by tyler | Jun 7, 2023 | CNN, golf
Rory McIlroy has said that the PGA Tour’s merger with the DP World Tour and LIV Golf will be “good for the game,” but maintained that he still hates the breakaway series.
Speaking at the Canadian Open the day after the shock announcement, the 34-year-old said he had “mixed emotions” about the decision, which he said he was still getting to grips with.
“I still hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. I hope it goes away and I would fully expect that it does,” McIlroy said on Wednesday, before outlining the possible benefits of the merger.
“I look 10 years down the line, I think ultimately this is going to be good for the game of professional golf,” McIlroy added.
“It unifies it and it secures its financial future.”
The move unifies PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf’s commercial businesses and rights under a new, yet to be named for-profit company.
A spokesperson for the PGA Tour told CNN that the new relationship is not being viewed as a merger, but “a partnership/creation of a new commercial entity.”
The announcement promised a “capital investment” from PIF – Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, which has splashed billions of dollars on investments at home and overseas – to “facilitate” the “growth and success” of the new entity.
PIF is chaired by Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the man who a US intelligence report named as responsible for approving the operation that led to the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Bin Salman has denied involvement in Khashoggi’s murder.
The source of the funding drew criticism and led to many golfers, including McIlroy, shunning the breakaway LIV Golf series.
In August 2022, the four-time major winner told CNN that LIV Golf had “ripped apart” the men’s game.
“It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there,” McIlroy said on Wednesday.
“Again, removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for the game of golf. There’s no denying that. But for me as an individual… there’s just going to have to be conversations that are had.”
Tiger Woods was also critical of LIV Golf, arguing in July 2022 that players who joined LIV Golf had “turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.”
On Wednesday, McIlroy said he thought it was “misconstrued” that headlines were all about LIV Golf and the PGA Tour since the announcement.
“LIV’s got nothing to do with this, right. It’s the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund basically partnering to create a new company,” McIlroy said, adding that there was still some “ambiguity” about the deal.
“I think that’s where I was a little frustrated because all I’ve wanted to do and all I’ve wanted in the past year… is to protect the future of the PGA Tour and protect the aspirational nature of what the PGA Tour stands for. And I hope that this does that.”
McIlroy said that he knew discussions were going on in the background and got the official word the partnership was happening Tuesday afternoon.
by tyler | Jun 7, 2023 | CNN, golf
It came out of nowhere. Tuesday’s announcement that golf’s bitter rivals would join forces took everyone by surprise – even, it seems, the players.
The US-based PGA Tour said its merger with the breakaway LIV Golf and the DP World Tour would “unify the game,” with all pending litigation mutually ended under the new agreement. A truce has been called.
Although it’s unclear at this stage what this means for the future of golf, it appears some of its most important stakeholders are attempting to bring unity to the sport after a period of division.
The move unifies PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf’s commercial businesses and rights under a new, yet to be named for-profit company.
A spokesperson for the PGA Tour told CNN that the new relationship is not being viewed as a merger, but “a partnership/creation of a new commercial entity.”
In a memo to PGA Tour players, commissioner Jay Monahan said the new partnership would require approval from the PGA Tour policy board, while Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), told CNBC he expected it to be finalized “in a matter of weeks.”
The announcement promised a “capital investment” from PIF – Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, which has splashed billions of dollars on investments at home and overseas – to “facilitate” the “growth and success” of the new entity.
Monahan said that golf’s calendar for 2023 would remain the same, while also confirming that the team element to LIV’s format would continue in some capacity.
The announcement also said that Al-Rumayyan, the majority owner of Premier League club Newcastle United, would be named to the board of the new entity as chairman, with Monahan named the chief executive.
Most importantly, the merger would end almost two years of legal disputes between the organizations and their participants.
“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” Monahan said in a statement.
Participating players in the LIV Golf series were banned from competing in PGA Tour events – although they could compete in all four majors – and were punished for leaving the established tours.
In a memo obtained by CNN from a PGA Tour spokesperson, Monahan said a “fair and objective process” would be established for players wanting to re-apply for PGA Tour or DP World Tour membership after the 2023 season.
