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☆ PGA Tour defends LIV Golf deal ahead of Senate hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Streeter Lecka | Getty ImagesThe PGA Tour has begun its public defense of its deal with Saudi-backed LIV Golf ahead of a key Senate hearing slated for this week. "Given the well-chronicled legal disputes that have existed between the PGA Tour and PIF, we understand the fair and valid questions raised by PGA Tour members, Tour partners, media, fans and now Congress," Price said in the op-ed. Stephenson stepped down as lawmakers appeared likely to start a broad probe into the merger between the PGA Tour and LIV, beginning with Tuesday's Senate hearing. Defending the dealLast month, the PGA Tour and PIF's LIV Golf, as well as Europe's DP World Tour, agreed to merge. The majority of the board that leads the PGA Tour Enterprises will be appointed by the tour and run by Monahan.

Persons: Streeter Lecka, LIV Golf, Ron Price, Price, Randall Stephenson, Stephenson, LIV, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Ron Johnson, Jay Monahan, Jimmy Dunne, Monahan, Richard Heathcote, Rory McIlroy — Organizations: THE, Sawgrass, Saudi, Athletic, Monday, PGA, PGA Tour, AT, Senate, Senate Homeland Security, Investigations, Saudi Public Investment Fund, Getty, Saudi Arabia Public Investment, PIF Locations: Ponte Vedra Beach , Florida, Saudi, United States, Monday's

☆ Golf found the next Tiger Woods, but there's one hurdle that could take her down
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rose Zhang has arrived with a level of hype and awe that had been reserved for Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods. Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesEven before turning pro, Zhang was being called "the Tiger Woods of women's golf." Convert a few of those opportunities and the "Tiger Woods of women's golf" moniker will be too limiting. She might become "The next Tiger Woods, period."

Persons: Rose Zhang, Tiger Woods, Zhang didn't, clinches, Zhang, Christian Petersen, Cardinal, Jordan Spieth, Michelle Wie, she's, —, Woods Organizations: Tiger, American, LPGA, Athletic, US, Stanford Locations: Plenty

☆ PGA Tour board member Randall Stephenson quits over deal with LIV Golf
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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‘Serious concerns’ at the PGA TourJust days before Tuesday’s PGA Tour hearing before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, a prominent tour board member, Randall Stephenson, has resigned. His reason? He said he cannot support the golf organization’s proposed tie-up involving LIV Golf, its Saudi -backed rival, DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch and The Times’s Alan Blinder report. In a scathing resignation letter obtained by DealBook, Mr. Stephenson, the former AT&T chair, said that he — like most of the board — was left out of the loop as the tour negotiated a deal with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund that jolted the sports world. (In fact, he had already lately taken to attending most board meetings via videoconference, save for last month’s meeting in Michigan.)

Persons: Randall Stephenson, LIV Golf, DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch, Alan Blinder, DealBook, Stephenson, —, Mr, Jamal Khashoggi, ” Mr Organizations: Investigations, AT Locations: Saudi, Michigan

☆ US Women’s Open: Nasa Hataoka leads as she bids to win first major title
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Japanese golfer Nasa Hataoka will be looking to win her first major title on Sunday as she leads the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. Hataoka, a six-time LPGA Tour winner, tops the leaderboard after three rounds in California, one shot ahead of American Allisen Corpuz. The 24-year-old, a runner-up at the 2021 US Women’s Open and the 2018 Women’s PGA Championship, will likely have to hold off a challenge from Corpuz if she is to win her first major title. The Hawaiian native bogeyed the 18th hole during her one-under 71 as she searches for her first professional win. Behind Corpuz on four-under overall are South Korea’s Kim Hyo-joo and the USA’s Bailey Tardy, who shot 73 and 75 respectively on Saturday.

Persons: Nasa Hataoka, ”, Darron Cummings, Hataoka, Kim Hyo, Bailey Tardy Organizations: CNN, Nasa, US Locations: Hataoka, California

☆ Jay Monahan Set to Return as PGA Tour Chief After Stress-Induced Medical Leave
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Louise Radnofsky | Andrew Beaton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/sports/pga-liv-saudi-arabia-jay-monahan-health-fcc2b728

Persons: Dow Jones Locations: saudi, arabia

☆ Michelle Wie West enjoys magical ending at US Women’s Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Wie West has lived much of her life in the public eye. She turned professional a year later, just shy of her 16th birthday, and won her only major – the US Women’s Open – in 2014. Michelle Wie West won the US Women's Open in 2014. This too could be Sorenstam’s final major – she has said this would be her last US Women’s Open. “I thought my last [U.S. Women’s Open] would be in 2008,” she said, per the LPGA.

