"I made the call" - PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan reveals Greg Norman's role in the LIV Golf PGA Tour merger

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia and the PGA Tour announced on Tuesday (June 6) that they have reached an agreement to merge into one global entity, which will also encompass the DP World Tour. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PIF Governor, explained that he personally broke the news to LIV Golf Tour CEO Greg Norman.

After the announcement was made public, both the PIF chief and the PGA Tour commissioner gave a joint interview to CNBC. When reporter David Faber asked about Greg Norman, Al-Rumayyan simply said that he had been informed.

"I made the call just before this interview," Al-Rumayyan said.

Greg Norman, for his part, has not made any public statement about this move. However, in the past, he mentioned his conviction that something like this was possible.

These were Norman's words on the matter months ago, according to Golfweek:

“One hundred percent I do [think LIV and PGA Tour can come together]. Jay Monahan, if he had the decency to take our meetings right from the get-go, none of this stuff would be in place today. The game of golf would be in a much better place."

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LIV Golf and PGA Tour merge

The imminent merger of LIV Golf and the PGA Tour has been cataloged as a historic event, both by the highest representatives of the PIF and the PGA Tour, as well as by the press.

Although only a memorandum of understanding between both entities was made public this Tuesday, it is expected that the intention will materialize in the near future.

This is what Commissioner Jay Monahan said:

“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love. This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA TOUR’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV – including the team golf concept – to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans."

For his part, the PIF Governor told CNBC:

"We are committed to unifying, promoting and growing the game of golf around the world and offering the highest-quality product to the many millions of long-time fans globally, while cultivating new fans."

"We look forward to collaborating with Jay [Monahan] and Keith [Pelley, chief executive of the DP World Tour] to bring the best version of the game to communities around the world.”

For the time being, what has been announced is the early emergence of an entity that will manage professional golf in the circuits so far associated with the PGA, which also includes the DP World Tour. LIV will join this entity with all its players.

It remains to be seen how the competitive format of this new tour will be, how the return of LIV players will be, and how the investments announced by the PIF will materialize.