With the golf world in an uproar after the PGA Tour – LIV Golf – DP World Tour merger announced last week there are more questions than answers at the moment regarding the structure of the LIV Golf Tour and it’s viability.

Dustin Johnson was reassured by LIV Golf management that the remaining 2023 schedule would go on as planned and that the 2024 scheduled would also proceed as scheduled meaning the current LIV Golf Players will have playing options through the end of next year.

What do we know about the merger so far?

• The management structure will include a four person team which will include the governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).
• Loyal PGA Tour members that were offered LIV contracts will receive an equity stake in the new organization.
• The PGA Tour and PIF will form a “Newco” a to be named organization that will be for-profit.
• The PIF will make a minority investment in Newco, and that the PGA Tour could refuse furture investments by the PIF.
• The PGA Tour will retain it’s tax-exempt arm.

We also know that the U.S. Senate has opened an investigation in the proposed merger and has invited the top brass from each of the involved organizations to Washington, DC to discuss how the deal came to be.

Jay Monahan (PGA Tour), Greg Norman (LIV Golf), and Yasir Al-Rumayyan (PIF) were summoned to appear at Capitol Hill the week prior to the Open Championship in July.

Players to Watch

Harold Varner III

Varner won the last LIV Golf event in DC for his first win of this career on the new league and third professional win of his career.

Coming over from the PGA Tour in August with Cam Smith, Joaquin Niemann, and others the announcement of those signings meant that LIV Golf had lured several more of the top-30 players away from the PGA Tour, legitimizing the new league further.

In the first two majors of the year Varner finished in the same spot. At the first major of the year the Masters, Varner finished in a four way tie for 29th at one over par. At the PGA Championship he finished in an eleven way tie for 29th with a five over par total score.

Varner’s most recent event was U.S. Open sectional qualifying. Harold competed in the Washington, DC. site and narrowly missed out on qualifying. After golf’s longest day Varner finished at eight under par, but needed to get to eleven under to make the U.S. Open.

Harold is currently ranked 74th in the OWGR down from 72nd last week. His golf ranking continues to plummet despite winning the most recent LIV Golf event. LIV Golf currently does not receive OWGR points for its tournaments. LIV Golf has applied for membership but the status is pending. One of the roadblocks that LIV Golf faces is the requirement of the events to be 72 holes and not the 54 as LIV Golf is currently structured.

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