Persons: Michelle Wie West, ”, Makenna, Mike Whan, Wie West, Ezra Shaw, ” Wie, “ It’s, Annika Sorenstam, Darron Cummings, Swede, Will, “, it’s, We’ve, ” America’s Bailey Tardy Organizations: CNN, US, Kraft Nabisco, Sony, USGA, Getty, Women’s Locations: Pebble, Wie

☆ US Women’s Open: Rookie disqualified just five holes into first round after caddie uses rangefinder
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Thai golfer Natthakritta Vongtaveelap made it through just five holes of her US Women’s Open debut on Thursday before she was disqualified due to her caddie’s use of a rangefinder. The 20-year-old LPGA Tour rookie was even-par to start her tournament at California’s famous Pebble Beach course before she was disqualified after caddie Jinsup Kim used the distance-measuring device on two occasions. On July 1, American Zach Williams navigated just two holes of his Korn Ferry Tour debut at the Memorial Health Championship before he was disqualified for using a rangefinder. A five-time champion on the Thai LPGA Tour, Vongtaveelap announced her arrival on the LPGA Tour in stunning fashion with a runner-up finish at the Honda LPGA Classic in February, finishing just one stroke behind American Lilia Vu. This is the first time my brother ever actually watched me play, so it’s really, really special.

Persons: Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, caddie Jinsup Kim, Vongtaveelap, ”, Michael Yim, ” Yim, “, Zach Williams, Korn, I’ll, ” Vongtaveelap’s, Lilia Vu, Kim, Lin, Janet Lin, Korea’s Kim Hyo, Thailand’s, ‘, ’ ” Lin, ” Kim, Ezra Shaw, Áine Donegan, Donegan, Ping, — aine donegan, Leona Maguire, Bailey, Allisen, Nasa Hataoka, Korea’s Hae Ran Ryu, Minjee Lee, Karrie Webb, Rose Zhang, ” Zhang, they’re, “ I’ve Organizations: CNN, US, Women’s, USGA, Tour, PGA Tour, Memorial Health, Thai LPGA, LPGA, Honda LPGA, Lotte, Evian, Pebble, Getty, Nasa, PGA Locations: U.S, Pebble Beach, Republic, Southern California

☆ ‘Transcendent’ Caitlin Clark claims crowds and compliments at PGA Tour pro-am
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Seemingly not content to dominate only the college basketball scene, Caitlin Clark stole the show at a PGA Tour event this week. Three months on, the popularity of Clark – who will be eligible for the WNBA Draft in 2024 – shows no sign of waning. A fellow Iowan, Johnson praised Clark for her “transcendent” basketball talents, but drew particular attention to her character. “I can’t speak highly enough about how she handles herself, whether it’s in interviews or just the way she goes about her work. This is not an off day for me, but it is something I really, really enjoy and love getting to do this.

Persons: CNN —, Caitlin Clark, John Deere, Clark, Clark –, Michael Reaves, Ludvig Åberg –, Zach Johnson, Johnson, “ It’s, ” Johnson, “ I’m, it’s, It’s, she’s, “, Charlie Neibergall, –, ” Clark, ”, Sweden’s Jonas Blixt, Cameron Young, James Tyree Poston Organizations: CNN, Iowa Hawkeyes, Deere, NCAA, LSU Tigers, WNBA, Ryder Locations: Illinois, Iowa

☆ Jabeur says now or never for Saudi Arabia to invest in the sport
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Arabia has pumped huge amounts of money into soccer, Formula One and boxing in recent years while the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit recently ended its two-year dispute with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour by announcing a merger. I hope in Saudi they'll not just invest with the ATP, I hope with the WTA (too)," Jabeur said after beating Magdalena Frech 6-3 6-3 in her Wimbledon opener. Critics have accused Saudi Arabia of using the PIF to engage in "sportwashing" amid criticism of its human rights record. "I believe in Saudi they're doing great giving women more rights," 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Jabeur added. Men's world number one Carlos Alcaraz said he would have no doubts about competing in Saudi Arabia, while seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe said tennis should not seek Saudi investment.

