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☆ Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams are building a mini-sports empire in Los Angeles
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Alexis Ohanian and the Williams sisters have bought another sports team to bring to Los Angeles. Ohanian and the Williams sisters are the first to buy a TGL golf league team. Ohanian is already the principal owner and founding investor of LA's National Women's Soccer League team, Angel City FC. Alexis Ohanian said in a tweet that their daughter Olympia is also a co-owner of the new golf team. A rendering of the TGL golf league venue in Florida.

Persons: Alexis Ohanian, Williams, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Ohanian, Serena Williams, Venus, Eva Longoria, Jessica Chastain, Christina Aguilera, Charles Krupa, Woods, McIlroy, Mike McCarley, McIIroy, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, LIV Golf, LIV, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, There's, LIV Golf's Organizations: TGL, Angel City FC, Morning, Los Angeles Golf Club, NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, Seven, Los, LA's, Women's Soccer League, Williams, Serena Ventures, TMRW Sports, PGA, NBC Sports, Golf, PGA Tour, Tour, Masters Locations: Los Angeles, Angeles, Olympia, Palm Beach , Florida, Florida, Saudi Arabia

☆ Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams are building a mini-sports empire with a new golf team that's part of a league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It's the first team for TGL, a new pro golf league established by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. The couple, along with Williams' sister Venus, have bought the first golf team for TGL, a new league developed by golf greats, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Ohanian and the Williams sisters are the first to buy a TGL golf league team. Alexis Ohanian said in a tweet that their daughter Olympia is also a co-owner of the new golf team. A rendering of the TGL golf league venue in Florida.

☆ PGA Tour merger with LIV Golf triggers confusion about sponsorships, antitrust
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

watch nowThe proposed merger between the PGA Tour and its Saudi-funded rival LIV Golf stunned everyone from golfers to Wall Street bankers this week – leaving many with questions about what the merger could mean. While the two organizations were feuding, golfers were divided between the PGA Tour and LIV. Aside from the lawsuits, LIV Golf has been surrounded by controversy and criticism since its launch in 2022. LIV Golf sued the tour, also citing anti-competitive practices for banning its players. The PGA Tour countersued.

Persons: LIV Golf, LIV, Jefferies, Jay Monahan, CNBC's, Henry Hauser, Perkins, Monahan, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Yasir Al, Rumayyan, Hauser, it's, Timothy Derdenger, Derdenger Organizations: PGA Tour, Wall, FTC, PGA, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, Antitrust, Public Investment, Federal Trade Commission, Justice Department, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, U.S . Locations: Saudi

☆ Golf’s new Saudi deal presents questionable political, business and sporting realities
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

And the deal is also undeniably a great piece of business, assuming PGA Tour players accept it. And all pending litigation between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour was also mutually ended under the new agreement. He “co-opted the 9/11 community last year in the PGA’s unequivocal agreement that the Saudi LIV project was nothing more than sports washing of Saudi Arabia’s reputation,” the group said in a statement. Unresolved sporting conundrumsThere are as many sporting questions about the PGA Tour/LIV Golf partnership that remain unanswered. Then there is the question of how current PGA Tour members will respond.

Persons: LIV Golf, Arnold Palmer, Jamal Khashoggi, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, –, LIV –, Jay Monahan, Monahan, ”, “, Saudi LIV, ” Monahan, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Cam Smith, Donald Trump, LIV, Trump, Khashoggi, ” Trump, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Tuesday’s LIV, Qataris, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, ” Yasir Al, Rumayyan, of Famer Greg Norman, Collin Morikawa, Mickelson, Alan Shipnuck, Shipnuck Organizations: CNN, PGA, Saudi, Post, Premier League, Global, Families United, Saudi shills, Crown, Formula One, NBA, Tour, Qatar, Soccer, Manchester City, United, Newcastle, Indian Premier League, Al, Real, Saudi Public Investment, “, Saudi Public Investment Fund, CNBC, of Famer, Open, Twitter Locations: Washington, Saudi, Qaeda, Riyadh, China, Western Europe, East, India, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Ittihad, Real Madrid, French

☆ PGA Tour/LIV deal good for golf but rebels must pay, says McIlroy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The people that left the PGA Tour irreparably harmed this Tour, started litigation against it," said McIlroy the defending Canadian Open champion. McIlroy was not tempted by the Saudi money and believes those players who stood with the PGA Tour should be compensated for their loyalty. This is the PGA TOUR, the DP World Tour and the PIF. "It's the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund are basically partnering to create a new company." That new company, McIlroy said, will be run by the PGA Tour with commissioner Jay Monahan acting CEO.

