DP World Tour CCO announces big plans for LIV Golf x PGA Tour merger, calls it 'smorgasbord of cricket'
The long-agreed-to merger between PIF, the investment fund of LIV Golf, and the PGA Tour (as well as the DP World Tour) has yet to take shape officially. Until then, speculation is rife about what it might entail, but DP World Tour Chief Communications Officer Daniel van Otterdijk believes it could be huge for golf.
Van Otterdijk believes the sport could go the way of cricket, which allows players to play in franchise leagues across the globe, from the IPL to the Big Bash and more. Via Gulf News, he added:
“It's kind of like a smorgasbord of cricket they can play in. The top players, like Joe Root, Kane Williamson, or Virat Kohli, will say, ‘Look, I'm in my 30s, I've made X amount of money, I'm now going to play the elite tournaments.’"
With this partnership, in van Otterdijk's mind, golfers could make their schedule based on what they could handle. They play and make money, but it comes from different governing bodies like in cricket. He continued:
“They've all got their own governorships, if you like, and yet they work harmoniously together through the ICC in creating a schedule where there's — I wouldn't say there's none, but there's limited overlap between all the franchise tournaments that get played. Golf will head the same way."
Van Otterdijk envisions a January to December schedule with portions for LIV, the PGA Tour, and the DP World Tour, allowing golfers to play in events for all three. There would be some overlap, but unlike the current system, it would be freeing.
Van Otterdijk referenced Tommy Fleetwood, saying he could say he wants to retain his PGA membership but also play in a LIV event. In this theoretical future, he could do just that.
DP World Tour exec praises PIF governor
DP World Tour CCO Daniel van Otterdijk firmly believes everyone involved with the PIF-PGA Tour merger "loves golf." There is "no doubt" in his mind that they all want to see golf grow. He specifically shouted out PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan via Gulf News:
“His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan is probably one of the biggest golf fans in the world. So, everyone has the right intention. And when you have parties who disagree on the way forward, but everybody has the right intention, inevitably they come together and solve it."
Van Otterdijk is confident that within the "next six months," there will be a structure that benefits golf on a global scale "in a much better way than what we currently have." He acknowledged other issues to consider, but the DP World Tour exec is confident in its ability to manage it all.