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Jimmy Dunne is the man behind the PGA-LIV deal that shocked the world of sports on Tuesday. How he got to be that man is a shocking tale, despite his involvement in golf for a long time.
Dunne is a top member at a few of the more prestigious golf clubs in the entire world. This allows him to essentially cozy up to the most powerful people in golf. He is a member at Augusta National, Pine Valley and National Golf Links on Long Island among many others. He’s also the President at Seminole Golf Club, a prestigious club in its own right.
Dunne became a PGA Tour advisor in late 2022, when the Tour-LIV Golf feud was really heating up. His main job was to prevent more people from leaving the Tour to defect to LIV, something he was unofficially doing beforehand anyway.
Based on reports, Dunne, despite his seeming loyalty to PGA Tour, was instrumental in brokering this deal between the two tours.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan called Jimmy Dunne out by name when talking with the media after the merger. He pointed out that Dunne's first meeting with PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan effectively opened the door for the eventual partnership.
Who is Jimmy Dunne?
Jimmy Dunne has a deep history with LIV, though. The Saudi-backed league is considered controversial in the United States thanks to the 9/11 tragedy, which hit very close to home for the former golfer.
He was not in the World Trade Center that day because of his attempts to qualify for a golf tournament. He lost friends and family that day, though. He even blasted the league, saying:
“I don't like it when they say they're 'growing the game.’ That's crap. I don't even like it when they say 'I have to do what's best for my family.' I really wonder how many of those guys, the lifestyle that they were living was so horrible that their family needed them to do this. Just say, 'I'm at a point in my career where I (want to) make five times as much money against much weaker competition and play less.' Just tell the truth. Don't cover it with a lot of crap.”
His club even barred LIV from being members. He ultimately had at least a little bit of a change of heart. Jay Monahan, PGA Tour commissioner, said:
“They were able to have a discussion about how we work together to grow the game, how we work together to grow the PGA Tour, and to really get an understanding and start building some trust as we pursued that. The first conversation, that I was not a part of, was the most important. When they came back and said it was a positive conversation and that I should have a follow-up meeting, that's when things started to develop.”
The unity of the game of golf was too much to pass up. It's no secret that the game had been terribly divided and this is a real chance to bring it back together again. The idea is that this can be the best of both tours, so that's something that will please Jimmy Dunne and others.
