The move gives the players a one-seat advantage on the board after the controversial merger in June between the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Five of the policy board members are independent directors, with professional backgrounds in law and business. Amid sweeping changes to the professional golf landscape, the PGA Tour said the new agreement would allow for the tour to remain a “player-driven organization” and that the tour is “for the players, by the players.
McIlroy, who was among the group of 41 players, had said he would rather retire than compete on the LIV Golf tour, even if it “was the last place on Earth to play golf.” The PGA Tour and LIV Golf, which is financed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, merged in secret negotiations, ending a feud that had dogged the sport for the past year. Many elite PGA golfers accepted highly lucrative offers from LIV Golf, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Bubba Watson.