PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger is a major win for the Saudis — and Americans are slamming it

The two-year agelong combat betwixt the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's LIV Golf ended with a stunning announcement that the arch-rivals are present joining forces — quality that's been met with derision by galore American commentators, lawmakers and play fans.

The decision, announced connected Tuesday, brought to a adjacent a conflict for golf's champion players and prompted an about-face from the PGA Tour, which had successful a erstwhile suit accused Saudi Arabia of offering athletes "astronomical sums of wealth ... to usage the LIV Players and the crippled of play to sportswash the caller past of Saudi atrocities."

It besides ends pending litigation betwixt the 2 organizations. The agreement, which includes the DP World Tour — besides known arsenic the PGA European Tour — will combine the commercialized businesses and rights of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf into a new, yet-to-be-named for-profit company.

Founded successful 2021 with the extremity of becoming the world's premier nonrecreational play tour, LIV Golf is backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) — a monolithic $600 cardinal sovereign wealthiness money controlled by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It's lured immoderate of the biggest play stars distant from the PGA Tour with immense paychecks, spurring antitrust lawsuits with the American organization.

"The crippled of play is amended for what we've done today," PGA commissioner Jay Monahan told CNBC successful an interrogation aft the quality broke.

A batch of radical vocally disagree.

"This is Saudi Arabia buying the PGA tour," sports speech amusement big Rich Eisen said successful his broadcast aft proceeding the news.

"The hypocrisy is obvious. The PGA Tour takes the Saudi wealth aft 2 years grandstanding against it," North Carolina-based sports newsman Pat Welter wrote connected Twitter. "They sold their psyche to #LIVGolf and wherever it's truly going to outgo them is control. Because the idiosyncratic signing the checks ever wins."

USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan called the determination "a full wimp-out by the PGA Tour. Just an atrocious about-face," saying the enactment "caved to Saudi humor money. PGA Tour present successful sports-washing business."

Members of Congress weighed successful too.

"Hypocrisy doesn't statesman to picture this brazen, shameless currency grab. I'm going to dive into each portion of Saudi Arabia's woody with the PGA", Oregon Senator Ron Wyden wrote connected Twitter. "U.S. officials request to see whether a woody volition springiness the Saudi authorities inappropriate power oregon entree to U.S. existent estate."

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy wrote successful a Twitter post, "So weird. PGA officials were successful my bureau conscionable months agone talking astir however the Saudis' quality rights grounds should disqualify them from having a involvement successful a large American sport. I conjecture possibly their concerns weren't truly astir quality rights?"

CNBC has reached retired to the PGA Tour for comment.

Saudi Arabia has agelong been criticized for its quality rights record, which includes the imprisonment and execution of governmental dissidents, wide beheadings, harsh penalties including decease for members of the LGBT community, and the high-profile execution of Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi successful 2018 by Saudi agents.

The kingdom has been driving an assertive run to beforehand its representation arsenic a reformed, socially liberalizing state arsenic a cardinal portion of the Crown Prince's Vision 2030 — an ambitious, multi-trillion dollar program to modernize the state and extremity its dependence connected lipid revenues.

Arrests implicit look person nevertheless continued.

Human rights radical Amnesty International called the merger "sportswashing astatine its finest," saying "we indispensable not let this announcement to overshadow Saudi Arabia's atrocious quality rights record."

Further disapproval came from household members of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, via the enactment 9/11 Families United, which the PGA Tour antecedently invoked successful its attacks connected LIV Golf.

"PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan co-opted the 9/11 assemblage past twelvemonth successful the PGA's unequivocal statement that the Saudi LIV task was thing much than sportswashing of Saudi Arabia's reputation," the radical said successful a connection Tuesday. "But present the PGA and Monahan look to person go conscionable much paid Saudi shills."

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers connected Sept. 11 were from Saudi Arabia, and U.S. officials concluded that Saudi nationals helped money the violent radical al-Qaeda, though investigations did not find that the Saudi officials were complicit successful the attacks.

CNBC contacted Saudi Arabia's embassy successful Washington D.C. and the Saudi Foreign Ministry for comment. The Saudi authorities mostly denies accusations of quality rights abuses and says it acts to safeguard its nationalist information and stability.

Not everyone is aggravated astir the deal.

Professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau, an aboriginal enlistee to the LIV Tour, told CNN that the merger "is the champion happening that could ever hap for the crippled of play and I americium highly arrogant to get to beryllium a portion of that... successful the extremity the crippled of play wins."

In effect to the connection from 9/11 Families United, DeChambeau said of the Saudis, "What they're trying to bash ... is to beryllium amended allies... they are trying to bash bully for the satellite and showcase themselves successful a airy that hasn't been seen successful awhile, and nobody's cleanable but we're each trying to amended successful life."

Pro golfer Phil Mickelson, different subordinate of the LIV Tour, tweeted "Awesome time today" successful effect to the news.

Investment banking steadfast Jeffries wrote successful a enactment Tuesday that "the infusion of superior from PIF signifies a beardown committedness to the maturation and promotion of play connected a planetary scale." The PIF's concern fig is not yet publically known.

In a memo to players obtained by CNBC, Monahan called the woody "a transformational agreement" and said that "with PIF's collaborative investment, the immeasurable spot of the PGA Tour's history, bequest and pro-competitive exemplary not lone remains intact, but is supercharged for the future."

The committee of the caller commercialized entity volition see PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan arsenic Chairman and Monahan arsenic CEO.

Saudi Arabia besides lured shot legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with contracts worthy hundreds of millions of dollars to play successful section Saudi leagues, and it's expected to bid to big the 2030 World Cup.