RIYADH: The merger of the PGA Tour with Saudi-backed LIV Golf will make the sport more popular as the new partnership will help engage better with players, broadcasters and sponsors while ultimately giving more access for people to enjoy the game of golf, according to Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund.
On June 6, LIV Golf and the PGA Tour signed an agreement that would combine both the entities’ commercial businesses and rights into a new, yet-to-be-named for-profit company. The deal also includes the DP World Tour, also known as the PGA European Tour.
Speaking to CNBC, Al-Rumayyan said they would love to make the game of golf very much accessible, “just like any other sport, just like football, basketball or any other sport.”
“We will have both LIV and the PGA Tour, in addition to all of our assets, and we will be investing in the growth of the game of golf and doing many new things that I think will have a better engagement from the players, the fans, the broadcasters, the sponsors, everyone else,” he said.
Jay Monahan, PGA Tour commissioner, added that the new deal will unify the game and help grow and expand the game of golf to new heights.
“It is a historical day for the PGA Tour and the game of golf. There has been a lot of tension in our sport over the last couple of years. But what we are talking about today is coming together and unifying the game of golf,” said Monahan.
He also thanked Al-Rumayyan for taking the initiative to make this deal happen and added that the agreement was made in the best interests of the PGA Tour members.
“We have recognized that, together, we can have a far better impact on this game than working apart. I give Yasir great credit for coming to the table and coming to discussions with an open heart and an open mind. We did the same and the game of golf is better for what we’ve done here today,” said Monahan.
He added: “This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA Tour’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV — including the team golf concept — to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans.”
