Jack Nicklaus throws support behind PGA Tour head Jay Monahan, LIV Golf merger: 'Good for the game of golf'

Jack Nicklaus has Jay Monahan's back. 

As the PGA Tour commissioner came under intense fire from players and observers of the game, the golf legend threw his support behind Monahan and the Tour's stunning merger with LIV Golf that was announced Tuesday. 

"The last three years have been difficult for the game and the players," Nicklaus said Tuesday, per the Palm Beach Post. "I spoke with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan this morning. He seemed pleased with the arrangement that will once again bring together the best players in the world. I agree that this is good for the game of golf."

Nicklaus' support of Monahan coincides with fiery criticism from active PGA Tour players. News of the merger caught everyone who wasn't in on the negotiations off guard, with players learning of the deal in headlines and on social media alongside the general public. 

Many of those players had remained staunchly critical of LIV Golf, the former rebel tour that offered gargantuan sums of money to play for the Saudi-backed league that was criticized as an effort to sportswash the nation's lengthy record of human rights abuses. 

Now, those same players are aligned with the league that they detest because of a decision they say was made without their input. Some of those players reportedly turned down nine-figure offers to remain on the PGA Tour and avoid being associated with LIV Golf. Now they're all under the same umbrella with the nine-figure paydays off the table. 

Geoff Ogilvy said that one player called Monahan a "hypocrite" to his face during a meeting with players Tuesday afternoon. Tour player Wesley Bryan wrote on Twitter that he feels "betrayed." 

Prior to Tuesday's deal, Monahan had stood by players in their criticism of LIV Golf. He acknowledged the backlash headed his way on Tuesday.

“I recognize everything I’ve said in the past in my past positions,” Monahan said, per Golf Magazine’s Sean Zak. “I recognize that people are going to call me a hypocrite. Anytime I said anything I said it with the information I had in the moment.”

But he has the support of at least one very prominent figure in the golf world in Nicklaus. The 18-time major winner sees peace in the deal days after declaring that he doesn't consider LIV Golf players "part of the game anymore."

"Whatever is best for the game of golf enjoys my full support," Nicklaus said Tuesday.