Persons: LIV, Steve Simon, Andrea Gaudenzi, Jabeur, Magdalena Frech, Critics, Saudi they're, It's, Carlos Alcaraz, John McEnroe, Andy Murray, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Toby Davis Organizations: PGA, WTA, men's ATP, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Wimbledon, Saudi, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Saudi they'll, Bengaluru

☆ Aldrich Potgieter: Teenager shoots par-four hole-in-one in PGA Tour qualifier
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Only one par-four ace has ever been recorded in a competitive PGA Tour event. “That was really exciting, and it was kind of a weird moment,” Potgieter told the PGA Tour. pic.twitter.com/WLZdxB4mW2 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 3, 2023It ended up being a bittersweet day for Potgieter, who missed out on qualifying for Thursday’s tournament by a single stroke. American duo Reid Martin and Anders Larson stamped their tickets to their first ever PGA Tour event, while Japanese pair Yuto Katsuragawa and Kaito Onishi will be making their fifth and third starts respectively. 1275 Potgieter, who finished 65th at the US Open in June, will have to wait a little longer for his sixth PGA Tour appearance, but the future looks bright for the teenager.

Persons: Aldrich Potgieter, John Deere, Andrew Magee, Tom Byrum –, Magee, Harry, ” Potgieter, “, —, ingle, artin, hird Organizations: CNN, Pinnacle Country, Waste Management, PGA Locations: Milan , Illinois

☆ Two PGA tour officials to testify to US Senate panel about merger with Saudi-backed LIV
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] May 25, 2023; Washington, DC, USA; Patrick Reed hits his tee shot on the ninth hole during the Pro-Am tournament as part of the LIV Golf Washington D.C. 2023 event at Trump National Golf Club outside Washington DC. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports/File PhotoWASHINGTON, July 3 (Reuters) - Two PGA Tour officials have agreed to testify before a U.S. Senate panel next week about the tour's merger with Saudi-backed LIV Golf, but LIV officials declined to appear, lawmakers said on Monday. The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and rival Saudi-backed LIV circuit, which had been involved in a bitter fight that split the sport, announced an agreement in early June to merge and form a unified commercial entity. The LIV Golf series is bankrolled by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIV). Blumenthal and Johnson said they had asked Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf, and Yasir al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund which backs LIV, to testify, but they had declined because of scheduling conflicts.

Persons: Patrick Reed, Geoff Burke, LIV Golf, LIV, Ron Price, Jimmy Dunne, Richard Blumenthal, Ron Johnson, Critics, Blumenthal, Johnson, Greg Norman, Yasir al, Norman, Diane Bartz, Jonathan Oatis, Leslie Adler Organizations: LIV Golf, Trump National Golf Club, Washington DC, USA, WASHINGTON, Senate, Saudi, PGA Tour, Investigations, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, PGA, Saudi Public Investment Fund, Public Investment Fund, Thomson Locations: Washington, DC, USA, LIV Golf Washington, Saudi

☆ Emotional Rickie Fowler ends four-year winning drought with Rocket Mortgage Classic victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Triumph at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sunday ended the Fowler’s four year wait for a sixth PGA Tour title as the 34-year-old emerged victorious from a three-way playoff at Detroit Golf Club in Michigan. By July 2022, he found himself outside the world’s top 150 ranked players for the first time since his rookie season on the PGA Tour 12 years prior. Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire/APNear-misses for Hadwin and Morikawa extended the pair’s search for further PGA Tour wins. The fans still come out to see him no matter how he’s playing, but he’s been playing well. “Look how he’s been playing, especially the US Open, the scores he’s been posting last week, it’s awesome.