Ahead of the inaugural event last June, players resigned their PGA Tour status to compete at Centurion Golf Club near London for LIV Golf’s inaugural event.
Eleven LIV Golf players filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour in August last year, which was scheduled to be heard in May 2024.
In April, the DP Word Tour won in arbitration against members of the LIV Golf series after players had appealed following the European Tour’s decision to discipline them for wanting to play in the inaugural event.
Appeals brought by the players were dismissed, and the £100,000 ($125,000) fines originally imposed had to be paid within 30 days.
Shortly afterwards, three of European golf’s biggest names – Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood – quit the DP World Tour and therefore ruled themselves out of the Ryder Cup after the DP World Tour won its legal battle to be able to suspend and fine players who featured in conflicting LIV Golf events without permission.
However, much is now up in the air, chiefly who can and can’t compete in September’s Ryder Cup.
In short, no one really knows. According to the Financial Times, the framework agreement was brokered over two months of meetings between the PGA and PIF across the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
Monahan told the Financial Times on Tuesday that he began to trust Al-Rumayyan “10 minutes after sitting down with him in Venice.”
Relations between the two sides of the argument seem to have thawed over recent weeks after 12 months of barbs, jabs and pointed comments.
During LIV’s inaugural season last year, it felt as if the quality on display was on a lower level than the PGA Tour and that showed in the majors, with many of the breakaway players struggling.
However, in recent months, the gap between the two organizations has narrowed, led primarily through Brooks Koepka. After some lean years, Koepka came out of nowhere to finish tied for second at the Masters before winning his fifth career major at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, last month.
That success has meant that LIV Golf has never been in a stronger position to negotiate a position at golf’s top table, putting paid to the theory that those competing in the breakaway tournament were in a less competitive environment.
This rift began last year when it was announced that a breakaway golf tour, funded by Saudi Arabia’s PIF and fronted by former world No. 1 Greg Norman, would be established, offering players the ability to compete for more money by playing in fewer, shorter events.
The PIF is a sovereign wealth fund chaired by Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the man who a US intelligence report named as responsible for approving the operation that led to the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Bin Salman has denied involvement in Khashoggi’s murder.
In its first year, the tour pledged to award $250 million in total prize money and such an eye-watering figure turned plenty of star players’ heads, including major winners Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.
The PGA Tour responded earlier this year by announcing a revamped schedule for 2024, with “designated events” offering increased prize money, smaller fields and no cuts.
However, the formation of the controversial new venture was the subject of criticism and critique from many of golf’s fraternity.
The source of the money, PIF, has led to criticism of competing for money from the Middle Eastern country, given its human rights record.
Another avenue of controversy was the breakaway from golf’s established tours. The PGA Tour and the DP World Tour – formerly the European Tour – have long been where players have plied their trades across the golfing calendar, outside of the four majors.
The chief critic among the players was Rory McIlroy, who became the de-facto spokesperson for the PGA Tour. In August 2022, the four-time major winner told CNN that LIV Golf had “ripped apart” the men’s game.
Tiger Woods was also critical, arguing in July 2022 that players who joined LIV Golf had “turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.”
Like many things associated with LIV Golf, the announcement has had mixed reactions.
Many of the PGA Tour fraternity took to social media to express their surprise at the news. “I love finding out morning news on Twitter,” wrote two-time major champion Collin Morikawa.
Canadian world No. 67 Mackenzie Hughes wrote: “Nothing like finding out through Twitter that we’re merging with a tour that we said we’d never do that with.” Mickelson – who was one of the first big names to join the tour and whose reputation had been tarnished the most – said it was an “awesome day today.”
Former US President Donald Trump, whose courses have been used extensively by LIV Golf, celebrated the news, writing in all capital letters on his social media platform Truth Social: “Great news from Liv Golf. A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf. Congrats to all!!!”
But some were not as positive. “Tell me why Jay Monahan basically got a promotion to CEO of all golf in the world by going back on everything he said the past 2 years,” US golfer Dylan Wu said. “The hypocrisy. Wish golf worked like that. I guess money always wins.”
