 12th.

Where are future events taking place?

The inaugural event in London is the first of eight tournaments due to take place over the next few months, including five in the United States and two in Asia, with an expanded schedule then planned in the coming years.

Pumpkin Ridge GC in Portland from June 30-July 2 and Trump National Golf Club Bedminster from July 29-31 are the next two events, with further US-based tournaments take place in Boston from September 2-4 and Chicago from September 16-18.

Stonehill Golf Club in Bangkok is the venue from October 7-9 and Royal Greens Golf Club - the site of the Saudi International in recent years - hosts the following week, with the season-ending Team Championship then hosted at Trump National Doral Miami from October 27-30.

LIV Golf plans to have 10 events in its 2023 calendar before expanding to 14 tournaments from 2024, although dates and locations for those have not yet been confirmed.

"We have a long-term vision and we're here to stay," said Norman, the CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, via a release. "We're going to grow the game, give more opportunities to players, and create a more entertaining product for fans."

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Observations on Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Talor Gooch as LIV Golf hits midway point | D'Angelo

LIV Golf has reached the midway point of its 2024 season and the Saudi-backed league continues to show no signs of slowing,

As talks between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which finances LIV, continue to drag on, LIV continues to grow, adding players, as it did last offseason with Jon Rahm , Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk, and growing its business side , as it has this year by adding a chief financial officer and chief marketing officer, among others.

And LIV's chief pot stirrer, at least among the players, Phil Mickelson, continues to drop hints about more raids on the PGA Tour.

Mickelson responded to a tweet about the lack of LIV golfers in the major championships — that did not age well with the PGA of America announcing Tuesday it invited seven more to play in the PGA Championship, bringing the number to 16 — by responding: "What about next year when more great players join? Or the following year?"

Mickelson and LIV's chief executive officer and commissioner, Palm Beach Gardens' Greg Norman, made the same promise following the 2022 and 2023 seasons. It didn't go so well two years ago, but the league made up for that last offseason by signing Rahm and Hatton.

With seven events down and seven remaining in LIV's third season — next up Houston June 7-9 — some observations on the league that has its headquarters in West Palm Beach:

Koepka ramping up for another major

Brooks Koepka's win last weekend at Singapore makes him the first LIV golfer with four career titles. But the number he really cares about is five, as in his number of major championships.

The Jupiter resident will chase his sixth major next week at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of the PGA Championship. Three of those major wins are the PGA Championship, including last year at Oak Hill outside of Rochester, New York.

"Everything was really solid," Koepka said following his win at Singapore. "I didn't really think I made too many mistakes. It's a great feeling when it kind of feels easy, if you get what I'm saying.

"I like the way things are trending."

Niemann leads points race

Joaquin Niemann, the Chilean who lives in North Palm Beach, is carrying his strong offseason that got him invites to the Masters and PGA Championship into the LIV season.

Niemann leads the individual standings with 134.4 points. Rahm is second at 98.17. Niemann has two wins and has been in the top 10 in all but one event.

Crushers, with captain Bryson DeChambeau, Palm Beach Gardens' Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey and Charles Howell III, lead the team standings.

Money, money, money, money

Niemann also leads the money list thanks to those two titles that earned him $4 million each. With $10,888,000 in prize money, he leads Dean Burmester ($7,258,013) and Koepka ($6,080,500).

Niemann has earned $19.2 million in less than two years on LIV (he joined in August 2022). He made $15.1 million in prize money in 122 events on the PGA Tour dating back to his first event in 2017.

At times, Rahm misses PGA Tour

Rahm boosted LIV's profile after leaving the PGA Tour in December. He is off to a strong start in his new league with top-10 finishes in all seven events, including twice tying for third.

And while Rahm has never mentioned regretting the decision that will net him a reported $550 million over three years including bonuses — plus prize money of which he already has topped $5 million this season — he did admit to being "emotional" when thinking about what he has given up.

Rahm said driving by TPC Scottsdale in his hometown, and knowing he is ineligible for events like the Phoenix Open and those in Palm Springs and at Torrey Pines is difficult.

Then he thinks about a half billion dollars and all that goes away.

Anthony Kim return not going well on course

Although results are the least important part of Anthony Kim joining LIV and getting his life back in order, it can't be ignored that the one-time world No. 6 continues to struggle on the course.

Kim has played five events as a wild card and has not finished better than 50th in the 54-man fields. He has placed 52nd, 54th, 53rd, 50th and 52nd. Still, his combined 52-over par has earned him $260,000.

"As important as golf is, I just want to be in the right mental place," Kim said at the LIV event at Doral. "I would get upset if I played a bad round of golf for two weeks, and it would bother me, eat at me.

