On the eve of the RBC Canadian Open, news of a merger between the PGA Tour, European Tour and LIV Golf shocked the golf world -- including one of Canada's best players.
"Nothing like finding out through Twitter that we're merging with a tour that we said we'd never do that with," Mackenzie Hughes, a PGA golfer of Dundas, Ont., wrote on Twitter.It's the second straight year the Saudi Arabian-funded LIV Golf will be at the centre of discussion at Canada's lone PGA Tour event.
Now the tours are merging. The agreement combines the Public Investment Fund's golf-related commercial businesses and rights -- including LIV Golf -- with those of the PGA and European tours. The new, for-profit entity has not been named. The PGA, however, will retain its not-for-profit, tax-exempt status."I feel betrayed, and will not ... be able to trust anyone within the corporate structure of the PGA Tour for a very long time," Wesley Bryan tweeted.
The Saudi regime benefits by further legitimizing itself in the global sports landscape -- as it has with soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to the Saudi Professional League -- and the PGA Tour gets a massive influx of money, he says. "It seems like citing this kind of criticism is wielded only when Saudi interests don't align with the interests of a Western sport organization, but when they do the critiques aren't as apparent."
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
PGA Tour, Europe to merge with Saudis and end LIV litigationThe merger will create a commercial operation designed to unify professional golf around the world
Read more »
PGA Tour agrees to merge with Saudi-backed LIV GolfThe most disruptive year in golf ended Tuesday when the PGA Tour and European tour agreed to a merger with Saudi Arabia's golf interests, creating a commercial operation designed to unify professional golf around the world.
Read more »
PGA Tour, Europe to merge with Saudis and end LIV litigationThe most disruptive year in golf ended Tuesday when the PGA Tour and European tour agreed to a merger with Saudi Arabia's golf interests, creating a commercial operation designed to unify professional golf around the world.
Read more »
PGA Tour, Europe to merge with Saudis and end LIV litigation - BNN BloombergThe most disruptive year in golf ended Tuesday when the PGA Tour and European tour agreed to a merger with Saudi Arabia's golf interests, creating a commercial operation designed to unify professional golf around the world.
Read more »
PGA Tour, Europe to merge with Saudis and end LIV Golf litigationAs part of the deal, the sides are dropping all lawsuits involving LIV Golf against each other effective immediately.
Read more »
PGA Tour and LIV Golf rush to the altar in shock merger and many questions remainHappy marriages sometimes result in bitter divorce. Rarely does it happen the other way around.
Read more »