PGA Tour, LIV Golf removes a non-solicitation clause on poaching players: Reports

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf's year-long battle finally came to an end on June 6, when the Tour commissioner announced a merger with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.The US Department of Justice reviewed the agreement for concerns over antitrust and finally, after the Senate hearing on Tuesday, July 11, both the series were asked to remove the non-solicitation clause on poaching players from their agreement.Under pressure from the government of the USA, the PIF and the PGA Tour agreed to remove the non-solicitation clause from their deal, as confirmed by a Tour member to ESPN.The NUCLR Golf also shared the news on its Twitter account with the caption:&quot;Following pressure from US DOJ, PGA TOUR &amp; PIF have removed a non-solicitation clause from their framework deal, The New York Times is reporting.&quot;NUCLR GOLF@NUCLRGOLF#NEW: Following pressure from US DOJ, PGA TOUR &amp; PIF have removed a non-solicitation clause from their framework deal, The New York Times is reporting. (Via ESPN)333🚨#NEW: Following pressure from US DOJ, PGA TOUR &amp; PIF have removed a non-solicitation clause from their framework deal, The New York Times is reporting. (Via ESPN) https://t.co/wBhhcSVcpSFans soon took to the comments section and the following are some of the best reactions.&quot;This may not matter much this season but could cause big problems heading into 2024 if the PGAT players don't step up and take control. LIV will be making a push for some big players and it won't take many more for the tour to be in trouble,&quot; a user wrote.Drew Pakenham@DrewEsports@NUCLRGOLF This may not matter much this season but could cause big problems heading into 2024 if the PGAT players don't step up and take control. LIV will be making a push for some big players and it won't take many more for the tour to be in touble.@NUCLRGOLF This may not matter much this season but could cause big problems heading into 2024 if the PGAT players don't step up and take control. LIV will be making a push for some big players and it won't take many more for the tour to be in touble.According to another user, this paved the way for Jon Rahm and Hideki Matsuyama to play in the Saudi series before or after The Open Championship.&quot;Hideki and Rahmbo have entered the chat,&quot; the comment read.Hollywoodcq@Hollywoodcq@NUCLRGOLF Hideki and Rahmbo have entered the chat1@NUCLRGOLF Hideki and Rahmbo have entered the chatHere are some other reactions:LIV Golf Nation@LIVGolfNationHow long until Jon Rahm announces he’s ditching the failing PGA Tour and joins LIV?Before or after the British Open?30111How long until Jon Rahm announces he’s ditching the failing PGA Tour and joins LIV?Before or after the British Open?PGA/LIV Hot Takes@PGALIVHotTakesRory said “If LIV Golf was the last place on Earth to play golf, I would retire. That’s how I feel about it.”This is going to age like fine wine31216Rory said “If LIV Golf was the last place on Earth to play golf, I would retire. That’s how I feel about it.”This is going to age like fine wine&quot;They have an unlimited horizon&quot; - James Dunne explained the real reason for the mergerSaudi Arabia Public Investment Fund is one of the top 10 wealthiest investment funds in the world. They have invested millions of dollars in the LIV Golf, offering more than $100 million in bonus money to players to join their series.Reportedly, the Saudi circuit offered an $800 million deal to the 15-time Major champion Tiger Woods to defect tour and joined LIV. However, the deal was eventually rejected by the golfer.Since the inception of the LIV, PGA Tour's top-ranked golfers, including Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith, joined the series for money.The Saudi circuit is a no-cut event and thus offers a huge amount of prize money. The PGA Tour attempted to compete with LIV Golf, even introducing designated events with a smaller field and higher prize money. However, they are still unable to keep up with the newly founded LIV Golf.About the real reason behind the merger, James Dunne, the architect behind the LIV Golf and PGA Tour deal said during the Senate hearing on Tuesday:&quot;My fear is if we don’t get to an agreement, they were already putting billions of dollars into golf. They have a management team wanting to destroy the tour. Even though you can say take five or six players a year, they have an unlimited horizon and an unlimited amount of money.”As per the deal between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, golfers can apply for re-joining the Tour at the end of this season.

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