LIV Golf is all set to begin its next season with a bang, as it will now witness players from the PGA Tour participate in its qualifying tournament next month. No, this isn’t because of the merger; that agreement is still underway and due soon. But the PGA Tour has allowed its players to take part in LIV’s promotion event, scheduled to take place from December 8th to December 10th in the UAE.
But what does this arrangement entail, and will the PGA Tour players be playing in the Saudi-funded league’s tournaments from now on?
PGA Tour Players to Get the LIV Golf Experience
When the 54-hole no-cut format was first introduced by LIV Golf, it was met with a lot of backlash owing to it being completely different from the traditional 72-hole, no-cut structure of golf that existed for decades across different tours. And it still stands as the major reason behind LIV being denied the Official World Golf Rankings. But when the $3 billion merger was announced out of the blue, it was evident that the PGA Tour players would, at some point, get to experience the LIV thrill. And now, the PGA Tour allowing its players to play in the LIV Promotion event has given rise to many questions: will the PGA Tour players be part of the Saudi-funded league?
As confirmed by a spokesperson of the PGA Tour, since the LIV Promotion event is just a qualifying event, it is not recognized as an unauthorized event, and thus, its players can compete in the tournament.
“Based on the information publicly available regarding the LIV Golf Promotion event, it is determined to be a qualifying event only and not a part of an unauthorised series. Therefore, the LIV Golf Promotion event is not categorised as an ‘Unauthorised Tournament,’” a tour spokesman said in a statement. “This classification is subject to change should the details of the event change.”
As per LIV Golf’s rules, players finishing in the top three at its promotion event will be eligible to play in its 2024 season. What that means for a PGA Tour player finishing in the top three remains unclear at the moment, as PGA Tour players playing for LIV Golf have either resigned from their previous tour or have had their memberships revoked in the past.
This PGA Tour decision coincides with ongoing negotiations for a potential investment agreement with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, which has been the primary source of funding for LIV Golf. When the merger was announced back in June, a deadline ending on December 31st, 2023, was stated to come up with a proper structure of how the merger would function and what it would mean for the future of the sport.
While big-time PGA Tour loyalists like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were kept in the dark regarding the merger, Commissioner Jay Monahan has assured, amid backlash from players regarding the merger, that the loyalty of the players to the PGA Tour will be rewarded. What this means and will it be implemented, only time will tell.
