LIV Golf’s monetary backer, the Saudi Arabian Public Funding Fund, is contemplating a “potential tie-up” with the DP World Tour, in line with Bloomberg. Discussions between the European golf league and the sovereign wealth fund are separate from the continuing negotiations between the PIF and PGA Tour Enterprises.
Ought to a deal between the PIF and DP World Tour sides come to fruition, members of LIV Golf might obtain entry or membership onto latter tour. In change, the DP World Tour would obtain monetary compensation and a buoy to its stability sheet, which regularly struggles in non-Ryder Cup years.
In 2022, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour expanded on their preliminary strategic alliance with the PGA Tour offering operational assist and extra funding for the DP World Tour. By that partnership is to set run till 2036, the DP World Tour assured progress in annual prize funds for the following 5 years.
Not like the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour has not fully shut the door on LIV Golf gamers being eligible for its tournaments. Levying fines in opposition to gamers for collaborating in non-sanctioned occasions, the DP World Tour has allowed those that settled their money owed to tee it up on its circuit.
LIV Golf’s Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton had been amongst league members to persistently play on the DP World Tour this fall to be able to fulfill membership necessities forward of the 2025 Ryder Cup. Hatton gained the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Hyperlinks Championship, whereas others like Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed additionally performed on the DP World Tour.
It has now been 18 months for the reason that PGA Tour and PIF introduced a framework settlement to mix business operations below a brand new for-profit entity, which has since been named PGA Tour Enterprises. The deadline for the settlement expired Dec. 31, 2023, however sides have continued negotiations.
Within the meantime, the Strategic Sports activities Group — a consortium of U.S. buyers and sports activities crew house owners — invested $1.5 billion in PGA Tour Enterprises with one other $1.5 billion of funding out there. It’s believed PIF’s funding in PGA Tour Enterprises would are available in at an identical determine.
