They get the best players from LIV back and protect the brand probably in return for letting them play a few fairly meaningless LIV events when they would no doubt not be playing a regular event anyway.
The PGA Tour had said last year that LIV Golf was using the “sport of golf to 'sportswash' the Saudi government's deplorable reputation for human rights abuses”. Now the entities are ending their legal dispute by combining
presume there will be LIV off season window in the winter that will be largely played in the middle east. Those players that turned down a fortune on principle will be fuming though - suspect the fees for joining up will now plummet....
A merger was probably one of the key successful outcomes gamed by those who started LIV. Worryingly, the game plan worked very well in winning PIF a piece of the pie and they know it will work for a number of other major sports.
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Sheeeeit.
So what, a fifth "major" in SA or something?
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Interesting. The devil is in the detail of course but my guess is ultimately the PGA tour has 'won'.
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I think the guys who took the LIV money have won - if they end up back on tour with the status quo potentially maintained...
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Efffff me that feels like a mahoosive loss for PGA
almost as if they were pushed into it via the litigation….
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They get the best players from LIV back and protect the brand probably in return for letting them play a few fairly meaningless LIV events when they would no doubt not be playing a regular event anyway.
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DP world part of the plan too
https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2023/06/06/pga-tour-dp-worl…
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Interesting, good for the game overall I think, you always want the best fields possible.
Does feel like a LIV win though.
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The PGA tour has been copying the LIV approach this season with enhanced events - like this weekend's which was awesome.
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presume there will be LIV off season window in the winter that will be largely played in the middle east. Those players that turned down a fortune on principle will be fuming though - suspect the fees for joining up will now plummet....
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This is hilarious.
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Another sport, dead
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I totally misread that last word at first glance speed reading.
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Good piece by Jonathan Liew on this (who could well be the best sports journalist around): https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2023/jun/13/saudi-arabia-golf-pg….
A merger was probably one of the key successful outcomes gamed by those who started LIV. Worryingly, the game plan worked very well in winning PIF a piece of the pie and they know it will work for a number of other major sports.
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Golf is shit.
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there is a good article by competition expert Matt Stoller on why an actual merger is impossible - breaks all the rules
the PGA president actually publicly said this would enable them to remove a competitor - which is all sorts of unlawful
what may actually happen is the Saudis invest into the PGA to get a minority stake or something and wind up their own tour
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basically the Saudis have bullied their way into golf using their wedge (pardon the pun) and now control it. worrying on many levels.
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presume middle eastern club teams will be banging on the door of the champions league soon
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Was it a sand wedge, ego?
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Saudi is doing what the Gulf countries do well and splash cash. I have no doubt that when the dust settles the PGA will still dictate things.
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I should have said the Saudis like to lob wedge into things.
I thank you.
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