The PGA Tour and LIV Golf have continued to ease their differences, with the former allowing its members to participate in a tournament that could earn them a spot on the Saudi-sponsored tour.
With the PGA Tour’s unexpected decision to permit its players to compete in a LIV Golf event, the golf industry’s tectonic plates are continuing to shift.
Permission to compete in the December LIV Golf Promotions event has been given to PGA Tour members. The top three finishers in the three-day competition at Abu Dhabi Golf Club will earn a spot in the 48-person field for LIV’s third season in 2024.
A PGA Tour representative stated, “It is determined to be a qualifying event only and not a part of an unauthorised series, based on the information publicly available regarding the LIV Golf Promotion event.” Thus, the LIV Golf Promotion event does not fall under the definition of a “unauthorised tournament.” Should the event’s specifics alter, this classification may also change.
For the past two seasons, the tours have been at odds, with the PGA Tour prohibiting its players from participating in the breakaway tournament supported by Saudi Arabia. The attraction of smaller fields, larger purses, and a lighter schedule has caused many of the top players and well-known brands in the world to defect to LIV as a result of the hardline stance.
The game at the elite level has been left fractured as a result, with PGA Tour superstars like Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm only competing against LIV players such as Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith at the four major championships.
However, shocking news broke in June that Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan had reached an agreement to collaborate on a new governing body, giving the Saudis a seat at the top table and putting an end to their long-running legal battle.
The United States Senate has given the merger a great deal of scrutiny; it has not yet been approved. There aren’t many details available about the new entity or the future of the game.
However, allowing players to participate in an event hosted by LIV highlights the willingness to compromise on both sides. The PGA Tour has up until now maintained a zero-tolerance policy regarding its members competing in LIV events.
The PGA Tour rulebook states: “Any player who has participated in an unauthorised tournament is ineligible to compete in any event sanctioned by the PGA Tour for a period of one year, from the final round of competition of the unauthorised tournament in which he participated.”
As for who competes in the promotion event at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, it is unlikely any of the PGA Tour’s star players will be involved. LIV has forked out huge signing fees for top players like Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson to join, rather than forcing them to earn their place on merit.
The event is likely to be more appealing for the PGA Tour’s rank-and-file members in the lower reaches of the rankings, who do not have the same kind of job security enjoyed by their more successful peers. The opportunity to play for a guaranteed place on LIV’s roster without fear of punishment from the PGA Tour could be of significant appeal.
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