DALLAS — News of the PGA Tour's merger with rival LIV Golf stunned athletes, who have been caught in the ugly back-and-forth between the two organizations for years.
"There was nobody prepared for it," said Conrad Shindler, who played the PGA Tour in 2018.
Shindler, a Texas A&M University graduate and DFW resident, is still affiliated with the tour. He said he got a letter from PGA Tour management informing him of the agreement this morning.
"Total bombshell," he said. "I don't know if you want to call it the biggest news to ever hit professional golf, but it very well could be."
Dealings between the two organizations drew global media attention. The PGA Tour promised to permanently end its relationship with golfers who bolted for LIV Golf.
The Saudi Arabian government effectively owns LIV Golf. Investors offered some golfers hundreds of millions of dollars to abandon the PGA Tour, long regarded as the sport's pinnacle.
"People feel a lot of betrayal," Shindler said. "Last year, there were a lot of player meetings leading to this narrative of 'We don't want you anymore. We're better off without you.' Then you turn around and more or less say, 'I'm going to take the money.'"
The merger is perhaps especially stinging for the Byron Nelson organizers, who were reportedly close to naming Raytheon Technologies as the tournament's title sponsor.
The PGA Tour management nixed the deal because Raytheon sells missiles to Saudi Arabia, USA Today reported.
Despite frustration with the PGA Tour's about-face, another narrative is emerging: Some pundits contend the merger is good for golf since the sport's best athletes will again compete under the same umbrella.
"You're going to have elite competition," Shindler said. "That's great and all, but at what point is this turning into a money grab?"