As the PGA’s Canadian Open tournament kicked off, the talk wasn’t about the playing conditions, the US$9 million total prize purse or the smoky skies — it was all about LIV Golf.
The 119-year-old tournament in Toronto, sponsored by the Royal Bank of Canada, is the first to take place in the aftermath of the shock news earlier this week that PGA Tour Inc. was merging with Saudi-backed LIV Golf. The deal will unite two golf leagues that had been locked in a bitter rivalry that included lawsuits, antitrust allegations and billions of dollars.
“I think he really does like the game of golf, he likes playing it,” McIlroy said, adding they had previously golfed together in Dubai. He called his new chairman “a very smart, impressive man.” McIlroy finished one stroke better than par. Sponsors have also struggled to respond to the sudden change, which brought an abrupt end to lawsuits between the two entities. LIV sued the PGA last year for allegedly engaging in monopolistic behavior. The PGA Tour countersued, saying LIV illegally pushed players to break contracts with the legacy U.S.-based tour by offering them exorbitant sums of money.
Out of sight, the course also boasts a pool and — since this is Canada — a skating rink for the winter.
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