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Rory McIlroy Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Is the PGA Tour merging with LIV Golf, or taking over?

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 6/7/23

No sports fan was safe from headlines on Tuesday that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf plan to merge and become a united entity. But according to one PGA Tour pro, this is less of a merger — and more of a takeover.

Enter Rory McIlroy, four-time major champion and one of the biggest advocates for the PGA Tour over the last year and change.

If anyone is going to have something to say about the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia-funded rogue league joining forces, it's this guy. And from his standpoint, this business move is more about PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan overseeing multiple leagues, and not about the PGA joining forces with LIV.

"The one thing that I really think was misconstrued yesterday was that all the headlines were 'PGA Tour merges with LIV,'" the Northern Irishman told the media on Wednesday ahead of the RBC Canadian Open. "And LIV has nothing to do with this."

Rory McIlroy…
-endlessly defended PGA Tour
-turned down reportedly $500M
-sidelined during the negotiation

…“All I’ve wanted is to protect the future of the PGA Tour and I hope that this does that.”

You won’t find a more loyal CLASS ACT in sports. pic.twitter.com/spyPnypfFv
— Will Ahmed (@willahmed) June 7, 2023

"Right? It's the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund, basically partnering to create a new company" McIlroy continued. "If you look at the structure, this new company sits above everything. Jay's the CEO of that. So anyone that is involved with LIV would now answer to Jay. So the PGA Tour has control of everything."

Of course, things aren't quite as clean-cut as Monahan overseeing every aspect of pro golf as we know it — especially when it comes to how Saudi Arabia is going to spend its money. As the New York Times summarizes, the PGA Tour will remain a non-profit organization but their commercial business and rights will be overseen by a larger for-profit entity that will be overseen by a board consisting of current PGA Tour board members along with Yasir al-Rumayyan, "who is the governor of the Public Investment Fund and also oversees LIV."

Additionally, this "merger" hasn't taken full effect yet. The Times goes on to explain that the concept still has to be approved by a policy board, which will include "up of five independent directors, including Ed Herlihy and Jimmy Dunne, who helped negotiate the deal," as well as five PGA Tour players including McIlroy.

Long story short: There is going to be a lot more business talk before the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf are under the same umbrella. All we have to go on now is the idea that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf plan to be part of the same company.

Or however McIlroy best framed it.

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