Last week, the announcement of a merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf sent ripples through the golf community. The news dismayed many, especially the golfers who had turned down massive deals from the Saudi-backed league and stayed loyal to the PGA Tour. While Mollie Marcoux Samaan-led LPGA believed “a fractured ecosystem is not good for the game,” it has certainly left many unanswered to the possibility of adding a Saudi-backed women’s tour.

This comes after the Saudi-backed LIV faction had broached the topic of launching a LIV ladies series earlier this year. It may come as a surprise to some but six events of the Ladies European Tour (PET) receives Saudi funding. However, LPGA Tour and PET don’t hold the degree of animosity that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf once held.

LPGA Tour left out of PGA Tour-LIV golf merger despite Greg Norman’s promises

Following LIV’s impressive outing at the Masters in April, Greg Norman voiced his interest in launching a similar league for female players. “I have personally had discussions with individual LPGA Tour players, Ladies European Tour. They love what our product is showcasing,” he had said. “We’d love to see a LIV ladies series.” However, he confessed that fans would have to wait until the end of the current LIV season for the plans to materialize.

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The LIV CEO’s words excited many. They presumed women in the sport, just like their male counterparts, would be able to revel in the spoils offered by the Saudi-funded league. Previously, LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan had also shared that she was open to new propositions as long as they would help in “promoting women’s golf.”

Months into Norman’s revelation, however, the silence surrounding the LPGA Tour’s fate is disconcerting. In the wake of the new merger, it is not clear whether any Saudi-backed series for the likes of Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson, and more will ever come into being. LPGA and PET will surely miss the drama that once entailed their male counterparts.

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Meanwhile, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) will greatly benefit the PGA Tour and its players. Per The Times, PGA Tour loyalists will be receiving payment so that they can “level up” with LIV players. Tour member Jimmy Dunne had earlier shared that loyalists would get equity stakes in the new league.

How has the LPGA Tour reacted after being left out of the big picture once again?

This is not the first time that the LPGA Tour has suffered. Efforts to bridge the gaps between women’s and men’s golf haven’t seen much success either. In 2018, PGAT commissioner Jay Monahan expressed his wish to get the men and women “together inside the ropes in the same week and in the same competition.” But, barring select initiatives like the Grant Thornton Invitational, much hasn’t been done to break the gender barriers in golf.

It is only natural for the LPGA Tour or top female players to take the new merger with a grain of salt. 2010 US Women’s Open champion Paula Creamer said, “It’s definitely something I would look at. I don’t know all the details about that. You have to weigh your options with everything these days.” Weighing in on the uncertainties, American golfer Amy Olson commented, “Who knows what the next curve ball is.”

More recently, the golf world’s darling Paige Spiranac also talked about the need for new initiatives to boost the women’s game. “What is the support for the women? This was the one time where it’s like, you could have added this in to really benefit,” she had said following the new merger.

In the past, Lexi Thompson and Nelly Korda have been asked about their thoughts on getting involved with LIV. While Korda stressed her dedication to the LPGA Tour, Thompson had a more tactful response. “I know Mollie said that she would have conversations, but that’s not in our control,” World No. 8 shared.

Regardless, there are still chances for the women’s tour to further grow down the road. After all, the PIF bankrolls six events on the Ladies European Tour (LET). Several LPGA Tour players have emerged as winners in those tournaments as well! Moreover, people at the helm of the LPGA are also willing to engage in conversation for the betterment of women’s golf.

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