Fellow American Wesley Bryan said he felt “betrayed.”
“Love finding out info on twitter. This is amazing. Y’all should be ashamed and have a lot of questions to answer,” Bryan wrote.
“I feel betrayed, and will not be able to trust anyone within the corporate structure of the PGA TOUR for a very long time.”
Other golfers saw the humorous side in the news. “I’ve grown up being a fan of the 4 Aces. Maybe one day I get to play for them on the PGA Tour!” Joel Dahmen said on Twitter, making reference to one of the teams participating in the LIV Golf series.
by tyler | Jun 6, 2023 | CNN, golf
The US-based PGA Tour is set to partner with the Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf, ending a feud that has dogged the men’s professional game for the past year.
The PGA Tour made the shock announcement on Tuesday, saying a new partnership with LIV and the DP World Tour would “unify the game of golf.”
“The parties have signed an agreement that combines PIF’s golf-related commercial businesses and rights (including LIV Golf) with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour into a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity,” the statement read.
A spokesperson for the PGA Tour told CNN that the new relationship between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour (formerly known as the European Tour) and LIV Golf is not a merger, but “a partnership/creation of a new commercial entity.”
The LIV Golf series, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), officially launched in June 2022, with participating players subsequently barred from competing in PGA Tour events. The PIF is a sovereign wealth fund chaired by Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, known by his initials MBS.
The two rival tours have since been involved in a series of legal disputes, with all pending litigation mutually ended under the new agreement. “After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement.
Monahan described the deal as a “transformational partnership,” that would “benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans.”
He praised PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, saying his “vision and collaborative and forward-thinking approach” was not only a solution to the rift within the sport but also a “commitment to taking it to new heights.”
“This will engender a new era in global golf, for the better,” he added.
In the same statement, Al-Rumayyan said it was an “exciting day,” for golf and the sport’s fans.
“There is no question that the LIV model has been positively transformative for golf. We believe there are opportunities for the game to evolve while also maintaining its storied history and tradition,” he said.
Al-Rumayyan told CNBC he expected the partnership to be finalized “in a matter of weeks” and was set to serve as the chairman of the new entity’s Board of Directors.
The emergence of the LIV Golf, offering huge prize money and guaranteed earnings across substantially fewer events than the PGA Tour, led to distinct fractures within the sport.
PIF pledged to award $250 million in total prize money for the tour’s inaugural season. Of the $25 million offered at each of the first seven events, $20 million was a guaranteed split between players.
The PGA Tour responded earlier this year by announcing a revamped schedule for 2024, with “designated events” offering increased prize purses, smaller fields, and no cuts.
The antagonism was embodied by one of its biggest stars, Rory McIlroy, who became the de-facto spokesperson for the PGA Tour and an outspoken critic of the breakaway series. In August 2022, the four-time major winner told CNN that LIV Golf had “ripped apart” the men’s game.
Tiger Woods was also critical, arguing in July 2022 that players who joined LIV Golf had “turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.”
Phil Mickelson, one of the earliest to join LIV Golf, became one of the new tour’s most vocal defenders after facing heavy criticism for joining.
Responding to the announcement, Mickelson said on Twitter: “Awesome day today.”
Former President Donald Trump, whose courses have hosted several LIV Golf events, welcomed the news.
“Great news from LIV Golf,” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social. “A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf. Congrats to all!!!”
Initial social media reaction from players suggested that some were caught unaware.
Collin Morikawa tweeted, “I love finding out morning news on Twitter,” while fellow pro Michael S. Kim said: “Very curious how many people knew this deal was happening. About 5-7 people? Player run organization right?”
In a memo to PGA Tour players, Monahan said the new partnership would require approval from the PGA Tour policy board. CNN obtained the memo from a PGA Tour spokesperson.
The Tour commissioner said LIV Golf’s 2023 calendar would continue as planned, while a “fair and objective process” would be established for players wanting to re-apply for PGA Tour or DP World Tour membership after the 2023 season.