Persons: Rickie Fowler, Ricky Romano –, Collin Morikawa, Adam Hadwin, Fowler, “, “ I’m, cradling, Maya, Allison Stokke Fowler, –, Allison, Carlos Osorio, ” Fowler, it’s, rocketed Fowler, I’ve, ” Fowler birdies, Brian Spurlock, Morikawa, Hadwin, Morikawa’s, “ It’s, he’s, ” Morikawa, ” Organizations: CNN, Rocket, Detroit Golf Club, Waste Management, PGA, PGA Tour, Royal Liverpool Locations: Michigan, ”, Arizona, Los Angeles

☆ 2 top PGA officials will testify before Congress about the golf league's controversial merger with the Saudi-backed LIV tour
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two top PGA officials will testify before Congress about the association's controversial merger. Tour COO Rob Price is among the officials that will testify before a Senate subcommittee on July 11. "We look forward to appearing before the Senate Subcommittee to answer their questions about the framework agreement that keeps the PGA TOUR as the leader of professional golf's future and benefits our players, our fans, and our sport," PGA Tour spokesperson Joel Schuchmann said in a statement to Insider. Norman played an integral role in LIV golf, enduring public criticism for taking on the PGA and partnering with Al-Rumayyan. "In fact, prior to this agreement, PGA Tour was one of the loudest critics of LIV Golf's affiliation with Saudi Arabi."

Persons: Rob Price, Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal, —, LIV, Sen, Ron Johnson, Jimmy Dunne, Joel Schuchmann, Blumenthal, Johnson, bin Othman Al, Greg Norman, Norman, Chris Murphy, Jay Monahan, LIV Golf's, Tiger Woods, Woods Organizations: Democratic, Service, Capitol, Republican, PGA, Al, LIV, Saudi, Connecticut Democrat, Twitter Locations: Saudi, LIV, American, Connecticut, Saudi Arabi

☆ WTA chief says 'big issues' going to Saudi Arabia, but ruling nothing out
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But Simon points to the success of WTA tournaments in Qatar and says Saudi Arabia has made 'huge strides'. "In February I went to Saudi Arabia to see it for myself. There are still tons of issues in Saudi Arabia but the advancement for women's rights and where they are coming from is transformational right now. Simon would not speculate on what kind of tournaments could potentially be held in Saudi Arabia, if at all. Simon said had no concerns about the safety of lesbian players competing in Saudi Arabia, but conceded it was a sensitive issue.

Persons: Steve Simon, They're, Simon, Andrea Gaudenzi, they've, Billie Jean King, Daniil Medvedev, Stan Wawrinka, Carlos Alcaraz, LIV, Martyn Herman, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Women's Tennis, WTA, ATP, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, American trailblazer, PGA, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, Gulf, London, Saudi, Qatar

☆ PGA Tour and LIV Golf: Newly obtained document details framework agreement between the sport’s leading organizations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Jill Martin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —On June 6, a shocking announcement was made by the PGA Tour sending reverberations around the golf world. On Monday, multiple news outlets started to circulate the framework agreement that had been quietly made by those groups. CNN has since obtained a copy of the framework agreement. The document was sent to Congress on Monday, according to a source with knowledge of the framework agreement. Lawmakers are inviting Monahan, Al-Rumayyan and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman to testify at the hearing.

Persons: LIV, ”, ” PIF, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, “ NewCo, OWGR’s criterial, LIV Golf, Jay Monahan, Yasir Al, Keith Pelley, Monahan, Greg Norman, Patrick Cantlay, Rory McIlroy, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati, Webb Simpson Organizations: CNN, PGA, Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf, US Department of Justice, PGA Tour, Wall Street, Investigations, Rocket, “, Management, TOUR’s Locations: Saudi, NewCo, Al, Detroit

☆ Framework of PGA Tour-LIV golf deal released
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] May 25, 2023; Washington, DC, USA; Patrick Reed hits his tee shot on the ninth hole during the Pro-Am tournament as part of the LIV Golf Washington D.C. 2023 event at Trump National Golf Club outside Washington DC. The PGA Tour will have a permanent controlling interest in the subsidiary's board of directors, regardless of the Saudi investment, the framework says. The framework agreement also ends litigation between the two sides. The framework is likely to be a focus of a U.S. Senate panel on July 11 where Monahan, Al-Rumayyan and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman have been invited to testify. He also wanted to know how any newly formed entity will be structured and operated, including how the PGA Tour intends to preserve its tax-exempt status.

