Dustin Johnson — PIF governor told me LIV Golf to play in 2024

LOS ANGELES — LIV Golf League captain Dustin Johnson, like {most professional} golfers, would not know precisely what the game’s ecosystem will appear like past this season.

However Johnson appears fairly certain about one factor: The LIV Golf League will probably be staging tournaments with 54 holes, shotgun begins and crew competitions in 2024.

Johnson instructed ESPN on Wednesday that Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund — which is financing the LIV Golf League — instructed him the circuit will stay in enterprise by 2024, regardless of PIF’s new alliance with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

“Every part I’ve heard, they’re nonetheless engaged on a full schedule for subsequent yr,” Johnson stated. “The remainder of this yr and 2024 goes to be the identical so far as I do know. After that, as a lot as I do.”

Bryson DeChambeau, captain of Crushers GC, stated he spoke to Al-Rumayyan shortly earlier than the deal was introduced on CNBC on June 6. He additionally appeared assured the team-focused league would play past this season.

“That’s what was talked about,” DeChambeau stated. “These are non-public conversations, and I do not know precisely what his future plans are as a result of he was proper about to go on CNBC. I did not know what all was happening, however he stated a few different cool concepts that I believe may very well be fascinating for the sport of golf. However we’ll see if all of it occurs since you’ve nonetheless received to dial in all the particulars. There’s a whole lot of unknowns.”

PGA Tour coverage board member Jimmy Dunne instructed ESPN final week that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will oversee the PGA Tour and LIV Golf underneath the brand new settlement with PIF. Dunne stated it will be Monahan’s choice whether or not LIV Golf exists in its present type past this season.

LIV Golf has seven tournaments left on its schedule this season, together with the crew championship in Saudi Arabia in early November.

Al-Rumayyan will function chairman of a brand new entity being fashioned by the circuits, which is able to mix their industrial companies, together with the LIV Golf League. PIF will make an preliminary funding within the new firm and could have the primary proper of refusal to make further investments, in response to a information launch saying the deal.

Monahan introduced on Tuesday evening that he is recovering from an undisclosed medical situation and is taking a go away of absence from his day-to-day duties. He’ll function CEO of the yet-to-be-named new enterprise. Monahan stated he’ll absolutely consider LIV Golf’s place within the new ecosystem as soon as its season ends in November.

DeChambeau, the 2020 U.S. Open winner, stated he believes the competing leagues will mix into one tour sooner or later sooner or later.

“I believe it’s going to ultimately grow to be just like the AFL and NFL combining after which it simply comes into one at some capability,” DeChambeau stated. “How that occurs, I do not know. I simply know who has the primary proper of refusal and who’s the chairman.”

After final week’s gorgeous announcement, LIV Golf CEO and commissioner Greg Norman instructed his league’s workers that LIV Golf was a stand-alone entity and would proceed transferring ahead. DeChambeau stated he has traded textual content messages with Norman over the previous week.

“He appears spry and comfortable,” DeChambeau stated. “He is similar to, ‘Preserve your head down, buddy, and ignore what persons are saying.'”

DeChambeau would not reveal particulars of the “cool” concepts that Al-Rumayyan shared with him for the way forward for males’s skilled golf.

“I do not need to converse for him, however he did inform me one thing that may very well be a much bigger stage, international stage type of factor,” DeChambeau stated. “A giant international occasion that may very well be actually, actually cool.”

The PGA Tour’s alliance with PIF and the DP World Tour is already going through scrutiny from federal lawmakers. On Wednesday, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of Oregon urged U.S. Lawyer Normal Merrick Garland and Assistant Lawyer Normal Jonathan Kanter to scrutinize the deal and take motion if it violates antitrust legal guidelines.

It could be some time earlier than particulars of the potential alliance are absolutely identified.

“Nobody actually is aware of what is going on to occur, so I am unable to actually say,” stated Johnson, captain of 4Aces GC. “We simply do not know what it will appear like right here. We’ll in all probability know some extra within the subsequent six months, however as of proper now the whole lot’s simply going to remain the identical. I am simply glad sooner or later we’re all going to come back collectively and we’re not battling one another anymore.”