The Trump family, which has hosted LIV tournaments in the United States and a big boost to the series’ efforts to break away from the PGA Tour, expects to continue to see tournaments played at its golf courses once the merge is complete.
“This merger is a wonderful thing for the game of golf,” Eric Trump said in an interview Tuesday. “I really believe it.”
His father, Donald Trump, also welcomed the deal. On Truth Social, the former president’s social media platform and personal megaphone, he wrote, “Great news from LIV Golf. A big, beautiful and glamorous affair for the wonderful world of golf.
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The LIV series has been a boon to the Trump family, which lost major tournaments after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the capital, including one of golf’s four majors, the 2022 PGA Championship. take place at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, but its organizer, the PGA of America, stripped the club of hosting rights days after the attack on the Capitol.
Last July, just before the first LIV tournament was played at Trump National Bedminster, Trump predicted the series would eventually merge and suggested players who stuck with the PGA Tour were making a financial mistake.
“Anyone who remains ‘faithful’ to the very treacherous PGA, in all its various guises, will pay a heavy price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV arrives, and you’ll get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from the PGA officials who make millions of dollars a year,” Trump wrote in July 2022 on Truth Social. “If you don’t take the money now, you won’t get anything post-merger and only say intelligence of the original signatories.”
LIV has scheduled tournaments this year at Trump-owned golf courses in Florida and New Jersey, and just completed a tournament at a Trump course in Virginia. Negotiations are underway for more potential tournaments at Trump-owned facilities next year, although it’s unclear whether the series will continue in its current format.
When asked if the Trump family played a role in urging the PGA and LIV groups to merge, Eric Trump declined to comment on Tuesday. But he said the family had close friends developed over many years in the golfing world, including those associated with the PGA and LIV groups.
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