Report: PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan told employees legal fight with Saudi fund was too expensive
Many questions surfaced as to why the PGA Tour would merge with LIV Golf, considering the league’s strong stance against the startup just a year ago. Apparently, the Tour didn’t have the financial backing to go toe-to-toe with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. That’s reportedly what commissioner Jay Monahan told PGA employees.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Monahan told PGA Tour employees that it couldn’t afford to continue its legal fight against Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund while also increasing its own purses.
Since some of golf’s top athletes jumped over to LIV Golf, the PGA Tour started increasing tournament winnings in an effort to keep others from leaving. Per the Wall Street Journal, Monahan told employees the Tour had spent $50 million in legal fees.
“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.”
Earlier this week, Monahan revealed that the PGA Tour would work with LIV Golf moving forward.
“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA TOUR’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV – including the team golf concept – to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans. Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we’ve always made – to promote competition of the best in professional golf and that we are committed to securing and driving the game’s future.”
Rory McIlroy says he still ‘hates’ LIV Golf
Although it appears the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will be working together, not everyone on the Tour is happy about it. Rory McIlroy doubled down on his hatred of the startup league after the announcement was made.
McIlroy said there’s a distinction between LIV Golf and who the PGA Tour is actually working with.
“It’s not LIV. That’s the thing. I still hate LIV,” McIlroy said. “Like, I hate LIV. I hope it goes away, and I would fully expect that it does. That’s where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF. Very different from LIV.”
McIlroy stood up for the PGA Tour in multiple instances as LIV Golf stole headlines. So, he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the decision his league had to make.
“It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens,” McIlroy said. “Again, removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for the game of golf. There’s no denying that. But for me as an individual, yeah, I, there’s just going to have to be conversations that are had.”