The Story

Last week, two prominent golf orgs announced they are teeing up to bury the hatchet with a potential partnership — because you only LIV once. 

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The PGA Tour (a non-profit organization) and LIV Golf (a league created in 2021 and funded by the Saudi Arabian gov) are playing into the ’enemies-to-lovers’ trope. The two had been embedded in back-and-forth lawsuits for nearly a year. Now, they've decided to kiss and make up and combine their assets to create a new entity that would “unify the game of golf.” It’s not a hole-in-one deal yet. But it’s got some golfers and fans raising red flags. Here's why:

• “Sportswashing“: Critics of LIV Golf have accused its financial backers (Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund — controlled by the Crown Prince) of pouring money into worldwide sports events and orgs as a way to distract from the kingdom’s history of human rights violations. (Sound familiar? Cough, Qatar World Cup, cough.)

• Not a fan: Many Americans have been protesting LIV since its inception. (Reminder: The majority of hijackers of 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia.) Now, critics are calling out the PGA for its involvement with LIV.  

• Shady moves: From promises of making big bucks to guaranteed payouts, LIV was able to tempt many PGA Tour players to cross over to their side. Now, with the partnership, many who defected from the PGA may be able to return (with deeper pockets). And possibly reap the same benefits as the ones who decided to stay loyal.