GOLF’S civil war is on the brink of a £1BILLION peace deal.
Rebel tour LIV’s Saudi Arabian backers are poised to cough up the staggering fee to become part of the PGA Tour circuit.
2Rory McIlroy helped end golf’s civil warCredit: SNS
2Jon Rahm of LIV Golf is set to merge with the PGA TourCredit: Getty
The money will give Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, who bankroll the breakaway LIV Golf, an 11 per cent share in the Tour.
In return they will get two places on the PGA Tour board — including the post of chairman.
Superstars Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have played key roles in the peace talks.
The deal still has to be approved by PGA players but they are expected to agree.
The Saudis happily paid Jon Rahm nearly £500million to become their most high-profile recruit a year ago.
PIF have assets of £720bn, so forking out £1bn to become an accepted part of the golfing establishment appears a small price to pay.
The deal will finally end the stand-off between the PGA and LIV, who announced the breakaway circuit three years ago.
They lured Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter with multi-million pound deals.
The first event was held near London two years ago. Players were immediately banned from playing in PGA and DP World Tour, who run European golf, events.
LIV put on 14 events this year but their tournaments will now come under the PGA umbrella.
The sweetener for golfers who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour is likely to be another massive cash injection into the £1.2bn fund created this year to reward those players.
The DP World Tour will also benefit, as their ‘strategic alliance’ with the PGA Tour will be reinforced, with extra cash diverted for prize money.