Persons: LIV, Rory McIlroy, McIlroy, Hall, Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, That's, I've, LIV's, Jay Monahan, Frank Pingue, Steve Keating, Kirsten Donovan, Ed Osmond Organizations: TORONTO, PGA, Hall of Famer, Northern, Canadian, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, Public Investment Fund, PGA Tour, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Toronto

☆ PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger is a major win for the Saudis — and Americans are slamming it
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

It's lured some of the biggest golf stars away from the PGA Tour with huge paychecks, spurring antitrust lawsuits with the American organization. "This is Saudi Arabia buying the PGA tour," sports talk show host Rich Eisen said in his broadcast after hearing the news. USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan called the move "a total wimp-out by the PGA Tour. Glyn Kirk | AFP | Getty ImagesSocial media was rife with self-described golf fans vowing to never again watch the PGA Tour. Pro golfer Phil Mickelson, another member of the LIV Tour, tweeted "Awesome day today" in response to the news.

Persons: LIV Golf, that's, —, LIV, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, It's, Jay Monahan, Rich Eisen, Pat Welter, it's, Christine Brennan, Tiger Woods, Glyn Kirk, Ron Wyden, Chris Murphy, Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi LIV, Monahan, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jim Watson, Bryson DeChambeau, DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Jeffries, Yasir Al, Cristiano Ronaldo, Saudi Arabia's, Al Organizations: PGA Tour, Saudi, LIV Players, PGA, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Saudi Crown, CNBC, Twitter, 150th, St, AFP, Getty, LIV, Washington Post, Amnesty, Saudi Arabian Crown, Saudi Embassy, Washington D.C, Saudi Foreign Ministry, CNN, Royal, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images Investment, Rumayyan, Nassr Football Club, Al Nassr Football Locations: Saudi Arabia, North Carolina, Saudi, Scotland, Oregon, Connecticut, American, Washington ,, Washington, videoconference, Riyadh, PIF, Portuguese

☆ Who wins in the PGA-LIV tie-up? Hint: It’s not the golfers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A bit of background for the uninitiated:Men’s pro golf in North America has been dominated by the PGA Tour for decades. Last year, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund spent an estimated $2 billion to form a rival league, LIV Golf, to challenge PGA’s dominance. LIV attracted many of the sport’s top players away from the PGA Tour and Europe’s DP World Tour by offering more prize money. A long legal battle followed, and LIV golfers were banned from established tours. It is pronounced like “live.” As in, “Please don’t kill me, I want to live.”Oh, yeah — that brings me to the whole “why you should care” bit, and why many pro golfers and fans are apoplectic over the tie-up.

Persons: CNN Business ’, LIV Golf, LIV, “ LIV ”, Jamal Khashoggi, sportswashing, Phil Mickelson, Greg Norman, soccer’s Cristiano Ronaldo —, Chris Isidore, Bloomberg, it’s, ”, Peter Coy, “, you’ll Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, PGA Tour, PGA, Bloomberg, US Justice Department, Tour, US Federal Trade Commission, New York Times Locations: New York, North America, Saudi, Saudi Arabia

☆ PGA Tour-LIV deal leaves golf world facing plenty of unknowns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Frank Pingue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But while they could one day find themselves members of the PGA Tour again, those who joined LIV Golf may get a frosty welcome from those competing on the U.S.-based circuit. The people that left the PGA Tour irreparably harmed this Tour, started litigation against it," world number three McIlroy said on Wednesday. Another unknown is how the golf calendar will look under the framework of the merger or whether the LIV Golf League team-based competition will even exist after its 2023 season. Typically, a resigned player who wants to rejoin the DP World Tour for the 2023 season would have had to give their notification by May 1 of this year. DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley said subsequent requests would require proof of an exceptional circumstance to be allowed, something he said would "be difficult and highly unlikely that that would happen."

