PGA Tour and LIV Golf to merge in shock end to feud

The PGA Tour has ended its costly combat with Saudi Arabia's golf task and present is joining forces with it, making a stunning announcement of a merger that creates a commercialized cognition with the Public Investment Fund and the European tour.

As portion of the deal, the sides instantly are dropping each lawsuits involving LIV Golf.

From the play side, inactive to beryllium determined is however players similar Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson tin rejoin the PGA Tour aft defecting past twelvemonth for signing bonuses reported to beryllium successful the $US150 cardinal ($225 million) range.

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From the commercialized side, the politician of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealthiness money joins the PGA Tour committee of directors and leads the caller task arsenic chairman, though the PGA Tour volition person a bulk stake.

The PGA Tour has ended its costly combat with Saudi Arabia's LIV play venture. (AP)

The announcement comes a twelvemonth aft LIV Golf began. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan was astatine the Canadian Open that week and said pointedly astir immoderate subordinate who joined LIV oregon was reasoning astir it: "Have you ever had to apologise for being a subordinate of the PGA Tour?"

Now they are partners, giving Saudi Arabia a commercialized dependable successful golf's premier organisation.

"They were going down their path, we were going down ours, and aft a batch of introspection you realise each this hostility successful the crippled is not a bully thing," Monahan said successful a telephone interrogation with The Associated Press.

"We person a work to our circuit and to the game, and we felt similar the clip was close to person that conversation."

Monahan was headed to Toronto to conscionable with players.

While this apt volition lone pb to greater riches successful golf, determination inactive was explaining to bash connected wherefore the circuit would merge with a radical that tried to instrumentality distant immoderate of the PGA Tour's champion players and was seen arsenic the latest illustration of "sportswashing".

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said the hostility was not bully for the game. (Getty)

"I recognize the criticism," Monahan said.

"For me, you instrumentality the accusation you person astatine the clip and marque decisions successful the champion interests. Things person changed. This was the close clip to person this conversation."

Players were furious to larn of the merger connected societal media.

"I consciousness betrayed, and volition not not beryllium capable to spot anyone wrong the firm operation of the PGA Tour for a precise agelong time," Wesley Bryan tweeted.

One quality outlet broke an embargo of the announcement astir 30 minutes aboriginal and earlier immoderate players were capable to work Monahan's memo to them.

The statement combines the Public Investment Fund's golf-related commercialized businesses and rights — including LIV Golf — with those of the PGA and European tours. The caller entity has not been named.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the politician of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealthiness fund, volition articulation the committee of the PGA Tour, which continues to operates its tournaments. The PIF volition put successful the commercialized venture.

"From the precise beginning, the full inaugural was however to turn the crippled of golf," Al-Rumayyan said.

"And I deliberation what was achieved contiguous was precisely that."

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the politician of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealthiness fund, volition articulation the committee of the PGA Tour. (AP)

As for the caller relation of Greg Norman, Al-Rumayyan said lone that Norman is LIV Golf's commissioner and details of his aboriginal relation would beryllium announced successful the coming weeks.

Monahan's memo to players indicated a beardown Saudi Arabian presence. He said PIF would marque a fiscal concern to go a "premier firm sponsor" of the PGA Tour, the European circuit and different planetary tours.

Monahan said the merger came unneurotic successful the past 7 weeks, with PGA Tour committee subordinate Jimmy Dunne liable for bringing unneurotic Monahan and Al-Rumayyan.

Dunne and Ed Herlihy, president of the PGA Tour's board, volition service connected the committee of the commercialized venture.

Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau were among 11 players who filed an antitrust suit against the PGA Tour past August. LIV joined arsenic plaintiffs, and the PGA Tour countersued.

The interest for PIF was whether its leaders could beryllium deposed, which Saudi Arabia wanted to avoid. A national justice had ruled the PIF could not assertion immunity from the Foreign Service Immunity Act due to the fact that of its commercialized enactment with LIV Golf successful the US.

The PIF appealed the ruling to the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals, which was apt to widen the suit heavy into 2024 if not longer.

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