The merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf raised more than eyebrows.
The concerns the new relationship produced ranged from fans and supporters to government officials. Even though lawsuits between the two sides was dropped, the end of that litigation hasn’t left anyone watching the developments at ease.
According to a Quinnipac University Poll, this so-called alliance between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf holds a lot of disapproval among the American public. Its approval rating is 30 points underwater with a majority of Americans not in favor of the partnership.
Slightly more than half of Americans (51 percent) disapprove of the partnership between the PGA Tour, which runs golf tournaments for professional golfers based in the United States, and LIV Golf, a league backed by Saudi Arabia and its Public Investment Fund, while 21 percent approve of the partnership and 29 percent did not offer an opinion.
The people have spoken.
Unsurprisingly, those in the poll could see an issue with the PGA being in bed with the Saudi-backed league.
9/11 Families United, an organization founded by families of Sept. 11 victims, had been protesting against LIV Golf. Hours after the announcement of the merger, they released a statement saying they were “shocked and deeply offended” by the news.
PGA commissioner Jay Monahan naturally received a lot of that criticism, referring to himself as a sacrificial lamb.
He’s since been on leave due to an undisclosed medical situation.
The poll revealed more, including the fact that a large majority of Americans want to see the potential merger investigated by the government…
When asked whether an American sports organization should be doing business with a sports organization backed by Saudi Arabia, Americans are split, with 45 percent saying it should not, 44 percent saying it doesn’t matter to them, and 11 percent not offering an opinion.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65 percent) approve of investigations by both the United States Senate and the Justice Department of the PGA Tour’s deal with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, while 18 percent disapprove and 16 percent did not offer an opinion.
The pre-merger fight could have continued for as long as LIV was willing to foot the legal bill. They have no monetary limit. The white flag was essentially waved by the PGA Tour.
But the drama is only beginning as meetings continue behind the scenes with pretty much every major decision of what the union between the PGA Tour and the Saudis may actually look like. With so much uncertainty, many pro golfers have been tight-lipped knowing they wouldn’t receive answers and can’t provide them either. Second ranked golfer in the world Jon Rahm recently said there are so many “what ifs” with this situation.
And now drama is seemingly escalating behind the scenes with one report that Top 5 golfer Patrick Cantlay is leading an “artless coup” behind the scenes to maximize his own profit out of the deal.
With the huge unpopularity of the potential PGA Tour-Saudi partnership, the prospect of serious government intervention, and reports of player greed behind the scenes, is it only a matter of time before it starts to wear on the ratings and popularity of the PGA Tour?
It’ll be a while until those answers come to the surface.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.