The PGA Tour’s decision to merge with the Saudi fund behind LIV Golf to create a new entity, yet to be named, has stunned the golfing world. The announcement on Tuesday caught players off guard as they were not given prior notice of the agreement. The move has been viewed as a way to avoid litigation and talent loss, with the PGA Tour being accused of complicity in Saudi Arabia’s “sportswashing” and disingenuous in its protestations about the kingdom’s human rights record. Some players who had taken a stand against the Saudi cash being offered felt contemptuous towards the PGA Tour’s decision. Tiger Woods, for example, turned down an offer that would have been worth $700 million to $800 million.
The deal has given Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman international legitimacy that no diplomatic summit could have provided. The arrangement, if approved, will conclude a battle that started with LIV Golf’s founding in 2021 as a rival to the PGA Tour. The project, backed by a $600 billion fund, boasted golf legend Greg Norman as commissioner and lured stars such as Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka.
Mickelson, who was quoted as calling the Saudis “scary motherf***ers” due to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the kingdom’s “horrible” human rights record, felt the opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates was worth the risk. The merger has been met with mixed reactions, with Mickelson tweeting “Awesome day today” in response.
The notoriously fun-loving Saudis had tried to loosen things up, as the New York Times reported, by having music blaring at its events, looser dress codes and team competitions, and tournaments that lasted three days instead of four.
The PGA Tour’s decision to merge with the Saudi fund has been viewed as an act of shamelessness in modern sports history. Despite the “reformist” image cultivated by the crown prince, Saudi Arabia carried out the largest mass execution in decades just last year. The PGA Tour’s decision to merge with the Saudi fund has been viewed as an act of shamelessness in modern sports history.
