Jon Rahm’s US$500 million (A$740m) defection to LIV Golf seems to be a sticking level in a possible reunion between the Saudi-funded league and the PGA Tour.
The continuing dispute between the rival factions of males’s skilled golf has at all times centred across the mega-dollars on supply and in response to a Bloomberg report, the 2 events have struggled to discover a center floor relating to cash at their current talks.
Important progress of their bid to finish males’s skilled golf’s civil struggle was halted by some PGA Tour stars demanding Rahm and different high-profile LIV recruits pay again the cash from their profitable offers.
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Rejecting the massive sums provided by the upstart league headed by Greg Norman in favour of staying loyal to the PGA Tour solely to have commissioner Jay Monahan announce a proposed deal the place the Saudi Public Funding Fund would spend money on PGA Tour Enterprises with out the gamers’ prior data in June final 12 months went down like a lead balloon.
The PGA Tour’s contingent is now demanding monetary penalties for many who defected with different proposals together with LIV golfers pay fines to play in occasions, give cash to charity or forfeit future winnings in PGA Tour tournaments.
Rahm is already attempting to keep away from fines from the DP World Tour as he’s interesting the six-figure fines imposed by the previously named European Group to permit him to proceed representing the continent within the Ryder Cup.
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In line with a Sports activities Illustrated report, LIV Golf tried to pay Rahm’s fines for him as they’ve paid greater than $10 million in fines for its gamers so far however the DP World Tour rejected it forward of Rahm taking part in within the Spanish Open in a bid to pressure the palms of LIV and the PGA Tour to come back collectively.
One other situation that has arisen through the negotiations is the reluctance of PGA Tour gamers to function in LIV occasions across the globe – which signifies that the 54-hole crew occasions which has been successful on Australian shores with its Adelaide event is right here to remain.
The PGA Tour have lengthy been immune to taking tournaments all over the world and turning into a really world tour, but it surely appears doing so is without doubt one of the caveats of receiving funding from the PIF which may spell excellent news for Australian golf followers starved of seeing the world’s elite male golfers within the flesh lately.
The Bloomberg report additionally made it clear that “talks may nonetheless fail” which would depart each excursions within the present state with disadvantages for each excursions.
LIV gamers with a five-year exemption into the majors from current wins within the showpiece occasions are working out of time earlier than they are going to now not have direct entry, whereas the PGA Tour may face additional participant deflections which might weaken the standard of their fields.
The PGA Tour has their heavy hitters concerned with Tiger Woods taking part in a key position as one in all six participant administrators which additionally consists of Australian Adam Scott, whereas Rory McIlroy has additionally been concerned within the negotiations with the PIF.
Final week’s conferences had been held in New York and had been labelled “disgusting, unacceptable and extremely painful” by the households of 9/11 victims because the timing coincided with the twenty third anniversary of the fear assaults.
COMMENTATORS POUR COLD WATER ON LIV PLAYERS GIVING MONEY BACK
Golf author and podcaster Dan Rapaport expressed his view on X that what a few of the PGA Tour gamers are proposing is “not how life works”.
“One of many most important purpose the LIV guys received a lot $$$ is as a result of they had been taking a danger that they’d get hammered for,” Rapaport stated. “Financially talking they performed their playing cards proper. To now count on them to offer their a reimbursement – that simply not how life works.”
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In a follow-up put up, Rapaport additionally shared his content material with the continued saga and the relentless deal with cash between golfers who have already got loads of it.
“There’s additionally the truth that no fan watches sports activities due to how a lot cash gamers make,” he stated. “Golf followers are exhausted of all this speak of cash, cash, cash. Consensus is: let’s get everybody again collectively. For the sticking level on that to be millionaires upset with different millionaires – when *everybody* is wayyy higher off financially then they had been 5 years in the past – sends a very dangerous message.”
In the meantime Golf Digest senior author Joel Beall shared his perception on X that the cash situation isn’t what’s holding up the negotiations.
“LIV gamers returning cash – particularly Rahm – isn’t what’s holding up a possible PGA Tour-PIF deal, sources inform me,” Beall stated. “It’s find out how to combine LIV gamers again and what LIV’s future seems like in a unified sport (present LIV state of affairs probably performed, however will probably be round in some type).
“Additionally LIV $$$ isn’t the aversion to a reconciliation for tour gamers. It’s assimilating defectors who sued the PGA Tour, a lawsuit which (in response to management) put the tour in a weak monetary place. Gamers understandably need penalties for this group.”