Monahan ended the memo by saying there was “much work to do” to get from a “framework agreement to a definitive agreement,” but that the Tour’s “history, legacy and pro-competitive model not only remains intact, but is supercharged for the future.”
Monahan said he was planning to attend Tuesday’s players’ meeting at the RBC Canadian Open at 4 p.m. ET to answer questions regarding what he told players was a “momentous day for your organization and the game of golf as a whole.”
In a statement, Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, echoed Monahan’s comments.
“We are delighted to be able to not only reignite our relationship with PIF, but also to have the opportunity to build on our current Strategic Alliance partnership with the PGA Tour,” Pelley said.
“Together we will be stronger than ever and well positioned to continue to bring the game to all corners of the globe. To partner in this new entity and influence the growth of the game for all our DP World Tour members is energizing and exciting.”
Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, organizers of The Open Championship, said: “We are pleased that an agreement has been reached which will help men’s professional golf move forward in a collaborative, constructive and innovative fashion.
“We care deeply about golf’s future and are committed to ensuring that the sport continues to thrive for many years to come.
“This agreement represents a huge step toward achieving that goal for golf and we look forward to working with the new entity for the benefit of the sport globally.”
by tyler | Jun 6, 2023 | CNN, golf
Former US President Donald Trump called the shock partnership between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf a “big, beautiful, and glamorous deal” for golf.
The surprise announcement of the partnership between the three main golfing organizations – the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf – came on Tuesday, ending a feud that has dogged the men’s professional game for the past year.
Former President Trump, whose courses have hosted several LIV Golf events, welcomed the news.
“Great news from LIV golf. A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf. Congrats to all!!!” he wrote in all capital letters on his social media platform Truth Social.
Trump’s golf courses will host three LIV Golf events over the 2023 season, with the most recent being held at the Trump National Golf Club in Washington, DC, last month.
Tuesday’s announcement, which a spokesperson for the PGA Tour told CNN is not a merger but “a partnership/creation of a new commercial entity,” ends a series of legal disputes between the rival tours.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan called it a “transformational partnership,” that would “benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans.”
Phil Mickelson, one of the earliest to join LIV Golf, became one of the new tour’s most vocal defenders after facing heavy criticism for joining. Responding to the announcement, Mickelson said on Twitter: “Awesome day today.”
Initial social media reaction from players suggested that some were caught unaware.
Collin Morikawa tweeted, “I love finding out morning news on Twitter,” while fellow pro Michael S. Kim said: “Very curious how many people knew this deal was happening. About 5-7 people? Player run organization right?”
Some players did not react positively, however. “Tell me why Jay Monahan basically got a promotion to CEO of all golf in the world by going back on everything he said the past 2 years,” US golfer Dylan WU said. “The hypocrisy. Wish golf worked like that. I guess money always wins.”
Fellow American Wesley Bryan said: “Love finding out info on twitter. This is amazing. Y’all should be ashamed and have a lot of questions to answer.
“I feel betrayed, and will not (?) not be able to trust anyone within the corporate structure of the PGA TOUR for a very long time.”
by tyler | May 22, 2023 | CNN, golf
This was uncharted territory for Michael Block.
Playing in the final round of a major, paired alongside one of the greats of the game, was like a dream for the 46-year-old who works full-time as a golf instructor. And that was before he drilled a hole-in-one.
On the 15th hole on the final round of the 2023 PGA Championship, from 151 yards, Block sent his ball straight into the hole and, in turn, sent the crowd wild. Even his playing partner, former world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, seemed in shock.
“I hit it good, but I didn’t see it go in and Rory stops all of a sudden. He turns around, he’s got his arms open and is coming and giving me a hug,” Block told CNN’s This Morning.
“I’m going: ‘What is going on right now?’ He goes: ‘It went in the hole.’ I was like: ‘You’ve got to be kidding, right now under these circumstances that it went in the hole.’ Crazy.”
The moment was a crowning one on what was a weekend that catapulted him from outsider to household favorite.
With a critical par save at the end of his final round, Block finished with a share of 15th place, earning him an automatic spot at next year’s event, as well as $288,333 in prize money.
