Players who snubbed LIV Golf in favour of the PGA Tour could end up having their coffers lined by Saudi Arabian money anyway as part of plans for a compensation fund.
The Telegraph reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund are planning to create the money pool that will reward players like Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler.
The irony will not be lost on many given it was with PIF dollars that LIV Golf caused an existential threat to the PGA Tour last year, setting up a rival circuit and poaching players like Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson.
Watch every round of the US Open LIVE & Exclusive on Fox Sports, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
But with the PIF last week agreeing to unite with the PGA Tour as its exclusive investor, bridges are being mended.
The compensation fund is one major way in which that reunification process is reportedly taking place.
READ MORE
Inside the ‘secret’ society who snubbed Playboy chief neighbour… and forged ‘diabolical’ golf test
LIV stars could be walking into an ambush as mystery exposes uneasy US Open truth
Every Aussie rated for US Open glory | 13:44
As part of the agreement, all parties are committed to opening a “fair” process that would allow LIV Golf players to re-join the PGA and DP World Tours.
The details of how remain sketchy, and became a hot topic at the US Open for PGA Tour players who didn’t want LIV Golf stars to be able to have their cake and eat it too.
Many players took LIV Golf sign-on fees between $100 and $200 million (A$148-296m) and could return to the tours, which now offer more prize money as a direct response to their defections.
Ogilvy relives ‘last man standing’ win | 03:48
But now The Telegraph reports that PGA Tour players could be offered a major sweetener, creating an all-time win-win situation.
The publication reports that it has not yet been decided how much loyalists could be compensated.
Sources involved in the decision also believe that LIV Golf in its current format will cease to exist and be replaced with a smaller team structure, according to the publication.
