How the US election could impact whether LIV Golf-PGA merger goes through

The upcoming statesmanlike election could style nan early of golf's civilian war, it has been claimed.

The athletics has been riven since LIV Golf, funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, launched a breakaway convention and began poaching playing from nan PGA and DP World Tours.

A model statement to merge nan warring factions was announced successful June 2023. Since then, talks person dragged connected complete a imaginable woody which would spot PIF pump much than $1billion into nan PGA Tour.

The governmental consequence to immoderate woody could reportedly hinge connected who wins adjacent month's predetermination betwixt Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. 

According to ineligible experts, cited by The Athletic, nan 2 candidates for nan White House would apt return different approaches to a early agreement.

The aim, outlined by PGA Tour main Jay Monahan and PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, was to 'reunify nan world of men's master golf'.

But Monahan's declare that nan woody would 'take nan competitor disconnected nan board' sparked antitrust concerns, pinch The Athletic claiming 'those reddish flags raised by nan DOJ (Department of Justice) person not disappeared'. 

The adjacent management will reportedly person nan powerfulness to 'dictate nan priorities of nan DOJ' and experts judge that location is simply a overmuch greater chance of a merger going done should Trump win.

The Republican nominee has hosted a number of LIV Golf events and he antecedently urged golfers to 'take nan money' from nan Saudi-funded breakaway. The PIF besides reportedly invested $2billion into nan backstage equity patient of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Moreover, nan erstwhile President has 'never been peculiarly respectful of anticompetitive regulations,' it is said.

It is thought that Harris, connected nan different hand, would enactment successful statement pinch nan Biden administration. Under this regime, nan DOJ has reportedly shown a reluctance to trim title successful different industries. 

'I don’t deliberation nan DOJ is going to beryllium OK pinch these 2 combining,' 1 master told The Athletic.

Only nan courts, alternatively than a president, tin determine if a merger is forbidden but administrations tin power whether a woody is challenged.

Once immoderate statement is put forward, nan DOJ will statesman its reappraisal into whether immoderate antitrust violations person occurred.