What Donald Trump's victory at Presidential Elections could mean for LIV Golf x PGA Tour merger

Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump claimed victory in the US election. A day before this, the former President made a bold claim that he could fix the split between the LIV Golf and PGA Tour. But can he really help the LIV Golf x PGA Tour merger?

Trump, speaking on the “Let’s Go” podcast hosted by sportscaster Jim Gray and former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, claimed that he could ‘help’ resolve the issue in a quarter-hour. The comment came amid reports of improved talks between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the PGA. The Presidential elect opined that there should only be ‘one tour’ but went on to back the Saudi breakaway circuit.

Commenting on a potential deal between LIV Golf and PGA Tour, Donald Trump said:

“I could certainly help it. I would say it would take me the better part of 15 minutes to get that deal done… But I do think we should have one tour, and they should have the best players in that tour. But they’re very happy with Saudi. They’re over there and they’re very happy about it. They really are. It’s amazing.”

Now that Trump has become the US President, can he resolve the LIV Golf x PGA Tour merger issue? It is pertinent to note that the former President is an avid golfer himself. His and former Democrat nominee Joe Biden’s golf handicaps were a talking point during the initial election debates. It is also noteworthy that the Republican Presidential elect has good relations with LIV’s governing body.

For the unversed, Trump has hosted six LIV events at his golf courses in the past, including the league's first-ever Team Championship. The 2022 competition finale was hosted at Trump Doral in Miami before the league returned 12 months later. Moreover, the Republican leader has urged top golfers to abandon the PGA for higher paydays in the past.

Trump seemed happy with the controversial 'framework agreement' signed between the PIF and PGA officials. In 2022, he claimed that the PGA and LIV merger was ‘inevitable.’

Trump wrote on social media in 2022:

“All of those golfers that remain ’Loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes.”

Donald Trump at LIV Golf Miami - Final Round - (Image via Imagn)

Donald Trump's link to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf is well-documented. His healthy relationship with the likes of Greg Norman and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan proves the same. He has publicly lauded the impact of the Saudis' involvement in professional golf. In 2022, Trump also came out to call the Saudi officials his ‘friends.’ He took a jibe at the PGA by shedding light on LIV’s role in increasing golfers’ salaries over the years.

Trump is currently not involved in the PGA-LIV merger deal talks. However, it is pertinent to note that he could chime in after taking charge of the Office. If he does, the Republican Presidential elect’s good rapport with the Saudi side would be a big factor. Needless to say, he is likely to back his ‘friends’ on the LIV side.

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Donald Trump’s relationship with LIV Golf players

An added layer to Donald Trump's offering to resolve the differences between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf is his relationship with players. Notably, the Republican Presidential election is close with the Saudi-backed series’ golfers.

He featured on LIV star Bryson DeChambeau’s YouTube channel in July and the two seem to have hit it off ever since. The two-time major champion made headlines on Tuesday as he attended the Republican’s victory party at the Palm Beach Convention Centre in Florida. He was seen sporting a 'Dark Maga’ hat with the slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

Trump later called on the 31-year-old US Open champion to join him on the stage during his victory speech.

Donald Trump broke his speech in the middle and said:

"We have up here today the US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, fantastic. Obviously, he hits the ball slightly longer than me! Just a little bit. Bryson DeChambeau is up here. Where is he? What happened to Bryson? Bryson! He’s hitting balls?... He’s on the way? Bryson. Oh, look at him. He’s got a great carer going. Great US Open, Bryson.”

Apart from DeChambeau, the 45th US President seems to be on good terms with players like Bubba Watson, Anthony Kim and Dustin Johnson. The golf enthusiast has been spotted with several of the circuit's players on different occasions.

It’ll be interesting to see how Donald Trump’s relationship with the players fares after he takes charge of the Office.