Area pros weigh in on merging of PGA Tour and LIV, how money will shape the future of professional golf

Money talks and … well, you know the rest.

It would seem to be a fair assessment of what happened Tuesday with the stunning announcement of professional golf’s new threesome: the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s wallet.

The future of pro golf was negotiated in secrecy, apparently with just a handful of leaders of the above entities. The new alliance was introduced to the world as well as PGA, European and LIV players two days before the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, which has been criticized due to the country’s long list of human rights violations.

Numerous details need to be worked out, but the framework is seemingly in place that brings some unity to pro golf, fortifies the PGA Tour’s financial future, in large part because of an infusion of cash from Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund, and ends litigation between the tour and LIV.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who will be CEO of the new partnership, quickly backtracked after railing for nearly two years against rival LIV. His meeting earlier this week with tour players was contentious with one saying roughly 90% of the players were against the new partnership.

Several stars, including Phil Mickelson’s reported $200 million deal and Dustin Johnson’s reported $125 million, banked massive LIV bonuses. Johnson was LIV’s top money-maker at $35.6 million last season in just eight events. He’s pocketed nearly $75 million in 309 PGA Tour events, including 24 wins, since turning pro in 2007.

Do they now have a path back to the PGA Tour? Will LIV Golf continue next season and beyond?

Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy, the PGA Tour’s most outspoken supporter over the last 12 months, said he now feels like a “sacrificial lamb” but noted the “future of the PGA Tour looks brighter as a whole.”

We caught up with Circling Raven pro Chris Runyan and Downriver’s Steve Conner for their thoughts on the new alliance and future of professional golf. Keep in mind that unknowns greatly outnumber knowns at this point.

Q: It’s been a year-plus of acrimony between the PGA Tour and LIV. First reaction when the news broke Tuesday morning?

CR: Fake news. Can’t be possible. I emailed the vice president of the PGA of America and asked him if it was true. He responded back, “information coming in fast, will have update later.”

SC: Very surprised. Didn’t see that coming.

Q: Is the game of golf and the PGA Tour in a better position now than it was a week ago? Why or why not?

SC: I don’t think they are necessarily in a better position per se. A lot of personalities involved, the pot just keeps getting stirred. Whose to know how it’s going to play out.

CR: The game of golf is the game of golf. What the PGA Tour does won’t affect what golfers around Spokane/North Idaho do. I believe it might make it interesting, like a soap opera for a couple of months.

Q: PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan stated the players’ loyalty to the PGA Tour “will be rewarded.” Should McIlroy and other top players that could have secured big money had they bolted to LIV receive some compensation?

CR: One of the reasons I love golf is that it is you against other golfers, against the elements, against the course. If you played well, you are compensated accordingly. Just because you stayed and played a certain tour, you are now rewarded for being “loyal.” I don’t agree with it.

SC: It remains to be seen how he’s going to straighten this out. Players stayed behind in support of the PGA and gave up a huge payday. It’s going to be interesting to see how it’s dealt with.

Q: PGA Tour players openly questioned if they could trust Monahan and called him a hypocrite during a Tuesday meeting. Should Monahan keep or lose his job?

SC: I think that’s for the PGA Tour players to decide.

CR: I learned, while in the Marines, that leaders have to sometimes make decisions on the fly – right, wrong or indifferent. As more information comes in, they may change or modify their original position. I don’t have the information that he had when he said what he said. But I believe that he might have regretted what he originally said, once he said it.