Golf stars who lost money to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf last year were in glee online as news of a controversial merger between the LIV and the PGA Tour broke out on Tuesday.
Both Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka, who have been under fire since leaving the PGA Tour last year for hundreds of millions of dollars from a government riddled with human rights abuses, shared their feelings on Twitter.
Mickelson republishing a merger story Wrote“Today is a great day 😊.”
Koepka was more mysterious in his expression. He called out to Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, who brutally criticized him and other LIV golfers for accepting money from a “murderous dictator.”
Always arrogant Koepka simply tweeted“Wealth Control at Chamberlee.”
Tuesday’s merger means scores of Koepka, Mickelson and others who have moved to the LIV will retain massive sign-in bonuses when playing in the same tournaments as those who turned down money to stick with the PGA Tour, like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Some star golfers rejecting Saudi money appeared to be taken by surprise by the news on Tuesday.
Collin Morikawa, the world’s 18th ranked golfer, hinted that: learned about the merger on Twitter along with everyone else. An unnamed PGA golfer reportedly told ESPN “Not possible” when news of the merger was relayed by an ESPN reporter.
PGA Tour officials and American experts praised golfers who refused to jump ship and called those who signed with LIV traitors. The PGA Tour took a different tone on Tuesday, announcing it had merged with its biggest rival.
“After two years of interruption and distraction, it’s a historic day for the game we all know and love,” PGA Tour official Jay Monahan said in a statement.
Among those who took the victory lap for predicting the merger was Donald Trump, who publicly announced last summer that an “inevitable merger” from the “very disloyal PGA” was coming soon. He has also repeatedly praised LIV for hosting tournaments for the round on golf courses.
Posting to Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump described the merger as a “big, beautiful and glamorous deal” that is “great news” for the golf world.