Bombshell merger ends tours' civil war

The PGA Tour announced a shock merger with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit on Tuesday, rocking the golf world with a bombshell deal aimed at ending the sport's bitter two-year civil war.

In a stunning agreement that took the sport completely by surprise, the US-based PGA Tour and Europe's DP World Tour said they had signed an agreement with LIV's Saudi backers that will lead to the formation of "a new collectively owned, for-profit entity".

"After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love," said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.

LIV Golf was launched in October 2021 and lured top PGA Tour talent with record $25 million purses and money guarantees, bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF). Critics said LIV was conceived by the kingdom as a "sportswashing" exercise designed to improve Saudi Arabia's international image.

The PGA Tour responded by banning LIV players while the DP World Tour has handed out heavy fines to its players.

The rift had led to a series of lawsuits and caused acrimony between players such as major winners Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka, who signed lucrative deals with LIV, and those such as Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, who remained loyal to the PGA Tour.

Tuesday's deal ends all litigation between the feuding parties, although many other details of the landmark deal remain to be disclosed.

'Awesome day'

The merger was given swift backing by six-time major winner Mickelson, the most prominent of the defectors to the LIV Tour.

"Awesome day today," Mickelson said in a tweet accompanied by a link to a news story on the merger.

But PGA Tour players were caught cold by the announcement, before later accusing Monahan of "hypocrisy" for joining forces with LIV after spending much of the past year urging players to resist the riches on offer.

US media reported that Monahan was confronted by furious players at a meeting in Toronto on Tuesday ahead of this week's Canadian Open.

"I recognize that people are going to call me a hypocrite," Monahan said later on a conference call, but added that "circumstances do change".

The name of the new merged entity and the precise structure of the tours has yet to be announced, but the PGA Tour said that the parties had agreed to "establish a fair and objective process for any players who desire to reapply for membership with the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour following the completion of the 2023 season".

AFP