PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has found himself at the centre of brutal backlash after the bombshell news that his organisation is merging with bitter rival LIV Golf. The PGA Tour and Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed rebel circuit have for months been engaged in a very public war of words, mounting tensions and a legal battle.
However, in a bombshell announcement that seemingly came out of nowhere and took the entire golf world by shock, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the LIV circuit have agreed to merge. The organisations said in a joint news release on Tuesday they will work together to allow a process for LIV Golf players to reapply for membership on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, formerly known as the European Tour, following the 2023 season.
“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Monahan, who has been a vocal critic of LIV Golf. “How did we go from a confrontation to now being partners? We just realised we were better off together than we were fighting or apart.”
No details were given as to how the agreement will impact the current competitive golf landscape, including eligibility for this year’s Ryder Cup. All factions certainly have a massive task of agreeing on how the rival circuits will work in conjunction of one another and how rankings points for events will be allocated, in just a few of the significant obstacles that will need to be overcome.
While the golf world grapples to come to terms with the shock new development, anger and resentment has turned towards Monahan – the PGA Tour boss who previously banned LIV Golf stars from competing in PGA Tour events. Monahan has long trumpeted the virtues of the PGA Tour in contrast to the evils of the Saudi-backed rebel competition and controversy around the human rights violations the country is so frequently associated with.
