PGA Tour merger with LIV Golf welcomed by Asian Tour boss, says it ‘validates decision’ to side with Saudi Arabia
- Asian Tour CEO Cho Minn Thant welcomes deal, calling it ‘massive stride forward for game’
- Tuesday’s shocking announcement was a surprise to all but a select few, and even LIV officials had been kept in the dark
The head of the Asian Tour said on Wednesday that he welcomed the merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Cho Minn Thant, the Asian Tour’s CEO, called it a “massive stride forward for the game”.
Tuesday’s announcement that the game’s three biggest organisations were combining to form a new entity shocked the sport, especially as so few people actually knew it was happening.
According to Asian Tour insiders, the first anyone there knew about it was when PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al Rumayyan appeared on television to reveal the deal.
Executives at LIV Golf, which is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia through PIF, were said to have been stunned, while the company’s CEO, Greg Norman, was only told hours before the landmark agreement was made public.
The Asian Tour has also benefited from massive investment from LIV and its Saudi backers. The US$300 million that helped launch the International Series also put it on a level footing with the DP World Tour.
