PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf agree shock merger
PGA Tour players will be able to feature in an upcoming LIV Golf event amid the rival organisations’ agreed merger. Golfers on the Tour have been approved to play in the LIV Golf Promotions event next month and will not be penalised as a result.
The news is a stark contrast to the PGA’s initial ruling when LIV Golf was first announced back in 2021. PGA players were subject to a one-year suspension from the Tour if they were to partake in any LIV competitions – deemed to be “unauthorised events.”
However, the LIV Golf Promotions event has only been recognised as a “qualifying event,” according to a statement reported by GOLF.com.
“Based on the information publicly available regarding the LIV Golf Promotion event, it is determined to be a qualifying event only and not a part of an unauthorised series,” the PGA Tour statement said.
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“Therefore, the LIV Golf Promotion event is not categorised as an ‘unauthorised tournament.’ This classification is subject to change should the details of the event change.”
The LIV Golf Promotions event is scheduled to take place this December at Abu Dhabi GC. Players will compete for a share of the $1.5 million (£1.2m) prize pot, with the first-placed golfer earning $200,000 (£161,000).
The event was created for golfers to earn a place on the LIV Golf tour. Four places are currently up for grabs following the departures of Chase Koepka, James Piot, Sihwan Kim and Jediah Morgan – all of whom finished last season in the ‘Drop Zone’ and were knocked out of the league.
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Despite Tour players being able to compete in the three-day competiton, they are still banned from competing in other events organised by the Saudi-backed tour. PGA Tour golfers who play and qualify at the event will then be left with a difficult decision to make -whether to stay or leave to join LIV Golf.
The agreement could go some way in to finding a compromise between the two rival tours. The merger was agreed back in June but both parties have been locked in negotiations with seemingly little end in sight.
The deal would see the two tours work under one umbrella named ‘NewCo’, alongside the DP World Tour. However, reports have since suggested that the merger could fall through with a deadline of December 31 set for the proposed framework agreement to be met.
And according to Fire Pit Collective’s Alan Shipnuck, the deal is close to collapsing.
“From talking to folks on Wall St. and in Silicon Valley who are close to the deal, the framework agreement is falling apart,” he posted on X. “Fenway Partners, the NY-based private equity firm, has put in a monster bid to usurp the PIF. It looks increasingly likely we go back to LIV vs. the Tour.”
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