“So the PGA just sold itself to the Saudis”: Fans react as LIV and PGA’s merger breaks the internet

The merger between the PGA Tour and the LIV, announced on Tuesday, has unleashed a veritable wave of reactions across the internet. Since PGA commissioner Jay Monahan and the governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, made it public, there has been nothing else to talk about on the planet of golf.

Opinions have ranged from those who applaud the merger to those who disapprove of it, and even those who condemn it.

🚨💣🤯#BREAKING The PGA Tour & LIV Golf have agreed to merge! The signed agreement willcombine the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s commercial businesses and rights into a new, yet-to-be-named for-profit company. The agreement includes DP World Tour.

cnbc.com/2023/06/06/pga…

The latter in particular have been gaining notoriety in their reactions. The general opinion of this sector of internet users is that the PGA Tour should not be associated with Saudi funding. They are even accused of having "sold out".

Here are some of these reactions posted by Twitter users:

"So the PGA just sold itself to the Saudis lmao"

@NUCLRGOLF So the PGA just sold itself to the Saudis lmao

"Absolutely hate this agreement. The @PGATOUR sold out."

@NUCLRGOLF Absolutely hate this agreement. The @PGATOUR sold out.

"What’s wild is the LIV guys basically got a massive bonus for being heels for two seasons. Incredible."

@NUCLRGOLF What’s wild is the LIV guys basically got a massive bonus for being heels for two seasons. Incredible.

"Wow. They're completely spineless."

@NUCLRGOLF Wow. They're completely spineless.

"Instantly loses all respect for the PGA hypocrites"

@NUCLRGOLF Instantly loses all respect for the PGA hypocrites

"Hahahaha how’s that dirty money now!?!?"

@NUCLRGOLF Hahahaha how’s that dirty money now!?!?

"So the PGA sells out to the Saudi regime ?? Sad"

@NUCLRGOLF So the PGA sells out to the Saudi regime ?? Sad

"Unless tiger is playing I’ll never watch golf again, they sold out to those dirty Saudis and it’s not gonna be called the pga tour anymore. Rich people suck"

@NUCLRGOLF Unless tiger is playing I’ll never watch golf again, they sold out to those dirty Saudis and it’s not gonna be called the pga tour anymore. Rich people suck

"Hate to see another US company in Saudi hands. No more golf for me."

@GolfDigest Hate to see another US company in Saudi hands. No more golf for me.

"Harvey Specter pulled it off again!"

@GolfDigest Harvey Specter pulled it off again!

"I guess that's a pretty sweet deal for the guys that left and took the money. Now they keep the money and roll back into the 'regular' tour?"

@GolfDigest I guess that's a pretty sweet deal for the guys that left and took the money. Now they keep the money and roll back into the "regular" tour?

Why do some fans disapprove of the merger?

Those who think that a merger between PGA and LIV should not happen do so because it is done in direct association with money from Saudi Arabia. In fact, one of the participants in the agreement to merge the two circuits was the Saudi PIF, which will be the entity that will provide most of the financing.

This sector of the fanbase considers the Saudi Arabian authorities guilty of violating the human rights of its inhabitants, particularly women. Since the PIF is a public entity of the Saudi government, these fans believe that their money is ethically compromised.

Some have even been recalling the case of Jamal Khashoggi to illustrate their dissatisfaction with this merger. Khashoggi was a Saudi journalist killed in the Saudi consulate in Turkey in October 2018.

Some investigations have alleged that Khashoggi's death was executed by agents in the service of the Saudi monarchy, due to his criticism of his country's government. Saudi authorities deny any link to this event and claim to have investigated and criminally prosecuted the perpetrators.