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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Donald Trump’s partnership with LIV was shocking for some, while for the majority it was inevitable. Some analysts read it as the coming together of one spent force with an up-and-coming behemoth that might turn the golf world over his head. While LIV Golf has done that quite all by themselves, nonetheless, the partnership between former POTUS and the PIF-backed league was quite interesting. 

But why did Trump was open to the idea in the first place, given LIV’s bad reputation even before its inception? There are reasons more than one. While the geopolitical aspect can be an intriguing topic for discussion, in short, Trump’s vast golf empire became a vessel for furthering his geopolitical ties. But now an insider reveals, there was a bigger reason for Trump to pick a much-maligned renegade league as his business ally.

Donald Trump & LIV Golf was a two-way deal for both

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When LIV came foraying into the golf world, they faced roadblock after roadblock. After they lured PGA Tour stars, the retaliation came quickly. First PGA Tour shunned their players who signed LIV golf. DP World Tour did the same. 

The biggest issue was the fact that they were bankrolled by PIF. It was another case of sports washing from Saudi Arabia. Fans and critics were quick to dub the venture as a geopolitical attempt to whitewash human rights abuses of the Gulf nation. Alan Shipnuck in a recent tweet reveals that, for them, it became harder to find golf courses that were open to host their events. “Most courses and clubs don’t want them.

Fortunately for LIV, there was another powerful ostracized man who was in desperate need of political and financial redemption. Enters Donald Trump into the picture. LIV joins forces with the former president to host events at his courses. “It served both of their purposes, especially Trump’s,” Shipnuck says while explaining the rationale behind the deal.

After the Capitol Hill riots, the PGA Tour, PGA of America, and the RNA shunned the business magnet’s golf courses. “Everybody in the Men’s golf world has told Donald Trump to get lost.” The former USA president embraces the breakaway league with open arms and sees an opportunity for the revival of his golf empire.

The story, however, appears to be a little tilted now. The 2024 LIV golf schedule has been released and shockingly, it doesn’t feature a single Trump course. 

Read More: Despite Getting Snubbed, Donald Trump Offers Grandeur to Greg Norman’s Guests in Miami: All You Need to Know About It

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Why LIV appear to have abandoned their once-ally

As LIV started gaining more popularity and earned more credibility, their involvement with Trump became a dent in their image. The LIV Bedminster event became a moment of reckoning for the LIV officials.

The event was quickly becoming a ‘Tour de Trump’ (the Tour de France alternative he once floated) once the Donald Trump supporters showed up with MAGA hats on. For LIV, their critics doubled down on them for giving a platform for racism and hatred to sprout under their sponsorship. 

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As Trump seems to have lost his last backer, their tryst appears to be short-lived but an interesting one to say nonetheless. “The story is less about golf, it’s about money, power, and politics,” as Shipnuck ends his short clip. It is the crux of the partnership.

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