Australian golf officials hold urgent talks over LIV-PGA merger

The PGA of Australia has already lobbied influential officials within the PGA Tour and DP World Tour about Australia hosting a new tournament as part of golf’s peacekeeping announcement.

Just hours after the PGA Tour announced it had struck a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to form a new global golf entity – ending 18 months of bitter infighting – PGA of Australia boss Gavin Kirkman spoke to United States-based officials about the impact it will have on Australia.

Greg Norman’s LIV Golf hosted the richest ever golf tournament played in Australia in Adelaide during April, which inadvertently brought the warring parties back together as they started negotiations in the same week.

Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential talks said the rousing success of LIV Golf’s Australian event – in which Chase Koepka was showered with beer for a hole-in-one on the party hole – and his brother Brooks winning the PGA Championship fast tracked talks to unite the sport.

Australian golf officials will hold further talks with the PGA Tour and LIV Golf powerbrokers on Thursday (AEST) as they champion a new event on a global golf schedule Down Under.

In a statement on Wednesday, Kirkman said: “The PGA of Australia has continued discussions with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour overnight and this morning to discuss the details of the agreement jointly announced with the Public Investment Fund to unify professional golf on a global basis.

LIV Golf stars (l-r): Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, chief executive Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia.

“We have and will continue to act in a deliberate, strategic and consistent manner which is to be committed to work within golf’s global ecosystem and provide strong pathways for the players on the PGA Tour of Australasia into tours around the world.

“These discussions are ongoing as we continue to ensure any new arrangements deliver positive benefits to our Tour, all of our members, the entire Australasian golfing community and those who love the game.”

The secret deal ended the most disruptive year in the sport with LIV Golf chief executive Greg Norman seemingly blindsided by the deal, which was headed by the Saudi Arabian government’s Yasir al-Rumayyan and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. Norman later tweeted it was a “great day in global golf for players and fans alike”.

But Monahan was called a “hypocrite” by angry PGA Tour loyalists in a players meeting at the Canadian Open after it was announced he would be chief executive of the new organisation. Al-Rumayyan has been installed as chairman.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.Credit: AP

“It was mentioned,” Australia’s former major winner Geoff Ogilvy told reporters of the hypocrite remark. “And he took it. He said, ‘yeah’. There’s some grumpy players in there. They feel a little bit sort of, not lied to, but the Tour has changed its position quickly and dropped it on us like that – really fast.

“So maybe there’s a feeling of a lack of trust a little bit in the leadership.”

The clandestine agreement was so sensitive even Australia’s The Open champion and LIV Golf star Cameron Smith, who signed a reported $140 million deal to join the breakaway circuit, had no knowledge of the deal until it surfaced.

Smith was feted in his Australian homecoming at The Grange Golf Club in April, with South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas contacting LIV executives, including Norman, to understand the status of their event after the news. His government signed a four-year deal with LIV earlier this year.

“We have a locked in contractual agreement with LIV Golf for four events to be held in Adelaide,” Malinauskas said. “That’s always been the case. None of this changes that. We are looking forward to hosting an event in 2024.

“[And] I was able to confirm their determination the Adelaide event plays a major role in global golf next year.”

The LIV Golf series is bankrolled by the Saudi Arabian government’s PIF and critics have accused it of being a vehicle for the country to attempt to improve its reputation in the face of criticism of its human rights record.

Eighteen-time major winner Jack Nicklaus, who has previously said he turned down $150 million to fill Norman’s role, described the truce as “good for the game of golf”.

Under the deal, the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and LIV Golf agreed will merge into a single, for-profit entity. Monahan described it as a “framework agreement”, which means all litigation between the parties will end.

PGA Tour loyalists including Tigers Woods and Rory McIlroy passed up offers from LIV for hundreds of millions of dollars to defect.

“I recognise that people are going to call me a hypocrite,” Monahan said. “Anytime I said anything, I said it with the information that I had at that moment, and I said it based on someone that’s trying to compete for the PGA Tour and our players. I accept those criticisms. But circumstances do change.”

It was unclear what form the LIV Golf League would take in 2024, nor how the Ryder Cup might be affected.

LIV had sued the PGA Tour last year for allegedly engaging in monopolistic behaviour by using restrictive rules intended to deprive golfers from playing in rival leagues.

Jack Nicklaus has spoken in support of the merger.Credit: AP

The PGA sought subpoenas to gather additional material to support its claims in its countersuit that LIV illegally pushed players to break contracts with the legacy US-based tour by offering them exorbitant sums of money.

The decision to merge comes less than two weeks before the third major championship of the men’s golf season, the US Open.

For parts of 2022 and 2023, the majors were the only times that LIV Golf players competed against the PGA and DP World Tour players.

Animosity grew between the factions, with six-time major winner Mickelson often speaking as the de facto player leader for LIV and directing accusations of collusion at the PGA Tour and other governing bodies, and Northern Ireland’s McIlroy fiercely defending the PGA Tour and criticising LIV frequently.

Greg Norman has been the face of LIV Golf.Credit: Getty

Mickelson welcomed news of the merger, posting on Twitter: “Awesome day today.”

Twice major winner Collin Morikawa, who plays on the PGA and European tours, wasn’t happy. “I love finding out morning news on Twitter,” he posted.

American golfer Michael Kim, also a PGA golfer, questioned how the deal was done.

“The hell is going on?” he wrote on Twitter. “Very curious how many people knew this deal was happening. About 5-7 people? Player run organisation right?”

with AP, Reuters, Bloomberg

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