Tom Watson doubts PGA Tour-LIV Golf deal will happen soon
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Eight-time major championship winner Tom Watson doesn’t believe the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will be able to reunify men’s professional golf anytime soon.
Watson, who won the Masters in 1977 and 1981, said there are too many obstacles for the PGA Tour to reach a deal with Saudi Arabia‘s Public Investment Fund, which has financed the rival LIV Golf League since its inception in 2022.
The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the PIF signed a framework agreement to form an alliance in June 2023, but the sides have been unable to hammer out a deal — even after a recent four-hour meeting at the White House.
Last week, sources confirmed to ESPN that the PGA Tour has rejected the PIF’s most recent offer to invest $1.5 billion into PGA Tour Enterprises, the tour’s for-profit entity, which came with the caveat that the LIV Golf League would remain intact.
“They made their choice to play their own tour, and that’s where they are right now,” Watson said Thursday during a news conference at Augusta National Golf Club, after he hit the ceremonial opening tee shots with past champions Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. “I don’t see a real working mechanism for the two tours to get back together. I think that’s one of the reasons you haven’t seen an agreement since June two years ago.”
Twelve LIV Golf players, including seven past champions, are competing in this week’s Masters. But golfers from the competing sides rarely play together outside of the four major championships.
“The one thing I do know is that Scottie Scheffler in his speech at the past champions dinner on Tuesday night said, ‘I’m glad we’re all together again,'” Watson said. “So the players would like to get together. But it’s really up to the powers that be to see if there’s a framework in which the two tours can cooperate.”
Sources have told ESPN that the PIF wants its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, to serve as co-chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises’ board. The Saudis also want team golf to be an integral part of the sport’s future ecosystem.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan suspended golfers who competed in LIV Golf tournaments without a conflicting-event release.
“I don’t see that framework happening,” Watson said. “Maybe they’re smarter people than I am, but the key element of the PGA Tour — the one thing that is required of you is to get permission to play in a competing tournament, conflicting event rule. That’s there to protect the sponsors of our PGA Tour so that the fields are not depleted of all the good players as they go and play other tournaments. That’s the main requirement.”
Nicklaus, a six-time winner of a green jacket, said LIV Golf forced the PGA Tour “into doing some things that were a little premature.” After LIV Golf poached several top players, including past major champions Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and others, the PGA Tour responded by introducing eight signature events with $20 million purses and reduced the number of golfers with full-time cards.
The PGA Tour also distributed $930 million worth of initial player equity grants in PGA Tour Enterprises to its members after receiving a $1.5 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group, a consortium of billionaire professional sports team owners and others.
“The PGA Tour is doing fine,” Nicklaus said. “I think they’ve changed their structure. The players now own a piece of what’s going on. I think their plan of bringing along with their elevated events and their plan of bringing young players along in the other tournaments has been very successful. We’re making new stars for the game.
“Would I love to see them all come together? Sure, I think we all would. But I think the PGA Tour is the tour, and that’s where most of your good players are, and I think it’s very healthy no matter which way it goes, but obviously we’d all like to see everybody together.”
Source: espn.com