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Opinion: LIV free or die. Money talks

(Doug Mills/The New York Times) — The 16th green is seen from the top level of the grandstands at TPC Scottsdale, Ariz., on Feb. 9, 2023. The PGA Tour, the dominant force in mens professional golf for generations, and LIV Golf, which made its debut just last year and is backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in Saudi money, will together form an industry powerhouse that is expected to transform the sport, executives announced on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.
(Doug Mills/The New York Times) — The 16th green is seen from the top level of the grandstands at TPC Scottsdale, Ariz., on Feb. 9, 2023. The PGA Tour, the dominant force in mens professional golf for generations, and LIV Golf, which made its debut just last year and is backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in Saudi money, will together form an industry powerhouse that is expected to transform the sport, executives announced on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.

By Ron Hart 4 min read

How will the merger of the PGA with LIV Golf (an upstart, Saudi oil money-backed, player-friendly tour) work? My guess is that in each tournament they would split the 18 holes: the legacy PGA Tour would control holes 1-8 and finishing holes 12-18. The UAE/Saudis would be responsible for holes 9-11.

If I were a PGA Tour player under Saudi-style Sharia, I would be very careful to get very clear what they mean when they say “the cut” line in their events.

I guess I need to be careful reporting on the Saudis; I could become a member of the dismembered Royal Family. But here goes.

The PGA has had a de facto monopoly over U.S. golf for a hundred years. The Saudi crown prince, not even a golfer himself, decided to start a rival golf tour and call it LIV Golf. Maybe the aim was to gain international credibility after possibly murdering journalists, or maybe the Saudis saw a weak monopoly.

The Saudis have had a good couple of years. COVID helped them stay out of the news since suicide bombers had to work from home. But this move will either help them or remind everyone of the Saudis’ human rights record. Either way, it turned the golf world upside down.