Phil Mickelson, LIV Golf devotee, has expressed his opinion on the PGA Tour missing its deadline of December 31 to sign a framework deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.
The sports world was shocked to learn in June that the PGA Tour would be severing its rivalry with LIV Golf in favor of a partnership with PIF and the DP World Tour. All sides gave themselves until December 31 to complete a deal after the announcement, a deadline that will surely be missed.
The dilatoriness of the talks between the soon-to-be partners has led to growing dissatisfaction within the sport, especially among the players’ and the PGA Tour’s fan bases of LIV.
Entrepreneur Joe Pompliano raised this issue on social media, claiming that the professional game’s division has left golf fans “exhausted.” One person who has been the subject of the narrative is Mickelson; in response, the six-time major winner advised supporters to hold off on making a decision until an agreement was reached.
He tweeted, “Joe, I get what you’re saying.” When all is said and done, though, the average fan will witness the world’s top players competing against one another far more frequently than in the past. All parties will benefit since sponsors will understand what they are purchasing. Please exercise patience.
Mickelson made his remarks in response to the Telegraph’s report that the deadline would be extended until the New Year, and there is still hope that a resolution will be reached quickly. According to reports, the Tour and PIF have reevaluated their objective and now intend to complete the agreement by March 2024, in time for the Masters Tournament in April.
The agreement calls for SSG to invest £2.4 billion ($3 billion) in PGA Tour Enterprises. Positive news regarding the Tour and LIV Golf’s possible merger arrived when the circuit revealed it was still in negotiations with the Saudi fund.
When the framework was made public, PIF’s chief executive, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, said the fund planned to invest “billions of dollars” in golf as part of the agreement. Last summer, PIF invested an estimated £1.6 billion ($2 billion) to launch LIV Golf, its first foray into the professional golf scene.
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