The PGA and LIV merge! Is the war on golf over?
LIV Golf, DP World Tour, and the PGA Tour have agreed to form a new collective identity.
The announcement comes after a year of disruption in men's golf, with many elite players leaving to join the Saudi-backed LIV.
According to skysports.com, "The parties have signed an agreement that combines PIF's golf-related commercial businesses and rights (including LIV Golf) with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour."
The new entity means LIV players will be able to reapply for PGA Tour or the DP World Tour following the completion of the 2023 season.
In a statement, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monohan said: "Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we've always made - to promote competition of the best in professional golf."
Let's look at the format and players who play on the LIV Golf tour!
The LIV Golf tour is golf's newest tournament, financed by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia with the first event starting on June 9, 2022.
The tournaments consist of 54 holes, with no cut stroke play, meaning each player who plays in the match will play until the final day.
According to livgolf.com, there on 48 players with 12 teams, resulting in four players per team at each event. At each tournament, players accumulate team points and individual points.
According to The Athletic, $2 billion of Saudi Arabia's $620 billion Public Investment Fund has been used for spending on the startup golf tour.
Dustin Johnson, a former two-time major champion, was reportedly offered $125 million to join the tour, according to Yahoo Sports. To put it into perspective, Johnson won 24 PGA events, making a career total of $74 million since 2008, according to ESPN.
The 2023 LIV Golf tour will have 14 events throughout the year across America, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.
The courses include The Centurion in England, Trump National Golf Club in Washington DC, Royal Greens Golf Course in Jeddah, and many more.
The massive financial banking from the tour has led to many of the PGA's Tours major winners joining forces in the newly created organization.
The standout players from the 48 signed up for this season are Dustin Johnson (LIV Golf 2022 winner), Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, and Ian Poulter.
According to sportingnews.com, Bryson DeChambeau said, "I run and operate my golf as business, as well as wanting to be one of the better players in the world. I saw that event in London and how much fun everyone was having."
The money LIV Golf is offering its players has resulted in changes to the purses on the PGA Tour.
According to fivethirtyeight.com, seven events have increased purses by more than $5 million ahead of the 2023 season.
As anyone would expect, LIV took a shot at bringing golf GOAT and 15-time major champion Tiger Woods over to the Saudi-backed organization.
According to ESPN, LIV CEO Greg Norman stated that Woods turned down an offer between $700 million and $800 million.