Golf
The PGA Tour and DP World Tour bosses are holding a meeting. The main topic? LIV Golf
If some fans are expecting a substantive debate to take place in the near future that would partially straighten out the relationship between the PGA Tour, and by extension the DP World Tour, and LIV Golf, nothing of the sort is going to happen. At least not anytime soon.
If some fans are expecting a substantive debate to take place in the near future that would partially straighten out the relationship between the PGA Tour, and by extension the DP World Tour, and LIV Golf, nothing of the sort is going to happen. At least not anytime soon. The plans of the world’s two largest golf organizations suggest so.
The heads of the traditional PGA Tour and DP World Tour (which includes the original European Tour) are planning a joint meeting in the near future. The purpose of this meeting is clear. To discuss how to deal with the competitive threat called LIV Golf in the coming months or years.
The meeting, to be held next week in Florida, is expected to be attended by PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley and the heads of the US Golf Association, the PGA of America and the R&A, which run the US Open, the PGA Championship and The Open Championship.
It is not yet clear if Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley will also attend the meeting. One of the topics is likely to be the participation of current LIV players in the majors and their possible qualification for those tournaments.
The truth is that although the PGA’s Jay Monahan had previously said that he could not compete financially with the competition subsidized by the Saudi Arabian public fund, the PGA was able to respond by significantly increasing the prize money for its players. It even arranged for a guaranteed $500,000 contribution to all participants, which was not previously the plan at all.
In addition, the PGA has added another series of tournaments to the calendar in which the best will earn even more money. LIV Golf debuted earlier this year and, thanks to big signing bonuses and a less packed schedule, has lured a lot of big names into its ranks that the PGA has subsequently put a stop to on its circuit.
Whether warranted or not, that topic will be addressed by the courts in the near future. However, this won’t be the first time the PGA has discussed this topic. At the end of the 2021/2022 season, a similarly heated meeting was staged by the players themselves during the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Tiger Woods also took part in that meeting at the BMW Champions in Delaware, although he didn’t get involved at the time.
We don’t have this information confirmed yet, but the following debate should probably only take place among the highest officials of world golf. Whether any players will be involved has not yet been stated.
Source: PGA Tour