Donald Trump Could Be Professional Golf’s New Messiah

Professional golf has been having a hard time. The timely arrival of regulated sports betting has helped glue more eyeballs to the competition’s waning popularity, and despite a jump in women golfers, and their ample coverage, the PGA Tour and rival organization LIV remain in a bit of a bad shape.

PGA Tour and LIV Closer to a Deal under Trump’s Aegis

So much so that the organizations have been trying to merge to consolidate the sports events and bring them under the same roof. The PGA Tour has not even been past asking President Donald Trump, tapping into his messianic instincts.

In a statement released on Thursday, the PGA Tour said that it was awaiting a resolution to negotiations with the Public Investment Fund. This was not just due process, however, but a special nudge from President Trump himself, as attested by PGA Tour commissioner Joy Monahan and Player Directors Tiger Woods and Adam Scott.

“We asked the president to get involved for the good of the game, the good of the country, and for all the countries involved. We are grateful that his leadership has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for the reunification of men’s professional golf,” the statement read.

President Trump himself has not been shy about professing his love for the sport – never mind his actual performance. The commander-in-chief has not been past professing his affinity for professional golf, and he has himself been an avid supporter of LIV, the main competitor to the PGA Tour.

Yet, amid shaky popularity, the two rival organizations have seen it only fit to come together and pool their efforts instead of playing a zero-sum game. In honesty, LIV has had some success prying away top talent from the PGA Tour, with names such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Bryson DeChambeau all making the shift.

A Trump Move in Golf to Secure the Sports’ Future

The deal was long coming, and with President Trump in office, it was a certainty. In one of his characteristic off-topic speeches on the campaign trail, President Trump mused about the talks between the two organizations to merge.

He appeared cheerful arguing that he would need 15 minutes to make things happen. Trump himself has played host to LIV tournaments, which he has been more closely associated with. Not least, he has 20 courses of his own.

All told, sport has a good friend in the White House. Not for the first time. Will this help with sagging viewership numbers?