Persons: LIV, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cam Smith, McIlroy, that's, LIV Golf, Greg Norman's, Tiger Woods, Norman, Jay Monahan, Monahan, Keith Pelley, Frank Pingue, Toby Davis Organizations: PGA, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, Hall of Fame, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, LIV Golf League, Saudi, European, European Ryder, U.S, PGA of America, Ryder Cup Europe, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Toronto, Rome

☆ PGA Tour, European Tour and LIV announce merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Frank Pingue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Additionally, the three organizations said in a joint news release that they will work cooperatively to allow a process for any LIV Golf players to reapply for PGA Tour and DP World Tour membership following the 2023 season. "After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love," PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a joint news release. "We are proud to partner with the PGA Tour to leverage PIF's unparalleled success and track record of unlocking value and bringing innovation and global best practices to business and sectors worldwide." The PGA Tour had sought to fend off competition from LIV by barring PGA Tour players from participating in LIV tournaments. Some PGA Tour players took to Twitter to express their surprise having not been informed of the agreement before its announcement.

Persons: Hideki Matsuyama, Mike Segar, LIV, Jay Monahan, Yasir Al, Tour's Monahan, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Mickelson, Collin Morikawa, Mackenzie Hughes, we’d, Donald Trump, LIV Golf's, Liv Golf, Frank Pingue, Alex Richardson, Christian Organizations: Golf, Tour, LIV, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, Public Investment Fund, PGA, Al, Rumayyan, Justice Department, Fame, Twitter, Liv, Thomson Locations: Augusta , Georgia, U.S, Saudi, Collin Morikawa ., Toronto

☆ PGA Tour agrees to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

The PGA Tour has agreed to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf in a deal that would see the competitors squash pending litigation and move forward as a larger golf enterprise. With LIV Golf in the midst of its second, groundbreaking season, the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour and PIF will work together to best feature and grow team golf going forward. PIF will initially be the exclusive investor in the new entity, alongside the PGA TOUR, LIV Golf and the DP World Tour. Separately, PGA TOUR Inc. will remain in place as a 501(c)(6) tax exempt organization and retains administrative oversight of events for those assets contributed by the PGA TOUR, including the sanctioning of events, the administration of the competition and rules, as well as all other "inside the ropes" responsibilities, with Jay Monahan as Commissioner and Ed Herlihy as PGA TOUR Policy Board Chairman. The DP World Tour and LIV Golf will retain similar administrative oversight of events on their respective Tours.

Persons: LIV, LIV didn't, Yasir Al, Rumayyan, Jay Monahan, PIF, CNBC'S David Faber, LIV Golf, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Monahan, Team Captain Brooks Koepka, Ricky Elliott, Osama Bin Laden, Donald Trump, nobody's, Trump, CNBC's David Faber, Jessica Golden, Kevin Durant, James Pitaro, LIV –, we've, Jay, Keith, Ed Herlihy, Herlihy, Jimmy Dunne, Keith Pelley Organizations: Nexstar, Nexstar Media Group, CW Network, CW, Wrestling, Endeavor Group, PGA Tour, CNBC, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, PGA, European PGA, U.S, Team, Royal Greens, & Country Club, King Abdullah Economic, Saudi, CBS Sports, LIV, ESPN, Public Investment Fund, Al, Rumayyan, Strategic Alliance Locations: U.S, Saudi, Jeddah, King Abdullah, King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia, Los Angeles, RIYADH, PONTE, BEACH , Florida

PinnedThe PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the insurgent league bankrolled by billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, said on Tuesday that they had agreed to a merger, ending a bitter and costly fight for supremacy of men’s professional golf that had divided top players, everyday fans and corporate sponsors. Now, by merging with the PGA Tour, it has gained a foothold that guarantees it outsize influence in the game’s future. The PIF also will have right of first refusal on new investments in the merged tour, according to the statement announcing the merger. “Going forward, PIF will have the exclusive right to further invest in the new entity, including a right of first refusal on any capital that may be invested in the new entity, including into the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour.” The PGA Tour will appoint a majority of the board, the statement said, and hold a majority voting interest in the combined entity. In a memorandum to PGA Tour players on Tuesday, Monahan said the wealth fund would have a minority position in the new for-profit company that will control men’s golf.