To put that into perspective, that is almost four times his previous highest payout.
In describing the moment, Block reference the 1996 movie “Tin Cup” which sees Kevin Costner play a golf professional working at a driving range who tries to qualify for the U.S. Open to win the heart of his successful rival’s girlfriend, per IMDB.
“It is a “Tin Cup” moment without a doubt. I am a club pro, I teach golf, I’m the head golf professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo,” he said.
“And for me to be out with these guys, Rory McIlroy on Sunday, Justin Rose on Saturday, and to have the Rochester people out here that are the biggest supporters of golf I have ever seen in my life was absolutely unbelievable and it was a dream come true.”
But it was the whole weekend which meant so much to Block.
The major was his 25th PGA Tour start – he had made four cuts in those 24 previous events, with his best tour finish being tied for 69th at the 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship.
As he made his way off the final green, his spot at next year’s event secured, Block was met with a vice-like hug from his wife. He said she “almost choked” him such was the force of the hug.
To cap off a memorable trip to Rochester, New York, Block was given sponsor exemptions into two upcoming PGA Tour events – the Charles Schwab Challenge this week and RBC Canadian Open in June.
In a touching moment, which the PGA Tour tweeted, Block and his wife broke down into tears as they received their invite to the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Being emotional wasn’t something he was accustomed to, but the tears have flowed over the last 24 hours, he said.
“She hadn’t seen me cry outside of one other time in my life until this week and I literally woke up on my bed crying this morning, it was pretty crazy,” he said.
Understandably, the new additions to his calendar has meant teaching back at his club in California is going to have to wait.
And Block is hoping his students will understand his reason for canceling this week’s lessons as he flies to Fort Worth, Texas.
“I won’t be back at work until next week so I need to cancel a couple lessons. It’s a good thing. I think they understand why. I think they understand why I can’t teach them tomorrow,” he said.
Five days ago, Block was a club pro working full-time as a golf instructor, charging $150 dollars for a lesson. Now, he thinks there might be pressure to up those rates.
“I have a feeling my wife is going to make me charge more,” he joked.
by tyler | May 18, 2023 | CNN, golf
One golf fan has found an unusual way to bypass having to pay for beers at the PGA Championship this week – take a Joel Dahmen tee shot to the leg.
Dahmen was at the first tee of his final practice round Wednesday when his wayward drive struck spectator Caleb McGuire, the spectator said in a tweet.
Pictures showed a sizeable bruise on the fan’s calf, but his pain was eased when the American golfer subsequently asked about the cost of a beer at the major, hosted at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.
When told each beer cost $17, Dahmen handed over $100 for some refreshments, McGuire said, with the tweet showing the duo posing for pictures with the bill.
Dahmen’s act of generosity comes a year after two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas expressed his disbelief at the reported $18 cost of beer at the 2022 edition of the major in Tulsa.
“Sorry about that! Hope you enjoyed the beers,” Dahmen tweeted in response.
“It was a pleasure just to meet you!” McGuire replied. “We couldn’t stop talking about it for the rest of the day. Go ahead and win this week!”
Dahmen shot to fame following his starring role as the self-proclaimed, self-depreciating, “goofball” of the PGA Tour in “Full Swing”, Netflix’s fly-on-the-wall docuseries released earlier this year.
In an episode titled “Imposter Syndrome,” the show offered a candid insight into the 35-year-old’s wrestles with self-belief.
“I’m a middle of the road PGA Tour player,” Dahmen explained.
“The top players … they’re just built differently. They’re mentally just different. They hit it further and they chip and putt better. I’m not a threat when I walk into these things, really.
“I am not going to be a hall of famer. When I retire from golf, no one’s going to remember who I am. I understand that, I’m fine with it. I’m not playing for legacy. Some people are like, ‘That’s why you’ll never be great Joel, coz you don’t believe it.’”
However, the episode ended on a high note with Dahmen finishing inside the top 10 at the US Open in June last year, a career-best major performance.
The world No. 108 enjoyed a strong end to 2022 but has endured a tough start to the current season, missing the cut in four of his last seven PGA Tour appearances.
