Former President Donald Trump correctly predicted the merger between the PGA Tour and rival LIV Golf last year.
Tuesday morning, breaking news struck the golf world: The PGA Tour will merge with LIV Golf, a tour backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF).
But apparently, the stunning news did not surprise Trump. The former president predicted the merger on Truth Social in July 2022.
“All of those golfers that remain ‘loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes, and you get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year,” Trump said. “If you don’t take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger takes place.”
Sure enough, it appears LIV Golf players, who received massive signing bonuses, will keep their money and rejoin their PGA Tour colleagues, many of whom decided to forgo the LIV Golf tour because they refused to take so-called “blood money.”
After the news, Trump took a victory lap on Truth Social.
“GREAT NEWS FROM LIV GOLF. A BIG, BEAUTIFUL, AND GLAMOROUS DEAL FOR THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF GOLF. CONGRATS TO ALL!!!,” he said. “Isn’t that what you want for President, somebody that can predict the future? This seems to be the hot story, but it was my great honor to help. A merger like no other!”
According to CNBC, the two entities will combine into one commercial business with a yet-to-be-named company, concluding the contentious battle. The PGA Tour worked hard over the years to demonize LIV Golf as the Saudi-backed “blood money” tour. Now the PGA Tour players who spoke against the source of LIV Golf’s funding will tie themselves to the same source.
The deal includes ending all pending litigation, along with PIF intending to invest billions in the new entity, an agreement that will benefit the game of golf as a whole.
HAPPENING NOW: Former President Donald Trump teeing off at the LIV Golf ProAm Tournament at Trump National in Virginia @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/bW1wUIngyc
— Sharla McBride (@SharlaMcBride) May 25, 2023
Biden golfing is defying physics … #Joementia golfs backward. 🏌️♂️ pic.twitter.com/LpASme5qO1
— Save American Small Business (@SaveUSASmallBiz) May 18, 2021
Founded in 2021, LIV Golf is a newer tour led by former golfer Greg Norman that mainly recruited players from the PGA Tour. Trump’s courses hold many LIV Golf events.
LIV Golf plays three-day events without a cut, unlike the PGA Tour that consists of four-day events with a two-day cut. On the PGA Tour, if players do not play well enough on the first two days of the event, the players earn no money and can actually lose money after expenses. LIV Golf hosts fewer events than its counterpart with guaranteed money.
LIV Golf also boasts a team competition during the individual stroke play tournament. Each week, players have a chance to earn winnings from both individual and team competitions. In addition, LIV Golf players participate in the sport’s four major championships with PGA Tour players.
Last month, LIV Golf’s player Brooks Koepka won the PGA Tour Championship, the second of the four majors.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.