9/11 Families United sounds off on PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger
NEW YORK -- The PGA Tour and LIV Golf have announced a merger after a months-long legal battle.
The shocking decision has angered families of some 9/11 victims.
After a bitter two-year dispute, the two professional golf titans are coming together.
"We just realized that we were better off together than we were fighting," PGA Tour President Jay Monahan said.
Monahan changed his tune after saying this last year, "Have any players had to apologize for being members of the PGA Tour?"
Fast forward to Tuesday.
"By being able to create a for-profit LLC, we've been handicapped. We're a pass-through organization. We've not been able to reinvest our dollars, in growth businesses, and now this gives us the opportunity to do that," Monahan said.
READ MORE: PGA Tour and LIV Golf to merge, ending "disruption and distraction" and antitrust lawsuit
Monahan will be CEO of the new organization. The chairman of the board of directors will be Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund or P.I.F.
The agreement ends a months-long feud over LIV's poaching of some of the PGA's biggest names, but it's also eliciting criticism that the Saudi kingdom is "sportswashing" to distract from a history of human rights violations.
"It's a gut punch to wake up and read the headlines today that the PGA has turned its back on the 9/11 community and decided to get in bed with the kingdom," said Terry Strada, national chair of 9/11 Families United.
A 2021 FBI report showed evidence that two Saudi officials provided support to at least two of the 9/11 terrorists. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals.
"They are still responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and they still are responsible for the murder of nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11," Strada said.
PGA golfer Adam Hadwin was asked if he has any moral qualms.
"I've dedicated my entire life to being at golf's highest level. I'm not about to stop playing golf because the entity that I play for has joined forces with the Saudi government," Hadwin said.
CBS2 took the controversy to amateur golfers in Manhattan.
"Shows that money talks. Shows we might see a lot more Saudi money in American sports," Jared Fineberg said.
"Competing as a group and coming out on top is good for the players and good for the fans," Raj Srinivasan said.
"It's gonna change golf for better or worse. It'll be great for the players," golf instructor Alec Simmons said. "For the consumer, I think that still is to be seen."
With the merger, all litigation between the tours will cease and the current schedule for the tours will continue.