Persons: LIV Golf, bankrolling LIV, “, PIF, LIV, Jay Monahan, we’ve, LIV . Monahan, Yasir al, Monahan, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, LIV signees, Graeme McDowell, “ It’s, ” Organizations: PGA, Premier League soccer, Public Investment Fund, PGA Tour, ”, Public Investment, U.S Locations: Saudi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

☆ Blindsided PGA Tour players want answers over merger with LIV Golf
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TORONTO, June 6 (Reuters) - PGA Tour players were blindsided by news of a merger with the rebel Saudi-backed LIV Golf on Tuesday that left them, fans and politicians demanding answers. A bitter feud that had divided the sport for almost two years ended without warning when the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf announced a shock agreement to merge and form one unified commercial entity. "I’m guessing the liv teams were struggling to get sponsors and pga tour couldn’t turn down the money. Rickie Fowler, Will Zalatoris and Hideki Matsuyama were all reported to have been offered over $100 million to jump to LIV Golf until Monahan pleaded with them to stick with the PGA Tour. Golf fans took to social media, many blasting the PGA Tour for its hypocrisy.

Persons: LIV Golf, liv, Jay Monahan, Rickie Fowler, Will Zalatoris, Hideki Matsuyama, Monahan, Adam Hadwin, Charlotte ,, Peter Casey, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, LIV, Chris Murphy, Saudi LIV, Terry Strada, Steve Keating, Toby Davis Organizations: TORONTO, PGA, Twitter, Win, PGA Tour, USA, of Fame, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, Democratic, Golf, Tour, United, LIV, Saudi shills, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Canada, Charlotte, Charlotte , North Carolina, USA, American, Connecticut, United States, Saudi Arabia, U.S, Toronto

After two years of sniping, lawsuits and ill will, the major men’s golf tours agreed to merge on Tuesday. The PGA Tour, which runs golf in North America; the PGA European Tour, which is known as the DP World Tour and holds events in much of the rest of the world; and the upstart LIV Tour agreed to merge their operations. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund, which spent billions to launch the LIV Tour, will invest in the new company, and the governor of that fund will become its chairman. The LIV Tour started last year and offered big-name players from the other tours huge sums to jump ship. Many players and officials of the PGA Tour were sharply critical of LIV, both for dividing the golf world and for associating with the Saudi government and its poor human rights record.

Persons: Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, LIV, ” Organizations: PGA European, LIV, PGA Locations: North America, Saudi

☆ Trump correctly predicted the LIV-PGA Tour merger in 2022: 'If you don't take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger takes place'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Taylor Berman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The sports world was shocked today LIV Golf and the PGA Tour announced a merger. Trump correctly predicted the merger in the summer of 2022. "Golfers that remain 'loyal' to the very disloyal PGA will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes," he wrote. Nearly 11 months later, the merger was announced, catching many PGA players — who were not consulted ahead of time as a group — off guard. For his part, Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate the merger, writing: "GREAT NEWS FROM LIV GOLF.

Persons: LIV Golf, Trump, LIV, —, Donald Trump, Phil Mickelson, Eric, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson Organizations: PGA Tour, Golfers, Service, Saudi, LIV Golf, PGA, ESPN, Social, Bedminster

☆ PGA and LIV Merger PGA Tour and LIV Golf Agree to Merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Alan Blinder | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

PinnedThe PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the insurgent league bankrolled by billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, said Tuesday that they had agreed to a merger, ending a bitter fight for supremacy of men’s professional golf that had divided top players, everyday fans and corporate sponsors. The governor of the Saudi fund will become chairman of the joined organization. Monahan is expected to be the new group’s chief executive, with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the wealth fund’s governor, installed as its chairman. The PGA Tour, long the dominant force in professional golf, retaliated by banning any players who joined the new tour from its events. But by midday Tuesday, golf’s era of high-dollar brinkmanship had ended, with promises of “a fair and objective process for any players” looking to return to good standing with the PGA Tour or its European counterpart.

