Jack Nicklaus likes golf to finally unite globally instead of remaining in a civil war.
«The Golden Bear», like many others, reacted to the stunning historic merger between the PGA Tour, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) which runs the LIV Golf Tour, and the DP World Tour as a unified golf entity.
«The last three years have been difficult for the game and for the players,» Nicklaus said, via The Palm Beach Post. «I spoke to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan this morning. He seemed pleased with the arrangement that will once again bring together the best players in the world. I agree this is good for golf.»
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Jack Nicklaus reacts to a putt on the 10th hole during a celebrity shootout after the second round of The Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills Golf And Country Club on August 27, 2022 in Grand Blanc, Michigan. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
«I also appreciate the commissioner’s comments about continuing the Tour’s tradition and mission to support important charitable causes. I’m certainly interested to see the details. Jay indicated that this will all happen in 2024, so very soon the test will be in the offing. pudding. Whatever is best for the game of golf has my full support.»
Nicklaus previously took a swipe at the LIV golfers, saying he «didn’t consider those guys part of the game anymore.»
«I don’t mean that in a nasty way,» he told Golfweek during his annual Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club, also known as Jack’s Place. «This is a PGA Tour event, and we have the best course we can have for a PGA Tour event for those who are eligible to be here. The other guys chose what they did and where they went, and we don’t even talk about it.» .
JACK NICKLAUS TAKES SWING AT LIV GOLFERS: ‘NOT EVEN CONSIDERING THOSE GUYS ALREADY PART OF THE GAME’
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said negotiations for this new unit took about seven weeks to complete. It was just him and two other PGA Tour board members in a room during that time, with no players involved.
The deal closed Monday night.
No one, not even the players on tour, knew this was coming and many of them reacted in their own way on social media.
«I love getting the morning news on Twitter,» PGA Tour star Collin Morikawa wrote in a tweet. PGA Tour member Scott Stallings responded: «You and me.»
LIV golfers like Brooks Koepka also made some snarky comments.
«Wellness check at Chamblee,» he said, referring to current and former professional golf analyst Brandel Chamblee, who has hated LIV Golf since its existence and has been very public about it.
Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA Tour, speaks to the media at a press conference prior to THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on March 7, 2023 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Chamblee called Tuesday «one of the saddest days in the history of professional golf» after the news of the unexpected merger.
Monahan issued a statement about the merger, saying it «will benefit golfers, business and charitable partners, and fans.»
«Moving forward, fans can rest assured that we will collectively deliver on the promise we have always made: to promote competition from the best in professional golf, and that we are committed to securing and driving the future of the game,» the statement read. the notice. .
PGA TOUR ANNOUNCES HISTORIC MERGER WITH SAUDI-BACKED LIV GOLF
The new agreement will merge PIF’s golf businesses on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour as a «new collectively owned for-profit entity to ensure that all stakeholders benefit from a model that offers maximum excitement and competition.» among the best in the game.» players».
PIF will add an «equity investment» to the new entity as part of the deal. Furthermore, all pending litigation between these three golf powerhouses will be dropped.
All players who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf (Koepka, Phil Mickelson and many more) can reapply for membership after the 2023 season is complete.
The 2022 Jack Nicklaus Award winners are announced at a press conference during the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 5, 2022 in Dublin, Ohio. (Chris Condon/PGA TOUR)
«We are pleased to move forward, keeping pace with LIV and PIF’s world-class investment experience, and I applaud PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan for his forward-thinking, collaborative vision and approach that is not just a solution to the gap in our game, but also a commitment to take it to new heights,» added Monahan.
«This will usher in a new era in world golf, for the better.»
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Nicklaus and golf fans everywhere certainly hope that’s the case.