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Tiger Woods Rob Schumacher / USA TODAY NETWORK

PGA Tour golfers punished for their loyalty in merger with LIV Golf

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 6/7/23

When PGA Tour executives calculated the financial ramifications of its merger with LIV Golf, it failed to account for how poorly the move would be received, particularly among the loyal PGA Tour golfers who rejected big money from the Saudi Arabian-funded LIV Golf to remain on the Tour.

ESPN's "SportsCenter" social media account reminded followers that Tiger Woods lost out on somewhere between $700-$800 million by sticking with the PGA Tour instead of agreeing to play on the LIV Golf circuit.

The PGA Tour, the LIV Golf League DP World Tour announced today that they've agreed to merge and move forward in a larger commercial business. pic.twitter.com/NuHLexUc3v
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 6, 2023

Scott Van Pelt was critical of the merger, calling out the PGA Tour for relying on players such as Woods and Rory McIlroy to rail against LIV Golf only to accept the same money it told its stars to reject.

So, you preach loyalty to a tour and convince guys not to take 8 and 9 figure deals based, in part, on that loyalty and, in part, on the source of the money. Then those guys find out on Twitter YOU took the very same money?

Nino Brown, “Always business, never personal.”
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) June 6, 2023

Others were even more critical of the PGA Tour's decision.

I’m old enough to remember when the PGA Tour tried to claim the moral high road on LIV and the Saudis.
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) June 6, 2023

PGA tour look like clowns. Complete frauds.
— Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) June 6, 2023

It is hard to think of institutions in America that are not completely broken. Today, the PGA Tour joins the list in a shameful and horrendous act of profound betrayal to the United States, 9/11 dead, 9/11 families,
9/11 first responders, and the ethics of golf. What a disgrace. https://t.co/uIrrdRedPK
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) June 6, 2023

The PGA Tour looks even weaker considering it neglected to inform its members prior to the news breaking.

Collin Morikawa and Joel Dahmen posted comments on Twitter referencing the merger, with Morikawa sarcastically stating he appreciated finding out about the merger online and Dahmen jokingly expressing a desire to play on Dustin Johnson's 4 Aces LIV Golf team.

I love finding out morning news on Twitter
— Collin Morikawa (@collin_morikawa) June 6, 2023

I’ve grown up being a fan of the 4 Aces. Maybe one day I get to play for them on the PGA Tour!
— Joel Dahmen (@Joel_Dahmen) June 6, 2023

McIlroy didn't immediately comment, but several people took to Twitter to imagine what he must be thinking after being blindsided by the organization he defended.

There's so much to unpack, but the thing I keep going back to is this:

Rory McIlroy took a stand for what he believed was right—which brought an invisible pain and weight that can't be measured—and was sold out by the very thing he was trying to defend
— Joel Beall (@JoelMBeall) June 6, 2023

Imagine how Rory McIlroy feels right now.
He put Monahan and the Tour on his back and carried them through the s--- storm while some of his best buddies scored $150M deals and prepared for Majors.
All to land right back here. Almost impossible to fathom. https://t.co/4APxzFg04Q
— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) June 6, 2023

He might be leaning heavily into the "Roy" part of his last name considering he's probably feeling a lot like Kendall Roy at the end of "Succession."

Rory: pic.twitter.com/gZHn9wNkIx
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) June 6, 2023

In a statement released to PGA Tour members announcing the merger, PGA Tour CEO Jay Monahan said, "Through this transformational agreement ... the immeasurable strength of the PGA Tour's history, legacy and pro-competitive model not only remains intact, but is supercharged for the years to come. Our game, our players and our fans will no doubt benefit for years to come."

After players defended the Tour against LIV Golf for the past two years only to suffer from the whiplash of this backdoor deal, why should they believe anything Monahan says? The players who stuck around aren't benefitting from the merger. Some will unfairly face criticism for playing on a Saudi-funded tour after denouncing LIV Golf.

That's of little concern to Monahan. With the sizable financial investment from the Public Investment Fund, player dissatisfaction is nothing more than a minor calculating error.

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