"(Now) I could care less what I shot. I know that the next day, I'm going to lace up any shoes or not lace up my shoes and go try my best again."

Gooch gets his wish

Talor Gooch enjoyed playing the martyr this season for being left out of the majors. But LIV's 2023 individual champion finally got his wish.

Gooch announced on social media Monday he will be headed to Valhalla next week, thanking the PGA of America for the invite. The PGA of America confirmed that invite on Tuesday, along with six more LIV golfers.

LIV now has 16 golfers in the PGA Championship, three more than in the recent Masters. Next up is the U.S. Open in June at Pinehurst. Of LIV's 46 non-exempt players for the U.S. Open, 35 are scheduled to compete in final qualifying including Niemann, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed and Harold Varner III.

Gooch said he was not joining them. Perhaps he knows that may not be necessary.

Westwood fading fast

Lee Westwood, 51, is the poster child for the fading star who decided to cash in one last time by joining LIV. A former world No. 1, Westwood was one of LIV's original golfers. He did so midway through a season (2021-22) in which he had one top-25 finish in 10 events.

Westwood is one of just three LIV golfers who have yet to earn a point this season, along with Kim and Hudson Swafford. His best finish is T32 in LIV's season opener at Mayakoba. Only the top 24 finishers in each event earn points. If it weren't for Westwood being a team captain he would be in danger of facing relegation.

Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and golf writer for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].

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Tiger Woods Will Help Negotiate With LIV Golf's Backer In Continued Try for Deal

Bob harig | may 8, 2024.

On a busy day that saw Rory McIlroy say he believed current player directors on the PGA Tour Policy Board were uncomfortable with him returning to that role , Tiger Woods emerged as the lone player on a group that will negotiate directly with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

Woods will be part of a five-member “transaction subcommittee,” according to the PGA Tour.

The Associated Press was the first to report the development Wednesday.

Woods, who joined the board last August in the aftermath of the surprise “framework agreement” that PGA Tour commissioner negotiated in secret with the PIF, is one of six player directors but the only one who does not have a set term.

Also on the subcommittee are Monahan, board chairman Joe Gorder, John W. Henry of Fenway Sports Group and Joe Ogilvie, a former tour player appointed as a director liaison in March. The subcommittee reports back to the full board, according to the AP.

Earlier, McIlroy disclosed that he was willing to rejoin the board that he left in November after being asked by Webb Simpson—who wanted to step down and have McIlroy take his place.

But unanimous board approval is required and McIlroy said there was resistance from some to his returning. Simpson subsequently said he will serve the remainder of his term.

“Today’s news is in no way a commentary on Rory’s important influence,” Monahan said in a statement given to Sports Illustrated via the PGA Tour. “It’s simply a matter of adherence to our governance process by which a Tour player becomes a board member.

“Webb remaining in his position as a member of the Policy Board and PGA Tour Enterprises Board through the end of his term provides the continuity needed at this vital time. We are making progress in our negations with the PIF and are working as a collective—the Player Directors, our Boards and Tour management—to remain open-minded to all avenues that advance the Tour in the best interest of our players, our partners and, most importantly, our fans.”

The original intent was to have a deal with the PIF—which backs the LIV Golf League—by Dec. 31. But that deadline passed and the PGA Tour subsequently made a deal with the Strategic Sports Group, a private-equity company of high-end sports and business owners, with an initial investment of $1.5 billion. The Tour has since announced equity shares that will vest over time to the players.

“I think there was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason,” McIlroy said at the Wells Fargo Championship, which begins Thursday.

Woods has said previously he wants to preserve the PGA Tour in its present state. But he met with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan along with other player directors in March and commented briefly on it at the Masters , saying “we’re headed in the right direction.”

McIlroy has expressed frustration over the slowness of the negotiations.

Bob Harig is a golf writer for SI.com and the author of the book "DRIVE: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods," which publishes in March and can be ordered here. 

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2024 Wells Fargo Championship live stream, watch online, TV schedule, channel, tee times, golf coverage, radio

One week and one big-time event separate players from the second major championship of the season.

An elevated purse, additional FedEx Cup points and one last trophy before the PGA Championship are all up for grabs this week at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. With 69 of the best players on the PGA Tour and many of those names who aim to factor in a week's time at Valhalla in the field, the Wells Fargo Championship is likely to produce a major championship-type leaderboard on a major championship-type test.

Quail Hollow once again hosts the Wells Fargo Championship as it has done so in the past, including last year when Wyndham Clark broke through for his first career PGA Tour victory. Clark has since transformed into a completely different golfer winning the U.S. Open later that year and has since tacked on this year's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am while consistently contending in these signature events.

