Peter Finch has picked out the ‘biggest loser’ as PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger becomes possible

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Fresh talk of the PGA Tour reaching an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has emerged.

Reports emerged on November 2 that a $1bn agreement between the PIF and PGA Tour is close. An article by UK newspaper The Sun claimed that the Saudi investment arm is set to take an 11% stake in the PGA Tour product.

Furthermore, it’s understood LIV Golf will gain two seats on the PGA Tour board, including a chairmanship spot. It’s understood LIV events will now fall under the PGA Tour banner.

Unsurprisingly, PGA Tour players are sceptical about the news after several LIV players quit the tour in order to pursue lucrative contracts with the breakaway venture.

YouTube star Peter Finch believes there’s an even bigger loser involved, however.

Peter Finch: DP World Tour the big ‘losers’ amid LIV Golf-PGA Tour merger

• READ MORE: Seven big questions still need answering as PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger is ‘on the brink’ of completion

Speaking during the latest edition of the Rough Cut Podcast, Finch discussed the groundbreaking report from The Sun and suggested that the DP World Tour could be left out in the cold as a result.

“The biggest losers in this from the outset looks like it will be the DP World Tour,” Finch said.

“If you are public investment fund, sticking cash into the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour is a US based entity. One of the good things about LIV, and I think this is universally accepted, is that at least they were going out to Australia, coming to the UK.”

The Englishman continued: “They were going to places where Greg Norman because he wants the world golf tour, the PGA Tour doesn’t go. You saw in Australia how the fans really turn out and engage with it; you saw it at JCB. Big crowds and engagement and enjoying the golf.”

LIV Golf-PGA Tour merger: New normal required

Clearly, irrespective of the legitimacy of the reports, a new norm is close to being finalised between the PIF and the PGA Tour.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Jay Monahan appear to have grown closer in recent months, and tensions between PIF officials and PGA Tour heavyweights have no doubt eased.

Rory McIlroy, initially one of LIV’s biggest cynics, has become more open to the idea of a merger throughout the 2024 season.

The sooner fans and PGA Tour players accept that the PIF influence is here to stay, the sooner the game of golf can move forward. If reports are to be believed, the LIV Golf backers have finally broken through on the negotiation table, and a new norm could well be in place for the 2025 season.