PGA, LIV Golf Tours merge: What does it mean for the 3M Open?
Matthew Wolff poses with the 3M Open trophy on the eighteenth green after the final round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 7, 2019 in Blaine, Minnesota. ((Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The professional golf world was turned upside down Tuesday morning after news broke that the PGA, LIV and DP World Tours have agreed to merge into one larger entity.
Details on how it will all work are still being ironed out, but the division between PGA Tour pros and those that defected to the Saudi-backed LIV Tour for millions of dollars appears to be over. PGA Tour officials are calling it "a historic day for the game we all know and love. "This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA Tour history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV — including the team golf concept — to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans."
PGA Tour, LIV Golf merging
The most disruptive year in golf ended Tuesday when the PGA Tour and European tour agreed to a merger with Saudi Arabia's golf interests, creating a commercial operation designed to unify professional golf around the world. As part of the deal, the sides are dropping all lawsuits involving LIV Golf against each other effective immediately.
The agreement ends an ongoing lawsuit between the PGA and LIV tours, and players on the LIV Tour will be provided a path to regain PGA membership and/or apply for reinstatement after this season.
After the news, several pro golfers offered their thoughts on social media.
"Awesome day today," Phil Mickelson said.
"Welfare check on Chamblee," Brooks Koepka tweeted about Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, who has been publicly critical of the LIV Tour and its players.
"I love finding out morning news on Twitter," said Colin Morikawa. "And everyone thought yesterday was the longest day in golf."
Morikawa is referring to golfers across the country playing 36 holes on Monday in an attempt to qualify for next month’s U.S. Open.
In less than two months, TPC Twin Cities in Blaine hosts the 3M Open for the PGA’s now annual stop in Minnesota. So what does Tuesday’s news mean for the PGA Tour’s stop in Blaine?
The short answer is we don’t really know yet, and we won’t until final details of the merger are announced. What we do know is that past champions Tony Finau, Cameron Champ and Michael Thompson, all current PGA players, are committed to play in the 2023 3M Open.
Matthew Wolff, the inaugural 3M Open winner in 2019, defected to the LIV Tour last summer. In theory, he’d be eligible to return in 2024. Current LIV players Dustin Johnson, Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen have also previously played in the 3M Open. Tuesday’s news opens the door for them to return.
3M Open Tournament Director Mike Welch released a statement to Fox 9 after the news broke Tuesday.
"This news certainly grows the game and allows for more opportunity to get new fans involved. But as I said, still trying to process," Welch said. "With 7 seven weeks until the 2023 3M Open, we have no choice but to be laser-focused on the task at hand."
The 3M Open is set for July 24-30 in Blaine.