While Clark was the top man a year ago, Rory McIlroy has been on that perch over the last decade or so. Three times a winner at Quail Hollow and fresh off his 25th career PGA Tour victory and 35th birthday, the four-time major champion hopes to continue this upward trajectory ahead of his return to Valhalla -- the site of his last major championship triumph in 2014.

McIlroy's drought consists of major championships, but that of Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood and Cameron Young consists of PGA Tour wins. This lot has combined to get shutout over the last two years and will hope to breakthrough for a much-needed title in Charlotte.

Masters contenders Collin Morikawa and Max Homa plan to tee it up while Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland round out the action at Quail Hollow.

All times Eastern; streaming start times approximated  

Round 2 - Friday

Round starts:  11 a.m.

PGA Tour Live:  11 a.m. -  6 p.m. --  PGA Tour Live

Live TV coverage:  2-6 p.m. on Golf Channel,  fubo  (Try for free) Live streaming:  2-6 p.m. on Peacock

Radio:  12-6 p.m. --  PGA Tour Radio  

Round 3 - Saturday

Round starts:  7:30 a.m.

PGA Tour Live:  7:30 a.m. -  6 p.m. --  PGA Tour Live

Early TV coverage:  1-3 p.m. on Golf Channel,  fubo  (Try for free) Live streaming:  1-3 p.m. on Peacock

Live TV coverage:  3-6 p.m. on CBS Live simulcast:  3-6 p.m. on  CBSSports.com  and the  CBS Sports App

Radio:  1-6 p.m. --  PGA Tour Radio  

Round 4 - Sunday

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Wells Fargo Championship 2024: How to Watch and Stream All the PGA Tour Golf From Anywhere

The Tour heads to Charlotte's Quail Hollow Club with a share of a $20 million purse up for grabs.

With the seemingly unstoppable Scottie Scheffler out of the picture, it's an open field at the Quail Hollow Club this weekend for the Wells Fargo Championship. 

Scheffler has been in ominous form, having claimed wins at the The Masters and The Players Championship, but the World No. 1 has opted out of this weekend's action as he awaits the birth of his first child. 

Leading the charge in his absence will be new favorite Rory McIlroy, who is returning to action after sitting out last week's Byron Nelson. 

Also in the hunt will be defending Wells Fargo champ Wyndham Clark. Denver-born Clark registered a four-stroke victory over second placed Xander Schauffele at the 2023 edition of this tournament, and comes into this weekend's event having clocked up three top-three finishes from his last five tournaments.

Keep reading to find out the best live TV streaming services to use to watch each day of the tournament live wherever you are in the world.

What is the US TV schedule for the Wells Fargo Championship 2024?

Linear TV coverage of the Wells Fargo Championship in the US is on Golf Channel and CBS.

That means you'll also be able to livestream the event via Peacock for the Golf Channel's coverage and  Paramount Plus for CBS's coverage.

For a more comprehensive viewing experience, streaming service ESPN Plus offers extended PGA Tour Live access, offering marquee groups, featured groups, featured holes and the main action feeds.

Here's the full TV schedule (all times ET):

Thursday and Friday

• Golf Channel, Peacock: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• ESPN Plus: 11 a.m. to 6 a.m.

Saturday 

• Golf Channel, Peacock: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• CBS, Paramount Plus: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• ESPN Plus: 7:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• ESPN Plus: 7:15 a.m. to 6 p.m.

How to watch the the Wells Fargo Championship 2024 online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the tournament locally, you may need a different way to watch -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the tournament. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, nonblackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN , make it really easy to do this.

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Best VPN for streaming

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 35% -- the equivalent of $8.32 a month -- if you get an annual subscription. 

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Livestream the Wells Fargo Championship 2024 in the US

Linear TV coverage in the US is split between The Golf Channel and CBS. Streaming service Peacock also boasts the same coverage as The Golf Channel, while Paramount Plus will be offering streams of CBS's coverage of the tournament's latter stages. 

For more comprehensive access, PGA Tour Live streaming coverage takes place Thursday through to Sunday on ESPN Plus, offering main action feeds, marquee groups, featured groups and featured hole coverage.

Watch comprehensive Wells Fargo Championship 2024 coverage in the US from $11 a month

ESPN's standalone streaming service costs $11 a month or $110 for an annual subscription.  Read our ESPN Plus review .

CBS is showing the later parts of the last two rounds over the weekend, which in turn means you'll be able to stream that coverage via Paramount Plus. 

Paramount Plus

Watch wells fargo championship 2024 coverage in the us from $6 a month.

Paramount Plus has two main subscription plans in the US: Essential for $6 a month and Premium for $12 a month. Both offer coverage of the Wells Fargo Championship 2024 .

