LIV Golf. These two words have become a nightmare for all the already established professional tours, especially the PGA Tour. The two words turned many professional golfers’ lives upside down. It’s also the reason golf, once considered a fun, leisurely, and ‘drama-free’ sport, has emerged as the subject of intense controversy and debate over the past three years.

The last few years have felt like an eternity, with the rivalry between the league and the PGA Tour, between the players and the supporters of both sides, and finally discussing a possible merger between the two. During this journey, tears have been shed, the legacies of professionals have been overlooked, and officials have even blindsided fans and pros alike with unexpected announcements.

On this journey, one of the biggest decisions the PGA Tour made was to shake hands with Strategic Sports Group. Nobody should overlook a $1.5 billion investment, especially considering that the deal promises pros a whopping $900 million in equity shares! The loyalists who stayed with Jay Monahan‘s squad will benefit from this stash of cash. And on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, the eligible 193 players will find out exactly how much their loyalty has paid off!

Despite the PGA Tour having secured funding from the SSG for the PGA Tour Enterprises’ establishment, it is still an indirect win for LIV Golf. And weirdly enough, the Tour stars may just owe Greg Norman and his squad some appreciation for this achievement. Why? Well, because without them, arguably, change would have never been seen.

LIV Golf and its pros have lost the most in the last three-year battle

Rumors of LIV Golf’s formation began as early as the first week of May 2021. Since then, the entire professional golf world has positioned it as a rival. As names like Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson started getting attached to the Saudi Arabian government-funded PIF league, the focus shifted from just the organization to a political crisis. Their massive $600+ billion investment, combined with the league’s unique limited field and 54-hole format, didn’t help either.

The problems just started from there. Tour Commissioner Monahan warned pros against joining Norman’s squad, only to ban and fine them for doing so. Reporter Alan Shipnuck used the time to release an excerpt from his then soon-to-be-released biography on Mickelson, which included the golfer’s “scary mother****ers” remarks that later made his sponsors cut ties with him.

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While Monahan projected LIV Golf as the 21st century’s villain, Greg Norman didn’t stay quiet either. He made comments like, “The Tour’s action is anti-golfer, anti-fan, and anti-competitive.” The controversies didn’t die despite the LIV Golf League’s first start in London in June 2022. It only worsened.

The PGA Tour stays happy at the cost of the “outcasts”

Fans and other spectators were busy during this period. They asked the LIV golfers to take ownership of their actions. They didn’t consider it a good financial decision by their favorite golfers, but rather a political statement. This resulted in sponsors taking drastic measures against LIV pros like Mickelson’s. The OWGR’s failure to approve the accreditation remained a significant issue for the league.

Interestingly, while LIV golfers faced scrutiny for entering a “non-traditional” golf league, their counterparts were just beginning to reap the rewards of their struggles. The Tour announced a significantly bigger purse for next season, with eight designated events. The FedEx Cup events will now feature a larger purse and a smaller field for the first two playoff events.

In the meantime, LIV Golf joined hands with the Mena Tour, like the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour’s strategic alliance, in a failed attempt to get OWGR accreditation. In this period, the only silver lining for LIV golfers was that the R&A and Augusta National officials did not ban eligible LIV players from attending the major events, the Open and the Masters, respectively.

The beginning of 2023 was no different for Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and the rest of Norman’s squad. The court rejected the Saudi-backed league’s claims against the PGA and DP World Tours, and LIV even lost its battle for OWGR accreditation. Sergio Garcia and other European players, for example, saw themselves in a position to pay the fine to the European Tour after losing a lawsuit against them. While the CW Network deal was a breather for them, the reason they have smiles on their faces began in the summer of 2023.

The sun eventually did start shining on LIV Golf

Players and fans were left stunned when the “framework agreement” proposition between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and PIF came into light. With all the lawsuits, including players and the leagues, nullified, the framework was the start of the world realizing the past two-year drama was just a show, or merely a skit planned by a masterful director.

Ever since then, the pros who trusted the Tour and stayed loyal started doubting their decisions. They acted against Jay Monahan, accusing him of pulling the string from behind. Tiger Woods, amid his recovery from surgery, joined the player council. Rory McIlroy, who started as a pure loyalist, changed his opinion and later resigned from the Tour board. More players, including the then-world No. 3, Jon Rahm, joined the league.

The PGA Tour thereafter went on to form a new wing called PGA Tour Enterprises, with one and a half billion dollars in investment support from the SSG and a promise of equity shares worth $900 million for the 193 eligible pro golfers who stayed loyal. The framework is still in discussion; however, the Tour loyalists have yet to learn exactly how many shares they will receive and how the split of the 9-figure sum is to occur. Nevertheless, it’s clear that the PGA Tour and its players stand to gain significant financial benefits without facing years of scrutiny or exclusion from the community for their decision to abandon the “legacy.” And in one way or another, it is all thanks to… LIV Golf!