When reports emerged last week of a potential deal between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour finally being struck, it seemed to catch more than a few people off guard.
Months and months of ongoing discussions in the background have failed to yield a positive outcome as yet but reports suggested LIV had agreed a deal worth more than $1bn to invest into the PGA Tour from next year.
Of course, nothing has come to light from those reports just yet and there are suggestions that players on the PGA side are struggling to see how LIV players simply return.
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Furthermore, Rory McIlroy has admitted he knew nothing of the rumoured deal, although McIlroy did suggest Donald Trump’s recent election win could pave the way for a deal.
It seems, then, that the report has done its job of generating discussion and speaking directly about the report, respected golf journalist Bob Harig has shared what his sources have told him.
Bob Harig says why his sources are surprised at news of a PGA Tour and LIV Golf deal
Speaking on the Flushing It podcast alongside British golf journalist Tom Hobbs, Harig broke down why the merger reports caught he and others off guard.
“The 11% number caught my attention because that was an interesting fact to point out. It was a number we haven’t heard before, wasn’t it?
“Right. And so, you know, it makes you wonder, did somebody say they’re getting 11% because it fits, you know, it kind of fits 1.34 billion of investment is about 11% of what SSG valued PGA Tour Enterprises to be a little over $12 billion. So, like that kind of fits.
“So, but like to narrow it down that way. And he also had two board seats. Like the original framework agreement had one board seat, and then also, you know, the chairman of the new company.
“Like that wording was different. Now, was that just inaccurate? Or did someone tell them that? That’s why I was intrigued by it a little bit, because, you know, there’s just enough in there to make you wonder. But yet, it’s not really been picked up much.
“Nobody is, there’s, to my end, and look, it doesn’t mean, does it just because I haven’t heard, it doesn’t mean anything. But I mean, like the people I talked to, it sort of came as a bit of a surprise.”
Race to the big news in golf is on
We’ve seen differing reports over the years about LIV and the PGA and some have come to fruition while others have fell flat.
For example, we had the reports of Rory McIlroy apparently agreeing an £800m deal to join LIV that in the end, went nowhere.
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However, there is no smoke without fire at times and it does seem things may be edging towards some sort of conclusion in the near future with LIV and the PGA.
Quite what that looks like, and who will be first to break that news, remains the big mystery. The race to find that exclusive news, then, is very much o
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