The cheaper Essential option has ads for on-demand streaming. It also lacks live CBS feeds and the ability to download shows to watch offline later. Newcomers can take advantage of a 30-day free trial, while students may qualify for a 25% discount. Black Friday savings are also still available, though we don't know how long for.

Read our Paramount Plus review .

Carries coverage of the early stages for $6 a month

Peacock offers two Premium plans. The ad-supported Premium plan costs $6 a month, and the ad-free Premium plan costs $12 a month. You can use either Premium plan to watch the tournament.

Read our Peacock review .

Four of the major live TV streaming services offer Golf Channel. 

Hulu with Live TV

Carries golf channel for $77 a month.

Hulu with Live TV costs $77 a month and includes Golf Channel. Click the "View channels in your area" link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.

Read our Hulu with Live TV review .

Carries Golf Channel for $73 a month

YouTube TV costs $73 a month and includes Golf Channel. 

Read our YouTube TV review .

Carries Golf Channel for $75 a month

Fubo costs $75 a month and includes Golf Channel. Click here to see which local channels you get.

Read our Fubo review .

DirecTV Stream

Carries golf channel for $85 a month.

DirecTV Stream's basic $85-a-month package includes Golf Channel. 

Read our DirecTV Stream review .

Livestream the Wells Fargo Championship 2024 in the UK

Golf fans in the UK can watch the tournament live on Sky Sports. The tournament will be broadcast across its Sky Sports Golf and Main Events channels, with further coverage on its Red Button service. 

Watch the Wells Fargo Championship 2024 in the UK for £35

Viewers in the UK will be able to watch the Wells Fargo Championship 2024 on Sky Sports Golf, with extensive coverage of each day's play. Subscribers can also stream the action via the Sky Go app. Sky subsidiary Now (formerly Now TV) offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership. You can get a day of access for £12 (perhaps just for the final round), or sign up to a monthly plan from £35 a month to watch all four days of the tournament.

Livestream the Wells Fargo Championship 2024 in Australia

The Wells Fargo Championship 2024 can be watched Down Under on Fox Sports via Foxtel. If you're not a Fox subscriber, your best option is to sign up for the streaming service Kayo Sports. 

Kayo Sports

Watch the wells fargo championship 2024 in australia for au$25.

A Kayo Sports subscription starts at AU$25 a month and lets you stream on one screen, while its Premium tier costs AU$35 a month for simultaneous viewing on up to three devices.

The service gives you access to a wide range of sports, including F1, NRL, NFL, NHL and MLB, and there are no lock-in contracts. 

Better still, if you're a new customer, you can take advantage of a one-week Kayo Sports free trial.

Stream the Wells Fargo Championship 2024 in Canada

Live coverage of the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship will be available in Canada via TSN. Cord-cutters can watch via the network's streaming service TSN Plus. Coverage of the third and fourth rounds starts at 3 p.m. ET on both Saturday, and Sunday.

Watch the Houston Open 2024 for CA$20 a month

TSN Plus boasts exclusive coverage of NFL games, F1, Nascar and Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Ideal for cord-cutters, the service is priced at CA$20 a month or CA$200 per year.

Quick tips for streaming the Wells Fargo Championship 2024 using a VPN 

• With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming may vary.
• If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.
• If you're having trouble getting the tournament after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
• All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location. 
• And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend  Brave .

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How 16-year-old blades brown is approaching his pga tour debut at myrtle beach classic, share this article.

Blades Brown has never been one to set small golf goals for himself.

The Brentwood Academy sophomore always said he wanted to play in a PGA Tour event before his 17th birthday. He’ll do that this week at 16 years old, competing in the Myrtle Beach Classic.

Brown, a three-time TSSAA boys golf individual state champion and the top-ranked golfer in the Class of 2026, will make his PGA Tour debut in South Carolina on a sponsor exemption.

The Myrtle Beach Classic is a new PGA Tour event being played alongside the Tour’s main tournament this week, the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“For this to be a reality is absurd,” Brown said. “But I’m just treating it like any tournament. It’s a PGA Tour event, yeah, and not many 16-year-olds can say (they’ve played in one.) But I’m just going into the event trusting my game and overall trying to have some fun as well.”

Notable names in the Myrtle Beach Classic include former Vanderbilt and Montgomery Bell Academy star Brandt Snedeker, a nine-time PGA Tour winner, plus Billy Horschel, Beau Hossler, Daniel Berger and Kevin Kisner.

