Golf great Tom Watson asks for explanation on PGA Tour-LIV merger
Retired golf star Tom Watson is demanding answers over the PGA Tour’s recent deal with LIV Golf, which is backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
Watson, an eight-time major champion, wrote an open letter published in Golf Digest asking the PGA Tour commissioner for an explanation as to why the league joined forces with LIV Golf. He wrote that he understands the “cries of hypocrisy” arising over the announcement of the merger between the two leagues.
“In my opinion, the communication has been mishandled and the process by which the Tour agreed on a proposed partnership with PIF was executed without due process. As a group of players and stakeholders who represent the face and the brands of the Tour, what are our choices?” he wrote.
Watson pushed for more details on the agreement between the two leagues, and he asked whether the deal made with LIV Golf was the only way for PGA Tour to survive ongoing financial hardships.
“My overarching questions remain. Is the PIF the only viable rescue from the Tour’s financial problems? Was/is there a plan B? And again, what exactly is the exchange? We need clarity and deserve full disclosure as to the financial health of the PGA Tour and the details of this proposed partnership,” he wrote.
The PGA Tour announced earlier this month it would merge with rival LIV Golf to create a new entity, which ended the pending antitrust litigation the PGA Tour previously filed against LIV. This has sparked concerns among lawmakers and prompted a Justice Department review of the merger.
Watson also mentioned the Sept. 11 attacks and human rights issues in Saudi Arabia. A group representing the families of 9/11 victims said earlier this month that it was “deeply offended” by the news of the merger between the leagues.
“I still await Saudi acknowledgement of their role in the attacks of 9/11, which resulted in the loss of the innocent lives of 3000 of my fellow American citizens,” Watson wrote.
“That day, forever among the darkest in our nation’s history, is sadly not alone among the human rights violations we have seen employed by Saudi Arabia. I ask the Tour, how is a non-negotiable point for us one day one we negotiate around the next?” he added.