Persons: LIV Golf, LIV, we’ve, ” Jay Monahan, LIV . Monahan, Yasir al, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson Organizations: PGA, Saudi, Public Investment Fund, PGA Tour, Public Investment Locations: Saudi

☆ PGA Tour announces shock reconciliation with Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US-based PGA Tour is set to partner with the Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf, ending a feud that has dogged the men’s professional game for the past year. A spokesperson for the PGA Tour told CNN that the new relationship between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf is not a merger, but “a partnership/creation of a new commercial entity.”The LIV Golf series, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), officially launched in June 2022, with participating players subsequently barred from competing in PGA Tour events. “After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. In August 2022, the four-time major winner told CNN that LIV Golf had “ripped apart” the men’s game. Tiger Woods was also critical, arguing in July 2022 that players who joined LIV Golf had “turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.”Woods had been critical of players to join LIV Golf.

Persons: LIV, LIV Golf, Mohammed bin Salman, ”, Jay Monahan, Monahan, Yasir Al, PIF, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, “, ” Woods, Richard Heathcote, Phil Mickelson, Mickelson Organizations: CNN, PGA, PGA Tour, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, MBS, LIV Golf, Getty, Twitter Locations: Saudi, Saudi Arabia

☆ Michael Block: The club pro set for a potentially life-changing payout after PGA Championship fairytale
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —It’s been a Block party all week at the PGA Championship, and the man at the heart of festivities is not done partying just yet. Michael Block, the 46-year-old club pro who teaches golf lessons at a public course in California, is schooling many of the game’s biggest stars on New York’s notoriously challenging Oak Hill East Course. In the 105 years of the PGA Championship, no PGA Professional has ever finished inside the top 10. Not since Steve Schneiter in 2005 has a PGA pro finished inside the top-40. Should he remain eighth at the end of play, Block will earn $545,000, according to CBS Golf – even 30th place would see him take home $110,000.

☆ Scheffler, Hovland, Conners grab PGA Championship lead
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] May 19, 2023; Rochester, New York, USA; Scottie Scheffler hits a tee shot on the seventh hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA... Read moreROCHESTER, New York, May 19 (Reuters) - World number two Scottie Scheffler, Norwegian Viktor Hovland and Canada's Corey Conners grabbed a share of the PGA Championship second round lead on Friday, while an unforgiving Oak Hill left some of golf's biggest names fighting to make the cut. Conners had started the day level with Scheffler one back of pacesetting Bryson DeChambeau and finished it in the same position also signing for a 68. World number 11 Hovland began his round with back-to-back birdies and then drained a five-foot birdie putt at the 18th to join Conners and Scheffler on five-under 135. "The tournament is halfway done," said Scheffler, who can reclaim the number ranking with a win on Sunday.

☆ LIV Golf's DeChambeau grabs PGA Championship clubhouse lead
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Keegan Bradley, who won the 2011 PGA Championship, was two shots off the pace with Norway's Viktor Hovland and New Zealand's Ryan Fox. DeChambeau, who missed last year's PGA Championship as he was recovering from surgery on his left hand, started on the back nine and reached the turn at one under. "It was a grind today," said 2022 Masters winner Scheffler. It marked the first time the top player in the rankings had carded a six over or higher at the PGA Championship since Greg Norman in 1987. It marks Mickelson's return to the PGA Championship for the first time since 2021 when, aged 50, he defied the odds to become the oldest major winner in history.

