LIV Golf's Future to Be Controlled by PGA Tour Leadership Under Framework Agreement

In the wake of the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour agreeing to a landmark merger, the future of LIV Golf will be in the hands of PGA Tour leadership, including commissioner Jay Monahan, according to ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Golf Digest's Joel Beall.

According to Schlabach, Monahan, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley and Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan signed a five-page agreement that will largely place the PGA Tour in charge of all matters moving forward.

The viability of continuing LIV Golf is among the orders of business that will be considered, with the agreement stating the following:

"NewCo will undertake a full and empirical data-driven evaluation of LIV and its prospects and potential and will make a good faith assessment of the benefits of team golf in general, and PIF, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour will work together in an effort to determine how to best integrate team golf into PGA Tour and DP World Tour events going forward."

Despite the Saudi PIF making a significant investment in the new golf venture and reserving the right to make future investments, the PGA Tour will have "full decision-making authority with respect to all strategic and operational matters related to competition."

LIV Golf has only been holding competitions for a little over a year, and while it will continue to do so for now, shutting down LIV is an option, especially since it has failed to establish itself as destination viewing for golf fans.

In its first season, LIV could only be streamed on YouTube and its website, and it was unable to land a television deal with a major network for Year 2, instead settling for The CW.

One thing LIV Golf succeeded in was siphoning star power from the PGA Tour, as larger payouts and shorter tournaments drew in the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson and Sergio Garcia, among others.

Now, regardless of whether LIV continues to exist or not, the groundwork is being laid for players who left the PGA to apply for reinstatement.

Per Brendan Quinn of The Athletic, the agreement includes language related to LIV Golf stars becoming eligible for the PGA Tour once again over time:

"The framework states the tours 'will work cooperatively and in good faith to establish a fair and objective process for any players who desire to re-apply for membership with the PGA TOUR or the DP World Tour following the completion of the 2023 season and for determining fair criteria and terms of re-admission consistent with each Tour's disciplinary policies.'"

Golfers won't be able to apply for reinstatement until 2024, and they may face disciplinary measures upon being reinstated.

According to Quinn, sources within the PGA Tour said multiple punishments are being considered, including fines and a one-year suspension from the time of the golfers' final LIV Golf tournament.

The agreement between the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour was sent to a U.S. Senate subcommittee, and a hearing will be held on July 11 to determine the legality of the PGA Tour remaining a tax-exempt entity despite investment for the Saudi PIF.