The move means that the pending litigation between the tours will be halted and they will move forward as part of the same enterprise.

While the details are still sketchy at this time it appears that the so-called ‘Rebel golfers’ will be able to continue playing on both the tours.

The US-based PGA Tour announced a bombshell deal that merges its activities with the Saudi financiers' golf-related enterprises and those of the DP World Tour to establish a new collectively owned, for-profit entity that caught the gold world off guard.

The PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan, said the move is historic for the sport and aims to end the divisions within the game.

“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” said Monahan.

“This transformational partnership recognises the immeasurable strength of the PGA Tour’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV — including the team golf concept — to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans.”

There have been calls for the head of Monahan by the players themselves after he previously stated that any player taking LIV money would never be allowed to play on the PGA Tour again.

The move has been met with both shock and surprise by the players themselves, and will it is still very early days, interesting times lie ahead in the sport.

South Africans that forfeited their respective tour cards include Bloemfontein’s Dean Burmester as well as the major winner Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. The trio along with another South Africa, Branden Grace, recently won a LIV tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

Morgan Piek OFM Sport