Report: PGA Tour chief reveals $75m (!) legal bill in tense LIV Golf/PIF meeting

Per a report by the Wall Street Journal, Jay Monahan held a tense 30-minute meeting with his staff to explain the PGA Tour deal with LIV Golf's backers.

Ben Smith

10 Jun 2023

Report: PGA Tour chief reveals $75m (!) legal bill in tense LIV Golf/PIF meeting

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan reportedly addressed Saudi Arabia's human rights concerns - even highlighting his own daughters - and the legal cost to the North American circuit during a meeting with his staff about why he chose to partner with LIV Golf's backers.

Per a report by the Wall Street Journal, Monahan is said to have spent 30 minutes addressing concerns from his employees after the shock design to create a new for-profit entity with the kingdom's vast wealth fund, PIF, which is estimated to have more than $600bn in assets.

Monahan previously stated the tour 'couldn't compete in dollar bills' in his famous 'legacy, not leverage' speech as he rallied against LIV Golf but was reportedly worried about the money running out completely.

He previously confirmed the tour was 'using our reserves' to increase prize purses across the board in a series of designated events but has watched a number of the top stars jump across to LIV.

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Reported the WSJ:

"Monahan, per that source, added during the half-hour-plus meeting that the PIF 'had and still have unlimited resources to take our players and worked to stand up in a matter of months what had taken our organizations decades to build'. And of the legal spending, Monahan said those resources were 'diverted from growing our business and serving our players'."

Asked how he would explain the deal to his daughters, Monahan reportedly said he had those concerns himself but circumstances forced him to 'think about all of our players...think about everybody in this room.'

EQUITY WAR! Only loyal PGA Tour pros to get paid - NOT LIV Golf pros!

Other revelations in the report include:

The PGA Tour has so far spent approximately $50m in legal fees (and is expected to increase)
The DP World Tour has so far spent $15m in legal fees

In a statement to the publication, the PGA Tour said:

"To characterize that this agreement was made due to litigation costs and other use of reserves is an oversimplification. With the end of the fractured landscape in the world of men’s professional golf, the PGA Tour has never been a more valuable property. … This transaction will make professional golf more competitive with other professional sports and sports leagues."

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