Brown is ranked No. 4 in the AJGA rankings and No. 176 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He made national headlines in August when he broke Bobby Jones’ record as the youngest medalist in U.S. Amateur history, tying for first place in the tournament’s stroke play portion. Brown was eliminated in the match play portion in the Round of 32.

He joins pro golf’s recent trend of teenage phenoms playing PGA Tour sponsored events. England’s Kris Kim, 16, debuted at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson last week. Miles Russell, 15, tied for 20th at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Lecom Suncoast Classic last month.

Brown and Russell talked before the tournament about what professional competition is like.

The course conditions at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club are windy, Brown said, but the soft greens might offer more scoring opportunities.

“I think a solid goal would be to make the cut. I think that would be really cool, to be able to compete on the weekend,” he said.

Brown isn’t nervous and neither is his dad.

“There’s no expectations on Blades,” said Parke Brown, who is feeling much improved after finishing chemotherapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia last summer. “His game is so solid. I don’t worry about him. I know he’ll do well. Just being here and competing is a victory.”

Who is Blades Brown? NIL deals, what to know about 16-year-old making PGA Tour debut this week

Brown, a sophomore at Brentwood Academy, hit a turning point in his career by breaking golf legend Jones’ record as the youngest medalist in U.S. Amateur championship history.

Jones set the U.S. Amateur record at 18 years old. The mark had stood since 1920.

Brown shot an 8-under 64 to tie the Colorado Golf Club course record and finish as co-medalist. He finished higher than numerous college stars, including Caleb Surratt, the former Tennessee star who left college in February to join the LIV Tour.

Brown’s performance was the starting point for sponsor exemption into the Myrtle Beach Classic, as well as financial opportunities. He is being represented by Sportfive sports marketing agency and has NIL deals with Callaway and New Jersey-based Transcend Capital Advisors.

Transcend also has an NIL golf partnership with Virginia star Benjamin James, who is No. 5 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and previously had a deal with Surratt before he went pro.

“Luckily with golf, as soon as one door opens, 50 doors open,” Brown said. “I’m so thankful and blessed to be given these opportunities. I like to view this as not a challenge but an opportunity to display the talent God’s given me.”

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Rory mcilroy won’t return to pga tour policy board after ‘uncomfortable’ response from players, glamorous nelly korda lights up the red carpet at the met gala in new york city, meet the 16 liv golf players in the field for the 2024 pga championship at valhalla, the price of loyalty: pga tour pros from jordan spieth to adam scott to chesson hadley react to the pga tour's equity ownership plan, liv golf’s midseason trade window is open. here’s what to expect from the 13 teams, the list of top 18 money winners in pga tour history has plenty of surprises, nelly korda on the met gala and prepping for a run at lpga history at cognizant founders cup 2024.

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PGA Tour Commish hides behind red tape amid Rory McIlroy policy board recusal

PGA Tour Commissioner, Jay Monahan, danced his way around the policy board drama regarding Rory McIlroy.

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Share All sharing options for: PGA Tour Commish hides behind red tape amid Rory McIlroy policy board recusal

On Wednesday, it was revealed that Rory McIlroy would not replace Webb Simpson on the PGA Tour Policy Board. That came on the heels of Simpson announcing his recusal in order for McIlroy to take his place.

Ahead of the Wells Fargo Championship , PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan released a statement regarding the recent development.

“Today’s news is in no way a commentary on Rory’s important perspective and influence. It’s simply a matter of adherence to our governance process by with a Tour player become a Board member,” Monahan wrote.

This from ⁦ @PGATOUR ⁩ Commissioner Jay Monahan on ⁦ @McIlroyRory ⁩ removing himself from consideration for the PGA Tour Policy Board. pic.twitter.com/S29REyWxko — Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) May 8, 2024

“Webb remaining in his position as a member of the Policy Board and PGA Tour Enterprises Board through the end of his term provides the continuity needed at this important time.”

McIlroy has voiced his opinion that professional golf is in need of a world tour, bringing the sport together again. It has been reported there were members on the board, namely Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods , who were less than welcoming.

Therefore, the Commissioner’s comments ring hollow and sound more like coach-speak to save face.

He then gave more of the same on the negotiations with the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

“We are making progress in our negotiations with the PIF and are working as a collective — the Player’s Directors, our Boards, and Tour management — to remain open-minded to all avenues that advance the Tour in the best interest of our players, our partners, and most importantly, our fans.”

McIlroy wants to help move along the discussions with PIF, but that is not going to happen.

“It got pretty complicated and pretty messy, and I think with the way it happened, I think it opened up some old wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before,” McIlroy said Wednesday.

“There was a subset of people on the board who were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason. Yeah, I think that the best course of action is if, you know, there are some people on there who aren’t comfortable with me coming back on, then... I just sort of keep doing what I am doing.”

