PGA’s ‘merger’ with LIV can’t be seen as anything other than a Saudi victory | Ewan Murray

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Forget the talk of released tension: this deal is merely a depressing illustration that money can disrupt and distort everything in sport

, is revelling in an agreement then it is difficult to portray it in any other terms than a victory for LIV. Under the mainstream golf umbrella, it will be legitimised. World ranking points are sure to follow, as is broader television exposure. Donald Trump joined Mickelson in voicing his delight: that should raise a red flag for everyone involved.

In a sport which was money-oriented even before the Saudis arrived, there is a case to be made for all sides needing this deal. Continuing litigation between LIV and the PGA Tour risked huge embarrassment to the PIF. There should be red faces, too, at the exorbitant sums fired towards over-the-hill or run-of-the-mill golfers by the PIF as it looked to establish LIV as a credible force.

The DP World Tour earns itself a slight pass on the basis that it had a previous arrangement with Saudi Arabia via a tournament staged there from 2019, and that its chief executive, Keith Pelley, has called routinely for LIV to operate from within the golf ecosystem.

In order to stem the talent drain to LIV, the PGA Tour hiked up prize funds to a level that would always lead to a judgment day. It is now apparent how all of this will be funded. A penny for the thoughts of McIlroy and Woods, the most famous names in their sport who actually did much of Monahan’s earlier work for him by publicly denouncing what LIV stands for, either in competitive or moral terms. The pair have now been placed in an invidious position.

 

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