LIV Golf were keen to show a united front in southern Spain. humanitarian visit to the unemployment line. Yasser Al Rumayan appeared on mainland Europe's most famous course on Wednesday and assured professionals and staff that the impending demise of the LIV was greatly exaggerated.
When it comes to the manager of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, these are the rebels with applause. People like Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau just don't believe stories during the PGA tour that Commissioner Jay Monahan, if and when he returns due to his unspecified health condition, will shut down the LIV cheerleaders.
Of course, the main detail of the shocking merger between PGA and DP World Tours and the Kingdom's State Investment Fund actually states that, as the new company's chief executive, Monahan will have the right to shut down the breakaway league before its third season.
And yes, Al Rumayan was central to framing this deal, which would presumably allow Monahan to pull the plug.
But even before His Excellency — as His Excellency was nicknamed on this track and, Of course, at Newcastle United, where he is also chairman, appeared on the eve of this £20 million event, there was a belief that the LIV would definitely not soon become as ancient as its own Roman numerals of the same name.
< p>«I'm looking forward to every helping of the humble pie,» Ian Poulter told Telegraph Sport while training on Tuesday. “And it's not us LIV guys going back.”
Al Rumayyan's polo shirt only bolstered Poulter and Co.'s confidence. The white garment featured the unmistakable LIV logo. And if that was enough to suggest that Al-Rumayyan, and by extension the Saudi royals, are continuing to invest in the project—indeed, to the tune of $2 billion—then the driver of his buggy has added even more weight.
When the stunning alliance was announced earlier this month, most thought that Greg Norman, LIV CEO and master destroyer, was moving even more coyly towards his P45 than towards his Augusta 76 in the final round of the 1996 Masters. But on Wednesday, Norman was driving not only the motorized cart, but the LIV itself. The message was clear — it's business as usual. If anything in the LIV business has ever been «ordinary», it is.
LIV signed other documents as the ink on the supposedly comprehensive contract was already drying. On Monday, the Majesticks team (including Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Henrik Stenson) announced their first “official global sponsor,” a cryptocurrency exchange company. This is a multi-year deal, as is Valderrama's five-year partnership with LIV, as is LIV's contract with the Spanish region of Andalusia.
Bryson DeChambeau is one of the big names in Valderrama this week. Photo: Shutterstock/A Carrasco Ragel
«I think this longstanding partnership between LIV and Andalusia speaks for itself,» Sergio Garcia said in a statement on Wednesday. “I am very confident that I will be here next year with LIV. I mean, this is what I see. We are in a good location. There are many details that are not yet finalized and there are many speculations. But I think it will be a great deal for everyone. I fully expect that we, as LIV, will be in Valderrama and other places in 2024.”
Garcia's positivity sums up the general atmosphere on the LIV side. But the same is true in the PGA Tour quarters, and it has de facto legal weight in his favor. The «framework agreement» that rocked professional golf on June 6 makes it clear that Monaghan and the PGA Tour have ultimate control if a final agreement is reached.
However, «should» is paramount in this case, as not only is the likelihood of Al-Rumayyan and Tura delivering a joint verdict by the December 31 deadline is far from guaranteed, but the merger is being investigated by both the U.S. Senate and the Department of US Justice. Doubt prevails.
«The Tour and PIF have presented him to us with such confidence, but it's been a few weeks now and he seems even more uncertain than ever,» one of the top players told Telegraph Sport. “The PGA Tour Policy Board recently admitted that there may not be a deal. So what happens then? Of course, they will be able to extend the negotiations, and this framework deal ensures that there can be no more litigation against each other in the future, no matter what. So, again, what happens then? The Saudis won't leave — now they have a seat at the big table — so there has to be a compromise.»
Does this mean that LIV will continue as part of a new harmonious calendar? If this is the case, then it must certainly be in a different shape and form, especially since the intention in an exclusively free agreement is to find a passage back to Tours for the rebels and, presumably, vice versa for the loyalists.
Currently, opposing and in most cases conflicting opinions are simply based on which camp the players, officials, advisors, caddies or staff are in. But in the LIV world, faith in E.E. sounds undeniable.
«LIV was Yasser's baby and LIV is growing up,» said Martin Kaimer, former world number one. «So he's not going to turn his back on it now, is he?»
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