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Shocking and groundbreaking news hitting the golf world today. This morning, via a PGA press release, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf announced today that they have made a “landmark agreement to unify the game of golf, on a global basis.” While a new name and competitive structure was not detailed, the joint release does outline the explicit commercial merger between the three entities, with the growth of team golf listed as an explicit goal of the new entity.
While the implementation of this merger is still some time away, it’s clear that this is a huge day for the future of golf. For fans of the PGA Tour, the biggest implication of this merger is the return of Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and many more stars to the PGA Tour lineup. For fans of the LIV Tour, the focus will now shift to learning which rules implemented by the promotion, such as 54-hole tournaments and the allowance of shorts on the course, will make the cut.
Roster and rule changes aside, what steps will the PGA Tour and LIV take to reconcile two years of bad blood? Since LIV’s first tournament in June of 2022, the PGA Tour has taken a firm stance on players participating in the PIF-Controlled organization, including fines and outright exclusion from events. This rivalry spilled into the player pool as well, with notable golfers from both tours expressing disdain for their rivals.
Final Take:
Considering how intense these potshots have been over the past two years, are we expected to resume watching these new ventures as if nothing happened?
The unification of golf is in a crazy place, and comes much earlier than I initially expected. Jay Monahan folded quicker than the WWF during the WCW years, but I’m happy for the overall state of the game; players can make more money, have more freedom in their attire, and the game’s top golfers are guaranteed to face off in the same tour every single year.
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