PGA to merge with LIV

[Cliff Hamm]

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/06/pga-tour-agrees-to-merge-with-saudi-backed-rival-liv-golf.html

No details

[John Kavanaugh]

Phil is smarter than y’all. Fans win!!!

[Cliff Hamm]

i suspect it is all about money...Ethics not so much..But that should come as no surprise..

[PCCraig]

Lol

[Stewart Abramson]

Had to check my calendar to make sure it wan't an April Fools day headline


[size=2.5rem][color=var(--color-content-primary,#121212)]PGA Tour and LIV Golf to Merge
Link to NY Times story
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/sports/golf/pga-liv-merger.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20230606&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta®i_id=93307045&segment_id=134820&user_id=dce87bf08174db0af4d0c174404106ec[/color][/size][/i]

[John Kavanaugh]

This changes the emotional make up of the US Open. Keopka tanks. Captain America will eat this up. Reed top 20 just bought prime real estate in Locktown.

[Paul Jones]

Here is the article from PGA Tour website - PGA TOUR, DP World Tour and PIF announce newly formed commercial entity to unify golf

[Mark Pearce]

I wonder what McIlroy will make of this, having been one of the few players willing to really argue the Tour's corner?

[Paul Stephenson]

I wonder what McIlroy will make of this, having been one of the few players willing to really argue the Tour's corner?

We'll have to wait until he gets up from under the bus to really know.

[John Kavanaugh]

I wonder what McIlroy will make of this, having been one of the few players willing to really argue the Tour's corner?

When you don’t put up eventually you shut up. The Tour players who folded in the recent Majors have no one to blame but themselves.

[John Kavanaugh]

This is freeing up Harry Higgs. Takes the villain monkey off his back. Just picked him up at +250 to finish top 40 this week in Canadian Open.

[Paul Jones]

This news will destroy the coverage of LACC hosting the US Open.

[John Kirk]

I wonder what McIlroy will make of this, having been one of the few players willing to really argue the Tour's corner?

Hi Mark,

Maybe Rory's reluctance to discuss the matter during the PGA championship was related to inside knowledge that a merger was pending.

I'm quite surprised this happened so quickly.  On the other hand, I don't care much about this.  I felt that a couple of recent PGA events suffered from not having the all-time greats who moved over to the LIV.

[Kalen Braley]

After all the rhetoric from the PGATour around the PIF and players taking Saudi Money.

I guess when you can't beat the Devil, you invite him over for drinks and such....

[Steve Salmen]

Is this merger a result of the performance of Brooks Koepka in the last two majors?  Was the PGA Tour afraid he's going to continue to win majors, thus validating the LIV Tour?

[Tim Leahy]

Had to check my calendar to make sure it wan't an April Fools day headline


[size=2.5rem][color=var(--color-content-primary,#121212)]PGA Tour and LIV Golf to Merge
Link to NY Times story
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/sports/golf/pga-liv-merger.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20230606&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta®i_id=93307045&segment_id=134820&user_id=dce87bf08174db0af4d0c174404106ec[/color][/size][/i]

That's hilarious because I thought the same thing. April Fool's Day.
Too many questions.
PGA Tour executives come off as money grabbing scumbags.
Guess we can call it the SPGA now. Saudi Professional Golf Association.

[Mike_Trenham]

Ultimately the sponsors of weekly tour events can’t match these dollar values.  It’s a money grab by the PGA Tour Board.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Is this merger a result of the performance of Brooks Koepka in the last two majors?  Was the PGA Tour afraid he's going to continue to win majors, thus validating the LIV Tour?

I disagree.  The thing that the needed to validate LIV golf was anyone giving a damn about the LIV golf tournaments.  And that wasn't happening with a few exceptions, like in Australia.  No one really cared about what happened on the course and you would need that to validate the sports-washing objective of the Saudi PIF.


But it sounds like they decided to throw in another Billion or two and buy the PGA Tour and European Tour.


Is there any posbbility that the PGA tour policy board says no?  There are 11 members - five business execs, five tour players, and a direct from the PGA of America.


You have to think that a lot of PGA tour members are very pissed off right now.  I would love to be at the meeting in Toronto this afternoon.

[Paul Jones]

Scott Van Pelt


So, you preach loyalty to a tour and convince guys not to take 8 and 9 figure deals based, in part, on that loyalty and, in part, on the source of the money. Then those guys find out on Twitter YOU took the very same money? Nino Brown, “Always business, never personal.”

[Dan Boerger]

Money talks.


Believe nothing Jay Monahan says.

[Jake Marvin]

On the subject of money talking, the PGA looks to have taken a pretty serious loss in power in addition to the enormous losses for morality and integrity... I suppose the big win was not getting run out of business entirely?


The concessions to the PIF give them a huge amount of control unless new information/negotiations meaningfully change that.


Anyone who's watched what the PIF has done with a legitimate soccer/football brand in Newcastle United can see these guys are skilled operators, and I suspect they will produce a product that is massively entertaining to a certain type of viewer and massively profitable to them. Whether anyone gives a damn about it is another question.


I miss being able to watch sports without the moral requirement to understand international geopolitics.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

Somewhere, Brandel Chamblee’s head is exploding, and I would love to see video of that!  Oh, to be in the room when he heard the news!

[Wayne_Kozun]

One name not mentioned in the news releases is Greg Norman?  Is he not part of the new LIV/PGA/Euro Tour groupo?

[Anthony Butler]

Can’t wait to see Jim Nantz conducting the obligatory sponsor interview on Sundays in 2024…
“Now MBS… do you mind if we refer to you as such? Tell us a bit more about the charitable initiative this week’s event is supporting - the Jamal Khashoggi Center for Transparency in Journalism…”

[Rob Marshall]

PGA tour has to go down as one of the biggest hypocrites of all time. LIV was a failure. No one cared and not many watched. Looks like the Saudi's made them an offer they couldn't refuse. If you can't beat them buy them...............Pretty sad imo. I would like to hear what Jimmy Dunne has to say.