The 35-year-old knows this divide in golf is not good for the game. Yet, he will have to watch from the sideline like everyone else.

Tiger Woods will be the only PGA Tour player speaking with the Saudis as part of the 5-person subcommittee who will stage negotiations.

Monahan, board chairman Joe Gorder, John Henry of Fenway Sports Group and Joe Ogilvie are the other four men who will join Woods to discuss the deal.

They will then report back to the PGA Tour’s Policy Board.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Next Up In Golf

• Wells Fargo: Collin Morikawa attacks “big boy” course to sit near the top
• Rory McIlroy, despite alleged Tiger Woods fallout, to negotiate with Saudi PIF
• Rose Zhang does best Nelly Korda impression, dominates Cognizant Founders Cup
• Xander Schauffele near albatross, Drop Gate situation vaults him to Wells Fargo lead
• Blades Brown, 16, makes PGA Tour debut in style at Myrtle Beach Classic
• Nelly Korda historic chase at Cognizant Founders Cup off to strong start

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Tiger Woods to be lone player on negotiating committee with Saudis

Tiger Woods waves after his final round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Tiger Woods hits from the bunker on the 15th hole during final round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after making birdie on the 16th hole during the final round of the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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Tiger Woods will be the lone player on a five-member subcommittee that will be involved in negotiations with the Public Investment Fund, part of a busy day of governance as the PGA Tour tries to strike a deal with Saudi backers of LIV Golf.

Woods was appointed to the PGA Tour board in August, making him the sixth player-director and the only one whose board term has no limits.

The tour said Woods will be part of the “transaction subcommittee” on the board of PGA Tour Enterprises that will handle day-to-day negotiations as PIF seeks to become a minority investor.

Also on the subcommittee are PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, board chairman Joe Gorder, John W. Henry of Fenway Sports Group and Joe Ogilvie, a former tour player appointed as a director liaison in March.

The subcommittee reports back to the full board.

The developments capped a day that began with Rory McIlroy losing the inside track on rejoining the board as Webb Simpson’s replacement when board members resisted his return.

“I think there was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason,” McIlroy said at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, where a $20 million signature event is being played.

Simpson had offered to resign, but only if McIlroy were to replace him. When a player director resigns, the other players on the board have to unanimously agree on a successor. McIlroy resigned from the board in November , and the players selected Jordan Spieth to replace him.

The seven players — Woods, Spieth, Simpson, Ogilvie, Patrick Cantlay, Adam Scott and Peter Malnati — are on the board of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Enterprises, the commercial entity that agreed to a deal with Strategic Sports Group as a minority investor.

That deal included a $1.5 billion investment, which could be as much as $3 billion.

McIlroy was willing to return, believing he could help find a solution to the split in golf that has left some of the best players on two tours. McIlroy sees the reunification in some form as the ultimate goal and rubbed players the wrong way when he suggested earlier this year that LIV players return without punishment.

“Today’s news is in no way a commentary on Rory’s important perspective and influence,” Monahan said in a statement. “It’s simple a matter of adherence to our governance process by which a tour player becomes a board member.

“Webb remaining in his position as a member of the policy board and PGA Tour Enterprises board through the end of his term provides the continuity needed at this vital time,” he said. “We are making progress in our negotiations with the PIF.”

McIlroy is certain to stay involved in an unofficial capacity based on his experience of two years on the board and his voice in the game. He was the only European tour member on the PGA Tour board, and McIlroy has cultivated relationships across continents during his career.

He had said on a British soccer podcast at the start of this year that he met with the PIF governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in late 2022 and that he returned home and encouraged the tour board to meet with him.

The framework agreement among the PGA Tour, European tour and PIF was announced June 6, with a deadline to finalize it by the end of 2023. Negotiations continue with little progress.

Woods was among the player directors who went to the Bahamas on March 18 — Monahan and Henry also attended — to meet with Al-Rumayyan.

Woods said at the Masters about that meeting, “I don’t know if we’re closer, but certainly we’re headed in the right direction. That was a very positive meeting, and I think both sides came away from the meeting feeling positive.”

Gorder is the chairman and CEO of Valero, the title sponsor of the Texas Open. He has been appointed the inaugural chairman of the PGA Tour Enterprises board.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Playing on the PGA Tour is a big deal. But life on tour isn't always easy

E AST LOTHIAN, Scotland — News flash: Golf at the highest level is difficult. News flash (2): But even difficult golf can be fun. And both were on display during press conferences that formed part of the media day for July’s Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.

