PGA Tour once called LIV Golf a vehicle to 'sportswash Saudi atrocities.' It seems not to matter now they're merging.

• The Saudi Arabia-funded LIV Golf league is merging with the decades-old PGA Tour. 
• PGA officials only recently accused the Saudis of seeking to "sportswash" murder and oppression.
• That clearly didn't stop the merger — and now the Saudi crown prince is a global sports power player. 

Announcing that the PGA Tour golf competition would be merging with the Saudi Arabian funded upstart LIV Golf Tuesday, PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan hailed "a historic day for the game we all know and love."

At a stroke it washed away what only months before had been PGA's apparent ethical concerns about Saudi involvement in the sport given its history of human-rights abuses.

"This will engender a new era in global golf, for the better," said Monahan in a statement, and praised Yasir Al-Rumayyan of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) for his "vision and collaborative and forward-thinking approach" in brokering the deal. 

The shock announcement Tuesday ended months of feuding between the rival tournaments, and put a sudden stop to an intensifying legal battle.

The cash-rich LIV tournament has lured top players and influential political backers, including former President Donald Trump, and the tournaments have been locked in a feud over player contracts.

There is a stark contrast between how the PGA Tour talks about Saudi money in golf now versus its stance as recently as last fall.

In a September 2022 lawsuit, reported ESPN, PGA Tour accused Saudi Arabia of using "astronomical sums of money … to use the LIV Players and the game of golf to sportswash the recent history of Saudi atrocities."

The atrocities critics have denounced Saudi Arabia for include the assassination of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, the persecution of critics, the brutal war waged in Yemen, and the treatment of women and minorities. 

In the lawsuits, notes The New Republic, Saudi Arabia acknowledged that its PIF operates as an arm of the Saudi state, whose de-facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wields unchallenged power. 

 9/11 Families United, a group that represents the families of those bereaved by the 9/11 attacks, has accused Saudi officials of complicity in the terror attacks, and on Tuesday denounced the PGA's alleged hypocrisy. 

(Saudi officials have long denied the claims.)

"Now the PGA and Monahan appear to have become just more paid Saudi shills, taking billions of dollars to cleanse the Saudi reputation,"it said.

The release cited comments by Monahan last year in which in reference to accusations of Saudi involvement in 9/11 said he asked players "have you ever had to apologise for being a member of the PGA Tour?" 

The deal cements Crown Prince Mohammed's status as a major power player in global sports. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has bought the English Premier League club Newcastle United, as well as luring top players such as Karim Benzema to its domestic tournaments. Saudi Arabia has hosted major competitions in Formula 1 racing, boxing, e-sports and chess.