Newcastle chief Amanda Staveley played a crucial role in securing the shock merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
Staveley is a close ally of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, who own and fund the LIV breakaway. She is a key player at Newcastle, who are also owned by the PIF, which is the sovereign investment fund of the Middle Eastern kingdom.
The civil war between the PGA and LIV has raged for a year, with those golfers who moved to the breakaway competition being suspended by the former. Those who joined LIV were also banned from taking part in the Ryder Cup, which will be held in Rome later this year.
That war is now at an end though, with a bombshell statement on Tuesday announcing the PGA Tour and LIV had merged. In order to find an agreement with the PGA, it appears those running LIV Golf called on a familiar face to act as peacemaker.
According to the Daily Mail, the PIF enlisted Staveley, a director at St James' Park to help broker a truce. She travelled to the Masters in April and also held talks with Rory McIlroy, a vocal opponent of LIV Golf.
Staveley met the Northern Irishman just before Christmas. McIlroy has consistently spoken out against those joining the breakaway tour. It appears her actions have led to LIV's desired outcome, with the merger now bringing an end to the long-running feud.
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The links between Newcastle and the merger extend even further, with Magpies chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan set to lead the board of the new organisation that is created from it.
As part of the agreement, PIF's golf-related commercial businesses have been combined with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour. LIV players will also be given the chance to reapply for PGA membership at the end of the season.
The merger was announced in a surprise joint statement on Tuesday afternoon, with further details to be confirmed in the coming weeks. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan hailed the controversial merger as a "historic" moment and praised Al-Rumayyan's "vision".
“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love. This transformational partnership recognises the immeasurable strength of the PGA TOUR’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV.
"Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we’ve always made – to promote competition of the best in professional golf and that we are committed to securing and driving the game’s future.
“We are pleased to move forward, in step with LIV and PIF’s world-class investing experience, and I applaud PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan for his vision and collaborative and forward-thinking approach that is not just a solution to the rift in our game, but also a commitment to taking it to new heights. This will engender a new era in global golf, for the better.”
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