Even if someone is not a devoted golf fan, they must be aware of the current events in the sport. The entire sports world was greatly stunned a few days ago when PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, revealed that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour would soon unite with their biggest rival, LIV Golf, in a deal worth around $3,000,000,000!

Many began to wonder why the PGA Tour’s top executives opted to join, despite the fact that LIV Golf had been its main adversary from the outset. Brandel Chamblee shared his side of the story in interviews, and now we have a PGA Championship winner who is there giving his thoughts behind the merger!

Padraig Harrington gives his take on the merger

Padraig Harrington, who won the 2008 PGA Championship, expressed his thoughts on the merger on Twitter. He wrote that the union of these organizations no longer feels like a union but rather like a compromise reached by everyone to end their legal disputes. Additionally, it will assist them in maintaining the status quo for their players.

He then continued to make assumptions about the causes behind it. He asserted that the merger didn’t take place because the players demanded a raise, but rather possibly as a result of the financial hardship that the legal troubles and sanctions were causing the PGA Tour. “It was a massive u turn by the PGATour, the question has to be asked why, it certainly wasn’t because the players wanted more money. It’s likely the lawsuits or tv deal penalties were putting the tour in financial peril”, tweeted Harrington.

According to Golf Monthly, Padraig Harrington disclosed earlier this year that he was one of the players who declined a LIV Golf offer. In fact, Harrington’s take on the matter resembles closely to renowned golf analyst Brandel Chamblee!

Brandel Chamblee explains why the merger might’ve taken place so suddenly

LIV Golf has long been strongly opposed by Brandel Chamblee. When he heard about the merger, the golf analyst joined the ranks of those not thrilled with the partnership. Recently, he made an appearance on the Canty and Carlin podcast with Matt Jones and Gabe Neitzel, to discuss the new joint endeavor.

Read More: Despite Facing Severe Backlash over Its Merger Decision, Man Behind the Deal Assures Fans of PGA Tour Dominance

According to Chamblee, the PGA Tour started to raise the payments for each competition in order to compete with LIV Golf and its extraordinarily large purses. Since golf is a non-conventional sport and doesn’t have ratings like soccer or the NFL, it was unsustainable for them. The PGA Tour’s higher payouts just cannot be justified by the ratings golf receives. The 60-year-old added that the PGA Tour turned to private equity investment as a result of the high purses and legal problems.