On the dark side of life on tour was Bob MacIntyre. Still relatively fresh from a European Ryder Cup debut and gaining his PGA Tour card through his stellar play on the DP World Tour in 2023, the Scot has found life in the New World to be so very different and a lot more stressful. In 12 PGA Tour starts this season, the 27-year-old from the remote Highland town of Oban has missed six cuts and recorded only two top-10s, one of those alongside Thomas Detry in the recent Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The big issue seems to have been chipping and putting on grasses he has only rarely seen before.

“If you've got a straightforward chip out here into a strong grain it changes the way you've got to play the shot,” he said. “I changed my technique slightly to try and help myself and give myself a bigger margin for error. But even on basic chips that I would be fancy to chip in, I'm thinking, ‘right, do I get the putter on this, just kind of damage limitation kind of stuff?’ When it goes wrong, it [the ball] only goes a yard in front of you. Then you've got a six-foot putt with the grain going the opposite way from the break; how do you read that?”

Much more upbeat was Tom Kim, whose two appearances in the Scottish Open have so far produced a third-place finish and a tie for sixth. It’s safe to say the 21-year-old South Korean is a fan of seaside golf, even if it is a little bit of a stretch to describe the Tom Doak-designed Renaissance as a traditional “links.”

Still, working from the bottom up, it is hard to imagine a more downbeat 20 minutes or so than those in which MacIntyre detailed how he has struggled with life far from home, both on and off the course in 2024. Even a three-week return to the friends and family comforts offered by his hometown (population 8,500) gave his overall mood only a temporary boost.

“When you're on the European DP World Tour, it's very friendly,” said the Scot, who emerged unbeaten from the three matches he played in his Ryder Cup debut. “Everyone is together. We're all traveling the world. If we're struggling with certain things, we speak to folk around us. Everything is very familiar. You come out here to the PGA Tour, and it's also so unfamiliar. There's less chatting. There's less dinners. There's just less of that big family feel that you get on the European Tour. If you're sitting on your own, guys will come and join you. Out here [MacIntyre is in South Carolina for this week’s Myrtle Beach Classic], because you don't know many folk … you don't know them in that same kind of depth … they don't come to sit with you. So it does become a lonely place.

“It is what it is,” he continued. “You've got to get on with it. But there are a lot of other things. New golf courses. In Europe, I've played the majority of them now. Over here, they are pretty much all new. Then you've got the different grasses. Having not been brought up playing a lot of Bermuda, grainy grass, pitching and putting is just completely different. I can't just jump home and see the family and get that kind of vibe, being chilled out. But again, it's part of the journey, and I've just got to get on with it.”

Lightening the mood more than a bit, Kim was quick to express his enthusiasm for all things Scottish and, in particular, the Renaissance Club.

“Whenever I go there, I always seem to really enjoy the way we play golf,” he said, from Quail Hollow, where this week he is competing in the Wells Fargo Championship. “It's just very, very different. You have to pick one shot. You have to commit to it. That's the biggest thing I've realized at links golf. You just have to commit, and you have to be able to take some bunkers out of play. In the U.S., there's some shots where you're … I think I can push this. I think I can try to take on this bunker. But over there, you just can't. You have to take a club that you cannot go in the bunker because bunkers are definitely red hazards. For some reason every time I go there, I can just picture a lot of good things. I have a lot of good vibes over there. I just seem to enjoy myself.”

Still, for all that his current mental game contrasts almost completely with that of MacIntyre, Kim was understanding of his fellow pro’s present predicament.

“I do think it is harder to adapt from Scotland to the U.S. because in Scotland there's not much grain,” said the three-time PGA Tour winner. “At home you don't have shots where when you hit, your club gets stuck in the ground. And when you're reading putts, there's not much grain at all. Then, when you come to the U.S., there's so many different grasses. You've got bent. You've got ryegrass. You've got Bermuda. You've got zoysia. There's four different type of grasses, even more. When you're adapting to that instead of just one grass, it definitely is harder.

“The lifestyle here on the PGA Tour, is all business,” continued Kim, confirming MacIntyre’s analysis. “When I played on the Asian Tour or DP World Tour, there was a lot of camaraderie. People go out to dinner and stuff like that. But here, you have your own team. You're trying to compete out here. When I first came, I definitely saw a different type of golf. That’s what makes these guys so good because they are all so dedicated and focused to their craft. So I do really think that guys from the DP World Tour might play great there, but it is hard to adapt coming from there to the PGA Tour.”

News flash (3): Big fish in little pond beats little fish in big pond every time.

Power Rankings: Myrtle Beach Classic

Power Rankings

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History is made every week on the PGA TOUR. For many, a victory contributes to defining a career. However, for all 132 in the field at this week’s Myrtle Beach Classic, careers will include participating in the first-ever PGA TOUR stop in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Given its familiar role as a destination for recreational golfers and among the capitals of the golf world, that’s hard to believe.

