In 2021, the Saudi government created a rival professional golf tour, LIV Golf, to compete with the U.S.-based PGA Tour, the world’s most prestigious golf tour. In response, top PGA executives attempted to destroy the new venture by banning golfers who signed up with LIV from PGA events and pressuring other golfers not to join LIV. PGA executives also complained to members of Congress about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record. Despite this, yesterday, to almost everybody’s surprise, the PGA reversed its position and announced that it would merge with LIV and accept a large investment from a fund run by Saudi Arabia’s government.
The merger is the latest example of “sportswashing,” in which sports are used to improve the image of authoritarian governments. Saudi Arabia has been stepping up these efforts, following the murder of dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2019, to seize control of an entire sport. This move by the Saudi government highlights how money can influence professional sports and overwhelm almost any other force. While some golfers who had left the PGA for LIV celebrated the merger, other golfers who had remained with the PGA Tour reacted bitterly.
The losers in the deal were the golfers who turned down multi-million dollar deals from LIV, as well as those who had remained loyal to the PGA but were effectively punished for their loyalty. The deal also wins former US President Donald Trump, whose clubs hosted several LIV events, as the PGA Tour now seems more likely to hold events at his courses.
The Deal
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, chairman of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, who runs the fund, will become the chairman of the combined tour, while Jay Monahan, the PGA commissioner, will become the chief executive. As part of the deal, the Saudi fund will have the right of first refusal for future investments in the tour, allowing it to expand its stake.
The golfers who had left the PGA for LIV are set to benefit from the merger as they will now be welcomed back. “Awesome day today,” tweeted Phil Mickelson, one of the LIV golfers. Brooks Koepka, another LIV golfer, mocked a golf announcer who had criticized LIV.
Golfers who remained with the PGA Tour reacted bitterly. Rory McIlroy, who had reportedly turned down a $300 million contract, joined the public relations campaign against LIV, stating that “there’s no room in the golf world” for it. Wesley Bryan, one PGA golfer, wrote on Twitter, “I feel betrayed, and will not be able to trust anyone within the corporate structure of the PGA Tour for a very long time.”
Sports enthusiasts say that having the best golfers split into different leagues and only playing each other in the majors four weeks a year was good for nobody.
For more
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If you want to understand why the Saudi government is so interested in golf, there’s a behind-the-scenes report by Brendan Quinn available in The Athletic.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Saudi Arabia today to meet with the kingdom’s leaders to stress the importance of human rights, even as the country expands its luxuries, such as golf and soccer.
