With the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) continuing to negotiate a peace deal, DP World chief Daniel van Otterdijk has had his say on what the proposed ‘merger’ could look like.
Having been at war with LIV Golf for over a year, the PGA Tour appeared to call a truce with the Saudi-backed league last June when announcing a framework agreement with PIF. Over 16 months on though, players and golfers alike are none-the-wiser as to what the future looks like for the sport.
At first, the idea of a proposed “merger” dominated rumors, with the expectation that the two sides would come to some sort of unison that would allow players to compete freely across both the PGA Tour and LIV.
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As time has gone on though it is expected that the two sides will continue to operate separately, but still allow players some sort of freedom when it comes to their schedule. According to DP World’s – who are the title sponsor of the European Tour – Group Chief Communications Officer, Otterdijk golf could be set to follow a similar format to cricket.
This sees players able to compete across a number of leagues during different periods of the year, with the world’s big hitters often spreading this season across leagues in India, England, and Australia. It appears players can expect similar when it comes to the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV.
“The way that it will go, as far as we can see if you look at cricket as a model,” he told Gulf News this week. “Cricketers these days can play in franchise leagues around the world – the IPL, the Big Bash – whatever it is. It’s kind of like a smorgasbord of cricket they can play in.
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It was all smiles between Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan earlier this year (
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“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’… I can see an end-to-end calendar from January to December, where there’s a prominent place for the PGA Tour, a prominent place for LIV Golf, and a prominent place for the DP World Tour.”
Otterdijk believes “there will be overlaps” but is confident there will be a “fantastic buffet of golf throughout the year in different places around the world”. He also addressed a possible time frame, which could finally see a deal signed off in the next six months.
“We’re confident that within the next six months, they’ll come up with a structure that befits world golf in a much better way than what we currently have. But,” he added. “Of course, there are legacy issues to sort out.”
Earlier this month those at the center of talks in the PGA Tour’s Jay Monahan and LIV’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan met publicly for the first time, playing the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.
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