The famed Dunes Golf and Beach Club is poised to host. How it will test, what’s up for grabs and more is detailed in the rankings below along with others to consider.

OTHERS TO CONSIDER

• Andrew Novak … No, he’s not treated to paspalum grass this week, but the 29-year-old has proven this year that he’s not a one-trick pony. Since a T8 at the WM Phoenix Open (on Bermudagrass), he’s 8-for-9 with three top 10s and another pair of top 25s. He’s 20th on the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and T28 in proximity to the hole.
• Chris Gotterup … While a hoot for many who partake, because of its team format, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans can be ignored when reviewing the prospects of participants in it when they return to individual competition. However, what shouldn’t be dismissed is the impact a positive performance can have for a guy who was scuffling upon arrival in the bayou. This is the angle for the 24-year-old first-time member of the PGA TOUR. After teaming with Austin Eckroat for a T11 at TPC Louisiana, Gotterup put four rounds together at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and registered a season-best T24 on his own ball. He can throttle back off the tee at Dunes Club and ride the momentum.
• Ben Griffin … Extending the premise for Gotterup, Griffin is the case in point as it concerns missing the cut at the Zurich Classic. He landed in NOLA with a pair of top 20s bookending a 4-for-4 run. After the short week, he resumed his ascent with a T13 at TPC Craig Ranch. It’s the kind of mojo he wants to retain in advance of next week’s second appearance in the PGA Championship.
• Davis Thompson … The former star at the University of Georgia has been one of the quietest among the steady performers of the last nine months. The relative silence exists only because has hasn’t cracked a top 10 since January of 2023, but he’s logged nine top 25s in his last 19 starts, including in half of his last dozen. It’s a familiar trajectory for a talent of his pedigree in a sophomore season. He’s also one of the most balanced, so he’s as close to the centerline of the learning curve as it gets right now.

While victories in Additional Events don’t yield automatic exemptions into Signature Events, the 300 FedExCup points credited can lift winners into consideration for the Aon Next 10. First case, the winner at Myrtle Beach will join the field at next week’s PGA Championship if not already exempt. As of midday Tuesday, 14 in the field in Myrtle Beach will be getting tee times at Valhalla Golf Club. This week’s champion also will join the fields of the 2025 editions of The Sentry and THE PLAYERS Championship. His PGA TOUR membership exemption in the winners category will extend through 2026.

Commonly referred to simply as Dunes Club, the Robert Trent Jones design isn’t actually new to PGA TOUR-sanctioned competition. What’s now known as the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship on the PGA TOUR Champions was contested here from 1995-99. Back then, it played as a par 72 and shorter than 7,000 yards.

This week, Dunes Golf and Beach Club presents as a par 71 at 7,347 yards. Jones’ son, Rees, went to work in upgrading and strengthening the course in the last quarter-century in part so that it could stand up as a consistently strong test for PGA TOUR-caliber talent. Non-overseeded Champion Bermudagrass greens have been enlarged to 6,000 square feet and ready to push 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. But while tournaments almost always conclude with a putt, efficiency from tee to green is expected to characterize the inaugural champion.

Not unlike Harbour Town Golf Links down the coast on Hilton Head Island, host of the RBC Heritage three weeks ago, positioning the ball off the tee at Dunes Club is more important than distance. While the only rough is two inches high, fairways are not wide on average. And although the targets at Dunes Club are 6,000 square feet on average are considerably larger than at Harbour Town, because the putting surfaces are unfamiliar, ball-strikers will feast. This is a reliable phenomenon when a course is making its debut.

The same threat for inclement weather that exists at Quail Hollow Club 150 miles to the northwest characterizes the forecast at Myrtle Beach through Friday. Similarly, the weekend is stacked up to be absolutely gorgeous with daytime high in the 70s. Because exposure to the sea increases the feel of the wind, which will be moderate at times, the need to control ball flight is further enhanced. Sharp form upon arrival will be rewarded.

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE

• MONDAY : Power Rankings (Wells Fargo)
• TUESDAY *: Power Rankings (Myrtle Beach); Sleepers (Wells Fargo)
• WEDNESDAY : Golfbet Insider
• SUNDAY : Points and Payouts (Wells Fargo); Points and Payouts (Myrtle Beach); Medical Extensions; Qualifiers; Reshuffle

*Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

Rob Bolton is a Golfbet columnist for the PGA TOUR. The Chicagoland native has been playing fantasy golf since 1994, so he was just waiting for the Internet to catch up with him. Follow Rob Bolton on Twitter .