By Doug Ferguson

The most disruptive year in golf ended Tuesday when the PGA Tour and European tour agreed to a merger with Saudi Arabia's golf interests, creating a commercial operation designed to unify professional golf around the world.

As part of the deal, the sides are dropping all lawsuits involving LIV Golf against each other effective immediately.

Still to be determined is how players like Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, who defected to Saudi-funded LIV Golf for nine-figure bonuses, can rejoin the PGA Tour after this year.

Also unclear was what form the LIV Golf League would take in 2024. Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo to players that a thorough evaluation would determine how to integrate team golf into the game.

The agreement combines the Public Investment Fund's golf-related commercial businesses and rights — including LIV Golf — with those of the PGA and European tours. The new entity has not been named.

“They were going down their path, we were going down ours, and after a lot of introspection you realize all this tension in the game is not a good thing,” Monahan said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

“We have a responsibility to our tour and to the game, and we felt like the time was right to have that conversation.”

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, will join the board of the PGA Tour, which continues to operates its tournaments. Al-Rumayyan will be chairman of the new commercial group, with Monahan as the CEO and the PGA Tour having a majority stake in the new venture.

The PIF will invest in the commercial venture.

Monahan said the decision came together over the last seven weeks.

Share:
More In Sports
Sports Betting Industry Looks to Navigate Latest COVID-19 Outbreak
Cam Rogers, host of 'Lock It In with Cam Rogers,' and betting analyst at the Bleav Podcast Network, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he breaks down how sportsbooks - and bettors - need to adapt to changes to sporting events due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
Pro Sports Scramble Over Covid-19 Omicron Variant
Anthony Tall, sports agent and president of Miracle Sports Agency, joins Cheddar News to talk about the challenges professional sports leagues are facing amid a surge in coronavirus cases across the U.S.
Year in Review: Best Tech Gadgets in 2021
2021 was no walk in the park for the tech sector. However, despite the industry dealing with worldwide chip shortage and supply chain crisis, many companies managed to push innovations forward. All these innovations are also expected to accelerate its coolness in 2022. Editor at Large at CNET Ian Sherr, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Major Leagues Deal With Sports Postponements and Cancellations Over COVID-19
A number of major sports leagues like the NFL, NHL, and NBA are now postponing or canceling games altogether as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country. The latest omicron variant is now forcing leagues to implement new COVID protocols as several of their players have tested positive. President and CEO of Life Flip Media and Sports Analyst Eric Mitchell, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Cheddar Bets: COVID-19 Wreaks Havoc on NFL Entering Week 15
Olivia Harlan Dekker provides her top picks for Week 15 of the NFL season, while Minty Bets discusses the strategy behind picking games amid a league-wide COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, Jared Smith breaks down his approach to betting college football bowl games. Sponsored by BetMGM
J&J Vaccine, Build Back Later & Love, Hate, Ate
Carlo and Baker wrap up another week discussing the latest explosion in new Covid cases in the Northeast, President Biden's stalled agenda and more. Plus, Love, Hate, Ate featuring the question: why did movie dialogue get so hard to understand?
Mahomes & Herbert Poised to Shatter the Over?
Olivia Harlan Dekker, BetMGM host, joins Cheddar News to dissect the best bets in the matchup between Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, and breaks down the other big game of Week 15. Sponsored by BetMGM
Bowl Season Betting Begins
Jared Smith, sports betting analyst from Pickswise, joins Cheddar Bets to break down the best bets you can make for the first wave of College Football bowl games, and how to make picks despite some stars opting-out of the games. Sponsored by BetMGM
Load More