PGA and LIV Golf merger leaves broken relationships in its wake after bitter feud

During the final episode of the Netflix Full Swing series, Rory McIlroy caused laughter in the physio room at the Tour Championship by shouting:, “*** you, Phil” before adding: “I hope that makes it in.”

And Phil Mickelson continued the running feud even last weekend when the American superstar claimed no LIV team would want the Ulserman “because they’d have to deal with all his bs”.

Running feuds and personal insults have been a feature of the previously gentlemanly game of golf even before LIV Golf’s big tee off at the Centurion Club on June 9 last year.

McIlroy has also clashed with Greg Norman, Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed. Eddie Pepperell and Richard Bland got into a Twitter spat. Billy Horschel claimed some LIV stars were “hypocritical” for turning up at the BMW PGA.

Even though most on both sides have been dialling down the rhetoric after the last few months, a lot of damage has been said and done.

DP World Tour boss Keith Pelly declared peace in our time on Tuesday when he claimed: “The divisiveness is now over, and two years of disruption and distractions.”

But many relationships are not out of the rough yet. The players on the PGA and DP World Tours who stayed loyal and turned down the Saudi millions must feel like mug punters. And sneaking Sergio Garcia back into the Ryder Cup team - Jon Rahm would want him as partner in Rome - will cause resentment after the way the older Spaniard has conducted himself.

Phil Mickelson was one of the first to defect to LIV Golf and has exchanged bitter barbs with McIlroy (ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Yet as golf returned to its traditional reactionary roots, new bonds are forged.

Amnesty International have branded the merger as “just more evidence of the onward march of Saudi sportswashing”.
The DP World Tour first staged the Saudi International in 2019 - just a year after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi - and Pelley claimed the previous “challenge” was them “playing outside the ecosystem”. Now they are back in, the Canadian is seriously sucking up to PIF boss and Newcastle chairman Yasir Al Rumayyan.

“His Excellency has an unwavering love and passion and commitment to the game,” Pelley gushed.