At one point in the peace proposals, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were to be offered ownership of the LIV teams. Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images Plans to give Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods their own LIV Golf franchises were revealed as part of initial merger discussions between PGA and DP World Tours and Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund.
In surreal scenes at the U.S. Senate hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, where representatives from 9/11 victims' groups sat behind PGA Tour executives, it also emerged that:
- The PGA Tour demanded the removal of Greg Norman as executive LIV Golf executives;
- LIV executives wanted Woods and McIlroy to play «at least 10 tournaments» despite their public opposition to the rebellious tour;
- proposals were made to grant membership to Augusta National and Royal and Ancient to Yasser Al Rumayan, chairman of the LIV and Newcastle United, who is the manager of the Public Investment Fund.
It should be emphasized. that all of these proposals were made in preparation for a hastily announced alliance last month after two years of fighting between the insurgent circle and the traditional forces.
Ron Price and Jimmy Dunn of the PGA Tour were sworn in before a Senate committee. Photo: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky. -Rumayan is moving to perhaps the two most august clubs in the game.
Nonetheless, at least a 276-page trove of documents released by a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday highlights the extraordinary levels of horse trading that may have a place where the parties try to find a solution that brings the game together and, appropriately, satisfies each of the two parties in terms of finances and power.
Amanda Staveley, the English financier who oversaw Newcastle's PIF purchase, is bound to make headlines despite PGA Tour chief executive Jimmy Dunn confiding to politicians that «If LIV takes five players a year for five years, they can gut us.»
God knows what McIlroy and Woods will see as Staveley's «Best of Both Worlds» presentation, which was made at the first round of the peace talks at the end of April.
It had several clauses, the first of which was that Woods and McIlroy should have their own LIV teams and play «at least 10 LIV tournaments». Even if he accepts, Woods's chances of playing in so many LIVs after a car accident two years ago where he nearly lost his right leg are slim to none.
It will be interesting to see if Woods was told anything about his name coming up in early negotiations because he claimed a few weeks ago that he was completely unaware of the intentions that came to light during the tour when he opposed LIV. on his fellow professionals in the midst of a civil war.
The same applies to McIlroy. The Northern Irishman was the LIV's most vocal opponent and expressed anger at being used as a «sacrificial lamb» by the Tour following the remarkable Sawgrass HQ turnaround. He was in a gloomy mood after he found out — at the same time as everyone else — about the unification and repeated that he still hated the splinter league.
.@SenBlumenthal: What would you say to players who feel overwhelmed and betrayed? How many players did you give advance notice of the agreement?
PGA Tour COO Ron Price: «I don't think any of the players were notified.»
Blumenthal: «None? No player has been notified? pic.twitter.com/IRniU5qzgW
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 11, 2023
“I still hate LIV—I hate it,” he said. «I hope this goes away.» McIlroy refused to play in Saudi Arabia when it became the venue for the DP world tour, citing concerns about «the source» and although his attitude has since softened: «if they're going to invest in golf, it's better than it is now.» the PGA Tour» must be highly doubtful after he said he would ever play under the LIV brand. Norman or not Norman.
The Australian's future at the helm of LIV had been discussed months before the merger was announced, with both McIlroy and Woods insisting that he must step down before peace could come.
It was known that Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA Tour wanted him to leave after so many criticisms, and his desire is revealed in emails between him and his negotiators. In a follow-up letter to the agreement, Norman's dismissal was declared a necessity, although Tuesday's PGA tour showed it was never signed. Norman stays at work. Bye.
However, whether he can trust his treasurers is debatable, despite the fact that the chairman has been attending LIV events on the Costa del Sol and Hertfordshire over the past two weeks. At Valderrama and Centurion Club, Al Rumayan assured LIV players and staff that the league would continue despite the framework agreement saying that Monahan would have the right to stop the race if the agreement was finalized.
In the event of a final deal, Stavely appears determined to ensure that Al-Rumayan not only becomes chairman of the new company, but also becomes president of the International Golf Federation and is accepted as a member in Augusta and Royal and Ancient. This offer was also in her presentation, although in fact she asked him to become a member of the R&A, which is not a club.
An R&A insider said: «This is the first we» I heard about it. On another dizzying day, uncertainty reigns in the LIV saga.
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