On Tuesday, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, shocked the golf world when he announced that soon the PGA Tour and DP World Tour would merge with their rival, LIV Golf. Prior to the news, the competition with LIV Golf was so fierce that players who joined LIV Golf from their respective leagues were immediately suspended from those leagues. And now, a new for-profit business will be owned jointly by the three organizations. Furthermore, the combination will create a single, global golf enterprise. The PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s lengthy legal battle will shortly come to an end.
The recent development definitely shocked the whole golf world. The news cheered many, while some people are still speculating about the new formation. One guy out there is openly expressing his anger and displeasure with this new merger!
Golf analyst gives his take on the merger
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Brandel Chamblee, a former PGA Tour pro who has long been vocal in his criticism of LIV Golf, recently appeared with Matt Jones and Gabe Neitzel on their podcast Canty and Carlin to share his thoughts on the new joint venture.
When the merger news broke, the host questioned him about whether Rory McIlroy was on the board, because he seemed convinced that this would be good for golf as a whole.
Then, Chamblee claimed that McIlroy is one of the most well-informed people in the golf industry and that if he is certain about the merger, the PGA Tour has put itself in a position where it needs money.
Chamblee claimed that the PGA Tour increased the payouts for each competition in order to compete with LIV Golf and its hugely lucrative purses. For him it was all unnecessary. The reason behind this is that golf is not soccer or the NFL, and it’s a non-conventional sport. All the ratings that golf has don’t support these huge purses. “And so in an effort to keep up with LIV, they’ve elevated purses that are not that are not equal to the ratings. They’re unsustainable. Because the ratings, this Golf is not soccer, for crying out loud. It’s not the NFL. It’s a niche sport. And the rating simply don’t support the elevated persons,” said Chamblee.
For Brandel Chamblee, all these modifications the PGA Tour made to keep up the LIV Golf made it look for funds.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Chamblee shares his views about the PGA Tour needing money
The 60-year-old continued by explaining how the PGA Tour had to hunt for money due to the legal problems and the increased purses. “So the PGA Tour would have to bring in, at least in my view, they’d have to bring in it seems that they’d have to bring in private equity of some sort,” said Chamblee.
When the word got out about the merger, Chamblee came on the Golf Channel on Tuesday afternoon. He said that when he first heard the news of the merger, he was in a complete state of shock. For him, it was one of the saddest days in the history of golf. “This is one of the saddest days in the history of professional golf,” said Brandel Chamblee.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watch This Story | ‘Got a Call Like From DeChambeau and Phil’: $15.84 Billion Giant’s CEO Makes a Shocking Revelation About LIV Golf
Well, the future is uncertain now. All we can do is wait and see what will unfold in the near future. What do you think about Chamblee’s stance on the merger? Let us know in the comments down below.