Phil Mickelson, LIV Golf devotee, has expressed his opinion on the PGA Tour missing its deadline of December 31 to sign a framework deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.
When the PGA Tour revealed in June that they would be ending their rivalry with LIV Golf in favour of a partnership with PIF and the DP World Tour, the sports world was taken aback. Following the announcement, all parties gave themselves until December 31 to finalise a deal—a timetable that will undoubtedly be missed.
Growing dissatisfaction within the sport has resulted from the slow-moving discussions between the soon-to-be partners, particularly among the fan bases of LIV and the PGA Tour and the players.
Entrepreneur Joe Pompliano brought up this issue on social media, saying that golf fans are “exhausted” by the division in the professional game. One individual who has been at the focus of the story is Mickelson; in reaction, the six-time major winner told supporters it would be worthwhile to wait for an accord.
“Joe, I understand what you are saying,” he tweeted. “However, when it is all said and done, the average fan will see all the best players compete against each other way more often than before AND throughout the world. Sponsors will know what it is they are buying and everyone will end up ahead. Let’s all be patient.”
Following the Telegraph’s report that the deadline was going to be extended until the New Year, Mickelson made his comments and there is still hope of getting something settled soon. The Tour and PIF have reportedly reconsidered their goal and are now hoping to finalise the deal by March, ahead of the Masters Tournament in April of 2024.
SSG will invest £2.4 billion ($3 billion) in PGA Tour Enterprises as a result of the agreement. Regarding the Tour’s potential merger with LIV Golf, there was some good news, as the circuit also disclosed that it was still in talks with the Saudi fund.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the head of PIF, stated that the fund intended to invest “billions of dollars” in golf as part of the deal once the framework was revealed. In order to enter the professional golf scene, PIF spent an estimated £1.6 billion ($2 billion) last summer to start LIV Golf.
