New details emerge in PGA Tour's deal with LIV Golf
More details continue to surface regarding the PGA Tour‘s deal with LIV Golf. Last week, news of a merger between the two leagues shocked the sports world.
The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported on more details regarding the deal, which surprised many last week. The PGA Tour and LIV Golf had repeatedly taken shots at one another and appeared to have no interest in working together. All that changed recently.
Some of the new details regarding the merger include the PGA Tour’s belief that its legal battle with LIV could extend for another three to four years. Commissioner Jay Monahan reportedly told employees that the league “didn’t have the finances” available to continue to fight Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund while continuing to increase the purse sizes for its own tournaments.
Additionally, PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne was the first to reach out regarding a potential merger, sending a message to Yasir al-Rumayyan via WhatsApp. That happened on April 18 and a final agreement between the two sides was signed on May 30.
Per the reports, no Non-Disclosure Agreements were signed and the current deal in place is more of a “framework.” So, more details could surface about this agreement in the near future.
Considering the PGA Tour’s initial hard stance against LIV Golf, it’s still surprising that the two sides cooperated in any regard. It’s going to be interesting to see what this means for the world of golf moving forward.
Jay Monahan’s admission and Jimmy Dunne’s bizarre threat
Monahan made an honest admission when talking with PGA Tour employees about the merger. He made it pretty clear that the league didn’t have the financial resources to fight the PIF.
“We cannot compete with a foreign government with unlimited money,” Monahan reportedly said during the meeting. “This was the time. … We waited to be in the strongest possible position to get this deal in place.”
That’s somewhat of an eye-opening statement. But it’s not the most bizarre thing said from the PGA Tour. That comment belongs to Dunne, who made a jaw-dropping threat while on Golf Channel.
The PGA Tour has caught criticism from the families of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks regarding the merger with the Saudi-backed league. To that, Dunne offered some bizarre comments.
“Every day, the first thing that I think about is [Sept. 11],” Dunne said, per The New York Post. “Several times during the day, I think about it. And the last thing I think about at night is that.”
“That has not changed since that day. And I’m not alone in that. I would guarantee that every one of those family members has that same condition. It is just a reality of how unbelievably sad and awful that day was.
“I understand that. And I am quite certain — and I have had conversations with a lot of very knowledgeable people — that the people I’m dealing with had nothing to do with it. And if someone can find someone that unequivocally was involved with it, I’ll kill them myself. We don’t have to wait around.”
Per Sports Illustrated, Dunne worked on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center in 2001. On Sept. 11, he was out of the office while playing in a golf tournament.
The company Dunne worked for, Sandler O’Neill, lost 66 employees in the attacks.