The inside war between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has finally come to an end. After plenty of initial resistance to the Saudi-backed circuit, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour commissioner Keith Pelley have finally joined hands with it. On Tuesday, the PGA declared that it would combine with rival LIV Golf. The DP World Tour is a part of this merger as well. The three organizations will now jointly own a new for-profit company. Additionally, the merger will establish a single international golf enterprise. The ongoing legal dispute between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will soon come to a conclusion.
This merger definitely surprised the whole golfing community. While the news overjoyed many people, others undoubtedly had concerns about this new group. Several top PGA Tour players were not even aware of the new development until it was officially disclosed. Let’s find out!
Top PGA players’ lack of awareness about the deal
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It is unexpected because the suddenness of the announcement absolutely confused many members of the PGA Tour fraternity. Instead of formal channels or direct communication, a lot of devoted PGA Tour members who declined LIV Golf’s million-dollar promises discovered the merger via social media. According to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, the agreement was under wraps, so much so that not even Tiger Woods was aware of it.
According to Todd Lewis of Golf Channel and NBC, Rory McIlroy, the world’s third-ranked golfer, Rory McIlroy, was apparently unaware of the significant decision made by his league, in addition to Woods. NUCLR GOLF, a well-known golf-related account, made a post about it.
🚨#NEW: In addition to Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy was also left in the dark until this morning per @ToddLewisGC as a secret merger was crafted between the PGA TOUR & LIV GOLF by executives of the two tours.
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 6, 2023
The fact that elite players are finding out about this merger through social media rather than effective avenues of communication surely irritated many golfers, including Sahith Theegala, who commented on the news and stated that it displays a lack of communication. However, one golfer out there is truly letting the world know his feelings about the merger!
Phil Mickelson shares his ecstatic feeling with the world
With his outspoken support of LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson was undoubtedly pleased with the news. Lefty, who constantly claims that LIV Golf will ultimately be advantageous for the sport and its international expansion, tweeted about how happy he was that the merger had been accomplished as soon as it was made public. He wrote, “Awesome day today.”
Awesome day today 😊 https://t.co/qUwVJiydym
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) June 6, 2023
Many prominent players did not even know about the merger until the official announcement. But it seems like Lefty was already hearing about the mergers even before their official announcement. He posted a picture of himself on Instagram at the course with the caption: “Out here at LACC getting ready for the US Open. Just wondering if I’ve missed anything 🤔👍👍👊.”
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He is one of the founding captains and stakeholders at LIV Golf, so there is a good likelihood that, in contrast to other players, he was already aware of the most current changes. But this merger is enormous for golf, and we’re eager to see what else is in store.
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What are your thoughts on the merger? What do you think about Mickelson’s posts? Let us know in the comments.