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Legendary golfer Padraig Harrington turned to Twitter to express his thoughts on the recent PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger. According to Padraig Harrington, the merger, which had aroused discussion and debate within the golfing community, appears to have taken a new shape.
Harrington initially thought the merger would be a hostile takeover or a total combination of the two tours. His viewpoint has since altered, implying that the merger appears to be primarily geared at resolving ongoing lawsuits.
"A few days now since “the merger”. It doesn’t look like a merger or even a hostile takeover as I had once thought. It looks like a deal to stop the lawsuits. The 3 tours seem to keep their status quo at least for the players with no crossover for now," his tweet read.
Padraig Harrington's statement suggests that the merger may be focused on legal ramifications rather than an immediate merging of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
Harrington's post has stirred interest and curiosity among golf fans, spurring conversations regarding the merger's motivations and results.
Padraig Harrington's tweet implies that the current structure and operations of the three tours involved, which include the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and possibly another tour, will be largely unaffected for the time being.
This shows that players may not see major differences in terms of involvement and opportunities across tours.
Background to the series of legal suits
LIV Golf, which will be launched in 2021 by CEO Greg Norman, made its debut on 9-10 June at the Centurion Club near London.
The league allows golfers to compete on shorter courses with greater prize prizes and a more festive atmosphere.
With a $2 billion investment from the PIF (Public Investment Fund), LIV Golf has attracted players to switch tours by offering significant buyout offers that mitigate the potential financial consequences.
LIV Golf made news in June after purportedly recruiting prominent PGA Tour talent such as Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Phil Mickelson, with each player apparently getting multimillion-dollar bonuses.
As a result, the PGA Tour punished 17 players who had vowed to join LIV Golf on June 9 and threatened more suspensions if they participated in LIV events.
LIV Golf and the PGA Tour have been involved in a legal struggle since August 8, 2022. It all started when 11 professional golfers who had been suspended from PGA events owing to their involvement in LIV tournaments sued the PGA Tour.
They claimed that the PGA Tour was abusing its power to stifle competition and penalize players who opted to join other tours. In an unexpected turn of events, LIV Golf became a plaintiff in the players' lawsuit, leading the majority of the golfers involved to withdraw from the action.
On September 28, 2022, the PGA filed a countersuit against LIV Golf in response to the ongoing legal procedures. The PGA claimed that LIV Golf, in partnership with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), had interfered with the PGA's commercial activities illegally.
