Details aren't all clear yet, but this is disturbing news. Not surprising, another business submitting to huge money. My PGA fandom wasn't enormous, but it could be dwindling. They seem to have hung their most loyal stars out to dry.
This is not a merger.
No matter how the parties involved choose to dress it up, the Saudi Public Investment Fund has - for all intents and purposes - purchased the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour.
LIV Golf will almost assuredly not exist by 2024 because the Saudi's simply don't need it as an entity anymore.
They now have what they wanted all along - full control over an entire sport.
Here's what the future of golf looks like...
The top players - TBD on the exact number, but something like 75 guys - will play approximately 16 super events per year. These events will have no cut and will have MASSIVE purses. Bigger purses than golf has ever seen. These super events will be played across the globe with probably 60% happening in the United States and 40% happening international. One of these super events will 100% take place in Saudi Arabia.
Throw in the 4 major championships and you'll have the best players in the world will be playing basically 20 events per year.
In addition to this this "super tour" there will be an increase in appearance fees, bonuses, basically all sorts of new ways to get guys to lock in guaranteed money.
For the players who aren't in the top 75 - the standard PGA TOUR and DP World Tour's will continue to exist in some capacity. These events will also likely see an uptick in purses as well and there will be ways for players on those tours to play their way onto the "super" tour.
Once the sour feelings of the PGA TOUR guys getting lied to wears off, everyone's gonna be happy in the end because it's gonna be a lot more money for everyone. And ultimately the fans are gonna win out too because the best players will be playing against each other more often.
And yeah the money is coming from a gross place, but unfortunately the reality is that most money is from gross places.