DP World Tour fan favourite “excited” by shock LIV Golf merger

Andrew “Beef” Johnston is excited about the possibilities that golf’s shock merger could offer players on the DP World Tour.

The DP World Tour and PGA Tour have agreed a sensational truce with LIV Golf that will effectively see Saudi Arabia gain control of the sport.

It was revealed in Tuesday’s stunning announcement that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) which funded the LIV enterprise will now pour money into a newly formed for-profit entity that all three tours will exist under.

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An ambiguous 1,030 word statement depicted more uncertainty around men’s professional golf, with a plethora of questions posed about the knock-on effect of an unforeseen and unprecedented collaboration between warring factions.

Keith Pelley, the DP World Tour’s chief executive, hailed a “momentous day” for golf and welcomed a new chapter with a new “united front” in golf’s evolution.

And while it remains completely unclear how the former European Tour will be integrated into a transformed calendar in 2024, Johnston is relishing the potential new opportunities that could come his way.

“As a player I’m quite excited,” he told his Beef’s Golf Club podcast. “We could get some amazing opportunities and if there’s ways to play into the massive events and massive prize funds then great.

“The good thing about that is it needs to be available for everyone. That’s why lots of players were frustrated because it was just a shut shop. You couldn’t even get into LIV, it was completely shut off.”

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He added: “You can never compete with the backing of the PIF. There’s no way that the PGA and DP Tour could compete with them so they’ve obviously found some kind of common ground where they’re going to work together.

“If it can bring good golf events, the best fields, its good for players and it’s good for fans and if that works then great.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.