With another season wrapping up, there’s still no official word on the long-standing PGA-LIV merger. But when it comes to rumors? There are plenty. Lately, Donald Trump has been making headlines by, well, riding both horses at once. Confused? Well, recently Trump hit the golf course with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan in Florida. Not long after, he was spotted sitting next to Yasir Al-Rumayyan, head of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, at a UFC event. If it sounds like he’s working both sides, you might not be far off.
Things really heated up when Trump claimed he could get a deal done between the two tours in “the better part of 15 minutes,” despite the fact they’ve been negotiating for 18 months to combine commercial rights into a new company. Of course, Trump’s love for golf is no secret. He owns 18 courses under the Trump Golf brand, many of which host LIV events. Given his ties to LIV and the Saudi-backed league, there’s been speculation about whether he could help end golf’s biggest rivalry.
Recently, he teed off with LIV Golf pro Dustin Johnson and his brother Austin at his Palm Beach course. Fans seemed pretty chill about it, but things got a little tense when Trump switched gears and played with PGA pros Sam Burns and Nick Dunlap. Given his association with LIV, fans weren’t exactly thrilled, and Burns and Dunlap found themselves taking heat from the golf world.
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— Talor Gooch (@TalorGooch) November 24, 2024
Then, just when things started cooling down, Trump was back on the course with LIV’s Talor Gooch, who joined the Saudi-funded league in 2022. Did that calm fans down? Let’s just say the responses were mixed.
Fans are divided over Trump’s constant switch between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf
What’s your perspective on:
Is Trump playing both sides in golf's biggest rivalry, or is he just a fan?
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“Stick to the Saudis,” a user wrote, clearly frustrated with Trump’s constant shift from one league to another. And, honestly, it’s not surprising—his ties to LIV are well-documented, with six LIV events hosted at Trump properties and countless pro-am appearances. With LIV backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Trump’s role as a prominent supporter remains a contentious topic, especially given his past presidential connections.
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Others weren’t shy about throwing some shade as well. “Guys playing a lot of golf for a guy who should be setting up a functioning government in a few weeks,” one user quipped. Being the 47th POTUS, not everyone appreciates Trump playing his whims with sports. Another took the sarcasm route: “Could you imagine the whining in this round? My God, it would have been the greatest battle for victimhood.”
But not everyone is critical. “This is sick! What a combo!” one fan cheered, while another went all-in with, “Make America Great Again and Make Golf Great Again.” One supporter even noted, “I love how so many pros have been golfing with DJT recently.” Becoming elected for a second time round, Trump has his fair share of fans who are equally fans of golf, so for them, this is just a big highlight of the year.
Donald Trump’s been making the rounds, playing with big names from both leagues—Johnson brothers, Gooch, Burns, Dunlap, you name it. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that Trump will always find his way onto a golf course.
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So, what’s the deal? Is this all part of Trump’s grand strategy to end the golf world’s civil war? Or is he just a die-hard golf fan who doesn’t care which league a player comes from, as long as he gets his game in? Maybe it’s both—or maybe it’s neither. Only Donald Trump knows for sure. What’s your take on his back-and-forth between the PGA and LIV? What do you think of his frequent shifts between the allegiances? Let us know in the comments!
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Is Trump playing both sides in golf's biggest rivalry, or is he just a fan?