Battling Golf Organizations Suddenly Reach an Agreement
2023-06-10
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1Big golf organizations that were once enemies in court are now partners in business.
2The PGA Tour, Europe Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced on Tuesday that they are merging their golf businesses into a single new company.
3The announcement was so shocking that not even PGA Tour players knew about the move.
4Before the announcement, the PGA Tour had been fighting the Saudi-supported LIV Golf in court for more than a year.
5The PGA Tour asked a U.S. federal court to require Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF, to give evidence in a legal case.
6Now, all lawsuits are being dropped. Al-Rumayyan will take a seat on the PGA Tour board of directors.
7He also will be chairman of the new business involving three golf organizations.
8Here are some details about this very unusual sports deal:
9LIV Golf is a sports organization supported by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund that held its first event in 2022.
10LIV Golf has been a direct competitor to the PGA Tour.
11LIV Golf has tried to reinvent the structure of professional golf.
12This includes changes such as 48-man tournaments in which players with high scores are not cut and which offer up to $25 million in prize money. There are also teams.
13Australian Greg Norman, a former PGA Tour star, is the chief of LIV Golf.
14The organization succeeded in getting 13 former major champions, including Americans Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, to play in their events.
15As a result, those stars were suspended by the PGA Tour.
16Saudi Arabia has been investing in sports and entertainment in recent years.
17It is all part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plan called "Vision 2030" to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil.
18Golf appeared to be a natural fit.
19However, the move has led to accusations of "sportswashing."
20That is an attempt to use sports investments to take attention away from human rights abuses.
21LIV Golf was trying to get all the top players in the world ranking.
22A majority of them turned down money offers estimated at $100 million or more to stay loyal to the PGA Tour.
23Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy accused LIV players of "taking the easy way out."
24American Tiger Woods said they "turned their backs" on the tour that made them famous.
25The competition also caused a great divide in golf because LIV players were not permitted to play on the PGA Tour.
26Now some players are angry that LIV players might return without consequences.
27Wednesday, McIlroy said he was hopeful the merger would use Saudi money "the right way."
28"Whether you like it or not, PIF and the Saudis want to spend money on the game of golf.
29They want to do this, and they weren't going to stop," he said.
30Jay Monahan is the commissioner of the PGA Tour.
31Monahan had refused to meet with the Saudi Golf group for two years.
32But a few months ago, PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne organized a meeting.
33Monahan, European Tour chief Keith Pelley and Al-Rumayyan began working out an agreement.
34Monahan found that LIV Golf had a deep supply of money and meant to continue.
35He said golf was too divided and had too much tension. It was best for everyone to come together.
36The PGA Tour will remain a non-profit organization under U.S. tax law.
37The PGA Tour and European Tour also will keep the same tour events and logos.
38LIV Golf will finish its second season this year as planned.
39After that, the next steps remain unclear.
40Monahan said officials will study how to bring team golf into the PGA Tour.
41LIV Golf was trying to turn its 12 teams into franchises.
42However, no one had financially supported a team.
43But it is unlikely that if LIV Golf still exists, players can play on the other tours.
44That is what led to the dispute and court cases in the first place.
45I'm Dorothy Gundy. And I'm Dan Novak.
1Big golf organizations that were once enemies in court are now partners in business. 2The PGA Tour, Europe Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced on Tuesday that they are merging their golf businesses into a single new company. 3The announcement was so shocking that not even PGA Tour players knew about the move. 4Before the announcement, the PGA Tour had been fighting the Saudi-supported LIV Golf in court for more than a year. 5The PGA Tour asked a U.S. federal court to require Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF, to give evidence in a legal case. 6Now, all lawsuits are being dropped. Al-Rumayyan will take a seat on the PGA Tour board of directors. He also will be chairman of the new business involving three golf organizations. 7Here are some details about this very unusual sports deal: 8What is LIV Golf? 9LIV Golf is a sports organization supported by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund that held its first event in 2022. LIV Golf has been a direct competitor to the PGA Tour. LIV Golf has tried to reinvent the structure of professional golf. This includes changes such as 48-man tournaments in which players with high scores are not cut and which offer up to $25 million in prize money. There are also teams. 10Australian Greg Norman, a former PGA Tour star, is the chief of LIV Golf. The organization succeeded in getting 13 former major champions, including Americans Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, to play in their events. As a result, those stars were suspended by the PGA Tour. 11Why did Saudi Arabia want to create a golf league? 12Saudi Arabia has been investing in sports and entertainment in recent years. It is all part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plan called "Vision 2030" to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil. Golf appeared to be a natural fit. 13However, the move has led to accusations of "sportswashing." That is an attempt to use sports investments to take attention away from human rights abuses. 14Why are PGA Tour players angry at LIV players? 15LIV Golf was trying to get all the top players in the world ranking. A majority of them turned down money offers estimated at $100 million or more to stay loyal to the PGA Tour. 16Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy accused LIV players of "taking the easy way out." American Tiger Woods said they "turned their backs" on the tour that made them famous. The competition also caused a great divide in golf because LIV players were not permitted to play on the PGA Tour. Now some players are angry that LIV players might return without consequences. 17Wednesday, McIlroy said he was hopeful the merger would use Saudi money "the right way." 18"Whether you like it or not, PIF and the Saudis want to spend money on the game of golf. They want to do this, and they weren't going to stop," he said. 19Why did the merger happen? 20Jay Monahan is the commissioner of the PGA Tour. Monahan had refused to meet with the Saudi Golf group for two years. But a few months ago, PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne organized a meeting. Monahan, European Tour chief Keith Pelley and Al-Rumayyan began working out an agreement. 21Monahan found that LIV Golf had a deep supply of money and meant to continue. He said golf was too divided and had too much tension. It was best for everyone to come together. 22The PGA Tour will remain a non-profit organization under U.S. tax law. The PGA Tour and European Tour also will keep the same tour events and logos. 23Where will LIV Golf players play next year? 24LIV Golf will finish its second season this year as planned. After that, the next steps remain unclear. Monahan said officials will study how to bring team golf into the PGA Tour. LIV Golf was trying to turn its 12 teams into franchises. However, no one had financially supported a team. 25But it is unlikely that if LIV Golf still exists, players can play on the other tours. That is what led to the dispute and court cases in the first place. 26I'm Dorothy Gundy. And I'm Dan Novak. 27Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 28___________________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30merger - n. the act or process of combining two separate businesses with different ownership into one 31sovereign wealth fund -n. an investment fund that is run and operated by a government 32tournament -n. a competition with a series of contests in which players or teams try to win a championship over the course of days or weeks 33entertainment -n. performances or games meant to be watched for enjoyment 34consequences- n. (usually pl.) something that must be dealt with as a result of an earlier action or position 35logo - n. a picture or representation that stands for and identifies a company 36franchise - n. a team that is part of a professional sports organization which is owned and has certain rights and responsibilities