Open champion Cameron Smith thought news of golf’s seismic merger was a joke when news initially broke last week.
Smith was among the high-profile rebels last year to sign with LIV Golf, whose backers the Public Investment Fund in Saudi Arabia reached an agreement to join forces with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour to end golf’s civil war.
The likes of Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa have already spoken of their surprise at the manner in which the news was kept from players before the announcement.
And Smith, speaking in the build-up to this week’s US Open, echoed that, saying, “I guess the first reaction was I thought it was kind of a joke that had come out and then he [PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan] gave me a call and kind of explained what was going on.
“He didn’t really explain too much. I think there’s still a lot of stuff to be worked out and, as time goes on, we’ll get to know more and more. But there are definitely a lot of curious players, I think, on both sides as to what the future is going to look like.”
Meanwhile, US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick said there was still confusion across the various tours as to what the peace deal meant for the sport going forward, both for the LIV players and those who stayed loyal to the PGA and DP World Tours.
He said: “Are we signing with the PIF? Are we not signing with the PIF? I’ve no idea. Nobody knows what’s going on apart from about four people in the world. I guess the whole thing is confusing. It was confusing last year.”
The US Senate, meanwhile, has said it will investigate the intricacies of the merger.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said the deal raised concerns about “the Saudi government’s role in influencing this effort and the risks posed by a foreign government entity assuming control over a cherished American institution”.
The merger is the major talking point ahead of the US Open, which begins on Thursday at Los Angeles Country Club in California.
McIlroy, the most outspoken player against the formation of LIV Golf since its inception, has been paired with one of the LIV rebels, Brooks Koepka, the recent US PGA champion.