Persons: Patrick Reed, Geoff Burke, LIV Golf, LIV, Yasir Al, Jay Monahan, Monahan, Greg Norman, Richard Blumenthal, Blumenthal, Chris Sanders, David Shepardson, Peter Rutherford Organizations: LIV Golf, Trump National Golf Club, Washington DC, USA, WASHINGTON, PGA Tour, Reuters, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment, U.S, Senate, PGA, Saudi, Investigations, Thomson Locations: Washington, DC, USA, LIV Golf Washington, Saudi, Al, Washington . U.S

☆ Adam Sandler tells real-life Happy Gilmore to ‘go get em’ after young golfer commits to college
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Happy Gilmore is heading to college. And that caught the attention of the original Happy Gilmore, Adam Sandler. In February, Gilmore told CNN it would be a dream to one day meet Sandler. Unsurprisingly then, Sandler’s message was well received by the teen, who replied: “My life is complete.”“When I saw that Adam Sandler retweeted my tweet, my little heart kind of fell apart there,” Gilmore told Golf Channel. “I was speechless and didn’t really know what to do with myself for a minute.”Go get em Happy.

Persons: Happy Gilmore, Landon Gilmore, Adam Sandler, “, Gilmore, Sandler, ” Gilmore, didn’t, 4o4LOoAWDN — Adam Sandler, PGA Tour University –, –, rocketed Gilmore, Mike Fleck, ”, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Bloomington High School, Twitter, Indiana’s Ball State University, Golf, PGA Tour University, Indiana, Bloomington, State, Hawthorns, Country Club, Ball State Cardinals Locations: Indiana, Indianapolis

☆ Here's how a merger between PGA Tour and LIV Golf would be structured
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In a five-page agreement obtained by CNBC, the parties — the PGA Tour, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund and Europe's DP World Tour — agreed to create a for-profit subsidiary of the PGA Tour. The new entity will manage commercial assets for all of the tours, while the PGA Tour will manage competitions. The tentative merger agreement was signed by PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley and PIF's Yasir al-Rumayyan. The lawsuits came after multiple high-profile players including Phil Mickelson left the PGA Tour for LIV. The PGA Tour has said its executives would testify at the hearing, although it is unclear if Monahan will be present.

Persons: LIV, —, Muhammed bin Salman, Jay Monahan, Keith Pelley, PIF's Yasir al, LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson, " Monahan, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Ron Johnson, Monahan Organizations: PGA Tour, CNBC, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, Tour, Public Investment Fund, PGA, Senate Homeland Security Locations: Saudi, United States

Golf’s big deal — a planned partnership between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund — is not how big deals are ordinarily done. There were almost no outside bankers or lawyers involved in negotiations that led to a five-page framework agreement, and only so much input from the PGA Tour board. The plan that would, as the PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan, put it, “take the competitor off of the board” came as the tour faced a Justice Department investigation over antitrust matters. “The fact that they were willing to publicly announce it does mean that the parties are pretty committed to doing something,” Sreepada said. “But I guess that leaves us with a question of who holds the leverage at this point?

Persons: Jay Monahan, “, ”, Suni Sreepada, ” Sreepada Organizations: PGA Tour, Saudi, Justice Department, & Gray

☆ Presidents Cup to return to Melbourne's Sandbelt in 2028
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, June 27 (Reuters) - The Presidents Cup, the biennial team event which pitches the United States against the rest of the world barring Europe, will return to Melbourne for a fourth time in 2028. The United States team, who have won all but two of the 14 editions of the event, will take on the Internationals at Kingston Heath Golf Club in the Melbourne Sandbelt. All three previous Presidents Cups in Australia have been at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club some seven kilometres down the road from Kingston Heath in the southeast of the city. Next year's Presidents Cup will take place at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada, while the U.S. will host the 2026 edition at Medinah Country Club in Chicago. Under an agreement with the local tourist board, Melbourne will also host the event in 2040.