☆ How to watch the PGA Championship: Start time, channels, and other things to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Rob Schumacher/USA Today Network Tiger Woods walks the 18th green during the second round on Saturday, April 8. David J. Phillip/AP Fred Couples waves to patrons after finishing his second round on Saturday. Patrick Smith/Getty Images Patrick Cantlay plays a shot from a bunker on the 18th hole on Saturday. Rob Schumacher/USA Today Network Adam Scott plays a bunker shot on the second hole Thursday. Rob Schumacher/USA Today Network Hideki Matsuyama, who won the tournament two years ago, looks over a putt on the second hole.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — The Justice Department’s antitrust inquiry into men’s professional golf has included interviews with players, including the major tournament winners Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Sergio García, as the authorities examine whether the PGA Tour sought to manipulate the sport’s labor market. Although lawyers for the PGA Tour met with Justice Department officials in Washington this week, a timeline for the review’s completion — much less whether the government will try to force any changes in golf — is not clear. But the inquiry’s scope and persistence has deepened the turbulence in the sport, which has been grappling with the recent rise of LIV Golf, a league that used money from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to lure top players away from the PGA Tour. Eight people with knowledge of the Justice Department’s inquiry described its breadth on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was pending. The department declined to comment.

☆ Rahm, Smith and Fitzpatrick form PGA Championship major attraction
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] May 15, 2023; Rochester, New York, USA; Jon Rahm tees off on the 8th hole during a practice round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Oak Hill Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA... Read moreROCHESTER, New York, May 16 (Reuters) - Spaniard Jon Rahm, Australian Cameron Smith and Briton Matt Fitzpatrick were put together on Tuesday in a star-studded group of major champions for the first two rounds of the PGA Championship. Another power threesome of PGA Championship winners heads out at 8:11 AM ET (1211 GMT) with reigning champion Justin Thomas opening the defence of his crown in the company of Northern Ireland's four-time major winner Rory McIlroy and double major winner Collin Morikawa. World number two Scottie Scheffler will partner twice PGA Championship winner and LIV Golf hope Brooks Koepka and 2019 U.S. Open winner Gary Woodland. Also carrying the LIV flag will be Phil Mickelson, the six-time major winner, partnered with world number four Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler who will go out in the afternoon wave.

☆ PGA Tour and LIV take feud to PGA Championship
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ROCHESTER, New York, May 15 (Reuters) - The PGA Tour and LIV Golf take their feud to Oak Hill Country Club for the PGA Championship this week with the Saudi-bankrolled rebel circuit again seeking major validation. That was until world number one Spaniard Jon Rahm came to the PGA Tour's rescue, finishing top of the leaderboard to leave Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson runners-up. Like the Masters there will be 18 LIV members in the field led by twice PGA Championship winners Koepka and 52-year-old Mickelson and Australian Cameron Smith, who signed on with LIV after winning last year's British Open. Rahm and world number two Scottie Scheffler both are in top form coming into Rochester. Spieth, who withdrew from the Byron Nelson citing a left wrist injury, needs only a PGA Championship to join the elite club that includes, Woods, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus.

☆ Cristiano Ronaldo: Soccer star tops Forbes' highest-paid athlete list for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has become the highest paid athlete in the world, with a move to Al-Nassr nearly doubling his salary, according to Forbes. According to Forbes, Ronaldo has an estimated $75 million playing salary and has cashed in on a number of marketing opportunities. Both have lost sponsors since joining the controversial Saudi-backed breakaway group but have more than made up for it in prize money. Ronaldo was last named the world's highest-paid athlete in 2017. The American wasn’t even in the top 50 highest-paid athletes in 2022 but has now jumped up to sixth.

☆ Ronaldo tops Forbes' highest-paid athletes list in 2023 after Saudi move
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 2 (Reuters) - Cristiano Ronaldo became the world's highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr nearly doubled his annual playing salary while Paris St Germain duo Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe round off the top three, according to Forbes. Ronaldo, who joined the Saudi soccer club on a deal until 2025 after leaving Manchester United last year, earned $136 million with Forbes saying his annual playing salary went up to an estimated $75 million. Ronaldo's contract has been estimated by media to be worth more than 200 million euros ($219.98 million). Los Angeles Lakers player and NBA great LeBron James ($119.5 million) and Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez ($110 million) rounded out the top five. Four-times NBA champion Stephen Curry ($100.4 million) and Phoenix Suns' Kevin Durant ($89.1 million) are the other two basketball players on the list.

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