The world of women's professional golf is undergoing what is known as an “epoch-making change.'' The LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour (LET) have agreed to merge, injecting vitality into the world of women's golf overseas.
That suddenly stopped.
Golf Saudi, a division of the Saudi Public Investment Fund that funds LIV Golf, has effectively blocked a proposed merger between the tours, according to the Telegraph.
Saudi Arabia's PIF has threatened to withdraw its $11 million sponsorship of the Eurocircuit and abandon seven events.
In a letter to players, LPGA Commissioner Molly Marcoux Samaan acknowledged that Golf Saudi was the reason for the cooling in negotiations.
The Saudis submitted a “last-minute request for further information regarding the proposed operating model for the tour in the event of a potential deal.” Samaan wrote. “As a key partner of LET, Golf Saudi wanted to ensure we fully understood the risks, impacts and opportunities for Aramco Saudi Ladies International and the Aramco Team Series.”
Aramco is currently the largest sponsor of the European Women's Tour. With the merger vote “currently postponed indefinitely,” the risk of losing sponsor funding was too great to proceed with negotiations.
Photo credit: Stefan Rousseau – WPA Pool/Getty Images
The leading EuroTour player requested anonymity and did not hold anything back when speaking his mind.
“The reality is they're clearly just threatening to pull all events and funding if the merger goes ahead. So they just blew everything up just because they could. Of things we don't understand. One is why the merger of LET and LPGA will be as harmful as PIF hopes.
“Could it have something to do with their merger with Tour and PIF, underscoring it's dominance? If so, this could mean billionaires playing power games. It's just another example of how we little people are being made disposable as things unfold.”
This could be a fatal blow to the beleaguered LET, as a contract with the LPGA was on the horizon. Annika Sorenstam, one of the greatest players of all time, said the pending union is “good for everyone.”
Sadly, the women's game will hit a roadblock to growth, thanks in large part to Golf Saudi. But should we really be surprised by that?
Kendall Capps is the senior editor of SB Nation's Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social media platforms.