Persons: Matt Rapp, Nick Mulvenney, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: SYDNEY, United States, Kingston Heath Golf Club, Melbourne Sandbelt, Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Kingston Heath, The Royal Montreal Golf Club, Country Club, Thomson Locations: United States, Europe, Melbourne, Australia, Kingston Heath, Kingston, Canada, U.S, Chicago

☆ Red Sox owners buy Boston team in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's golf league
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Another sports powerhouse has joined the ownership ranks of the golf league being developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Woods, McIlroy and McCarley founded TMRW Sports Group (pronounced "tomorrow") last year in partnership with the PGA Tour. At the time, it was seen as a response to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league, which was embroiled in a bitter legal fight with the PGA Tour. This month, however, the PGA Tour and LIV agreed to merge business interests to form a new company. McIlroy is one of the biggest public critics of LIV, and Woods reportedly rejected a massive offer to join the Saudi-funded league.

Persons: Tom Werner, John Henry, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Henry, Werner, Reddit, Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Mike McCarley, McIlroy, McCarley, LIV, Woods Organizations: Boston Red Sox, Fenway Sports Group, TGL, Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club, National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles, TMRW, Woods, TMRW Sports, PGA, LIV Golf, Saudi Locations: New England, Los, FSG, Saudi

☆ Fenway Sports Group joins Tiger Woods developed high-tech golf league
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 26 (Reuters) - Fenway Sports Group, owner of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox and Premier League club Liverpool, said on Monday they have added a team in the TGL, the tech-forward team golf league developed by Tiger Woods, to their portfolio. A total of six teams will make up the TGL, an innovative, new primetime golf league that fuses technology and live action that begins play in January at a specially designed state-of-the-art arena in Palm Beach, Florida. "We are excited for this new journey as one of the six inaugural TGL teams in honour of a city whose love and passion for sports is unparalleled," said Fenway Sports Group principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner in a statement on the TGL website. Teams will be made up of three players and feature some of the PGA Tour's biggest names. Players who have committed to the project include 15-times major winner Woods, Masters champion Jon Rahm and four-times major winner Rory McIlroy.

Persons: Tiger Woods, Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, John Henry, Tom Werner, Woods, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Steve Keating, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Fenway Sports Group, Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox, Premier League club Liverpool, Boston, Los Angeles Golf Club, TGL, Reddit, PGA, Thomson Locations: Palm Beach , Florida, New England, Toronto

☆ PGA Tour’s Pact With Saudi Wealth Fund Shows Many Details Left to Settle
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Alan Blinder | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The five-page framework agreement was obtained Monday by The New York Times. The proposed deal, announced on June 6 by the tour and the wealth fund, the financial force behind the renegade LIV Golf circuit, has caused an uproar throughout the golf industry. Most crucially, the tour and the wealth fund must still come to terms on the values of the assets that each will contribute to their planned partnership. Bankers and lawyers have spent recent weeks beginning the valuation process, but the framework agreement includes no substantive details of projected figures or even the size of an anticipated cash investment from the wealth fund. Instead, much of the agreement focuses on the basic structure of the new company that is to house what the accord describes as all of the “commercial businesses/rights” of the PGA Tour and the European Tour, now known as the DP World Tour.

Persons: LIV Organizations: The New York Times, Saudi, Bankers, PGA Tour, European Tour Locations: Saudi

☆ China's Yin Ruoning collects maiden major title at Women's PGA Championship
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Jun 25, 2023; Springfield, New Jersey, USA; Ruoning Yin tees off on the 4th hole during the final round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY SportsNEW YORK, June 25 (Reuters) - China's Yin Ruoning produced a flawless final round with four birdies to win the Women's PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club on Sunday and claim her first major title. The 20-year-old Yin, who collected her maiden LPGA Tour title at the DIO Implant LA Open earlier this year, is only the second Chinese woman to win a golf major after Shanshan Feng. "I would say she's definitely the goal that I'm chasing," said Yin, who was nine years old when Feng won the Women's PGA Championship in 2012. "I was on the 18th tee and I saw the leaderboard, and I know I have a one-shot lead," said Yin.

Persons: John Jones, Yin Ruoning, Yin, Japan's Yuka Saso, Shanshan Feng, Feng, Yuka, I'm, Carlota Ciganda, Sweden's Anna Nordqvist, Megan Khang, China's Lin Xiyu, Stephanie Meadow, Rose Zhang, It's, Amy Tennery, Toby Davis, Hugh Lawson, Chris Reese Organizations: KPMG Women's, USA, YORK, Baltusrol, LPGA, Thomson Locations: Springfield , New Jersey, USA, Northern Ireland, New York

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