PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan expects the golf community to eventually warm up to the organization’s stunning merger with LIV Golf.

The rival companies shocked the sports world on Tuesday when they announced they reached an agreement to join forces. Appearing with Public Investment Fund Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan on CNBC, Monahan was asked by David Faber if he thinks the immediate response to the news will be positive. Faber also asked for Monahan’s response to the eventual claims that the Saudis “control golf around the world.”

“A lot of people have been reading about the tension,” Monahan said. “And we’ve talked a lot, and I said previously that we were going down our path and they were going down theirs. And today, that tension goes away. The litigation is dropped. We’re announcing to the world that on behalf of this game, we’re coming together.

“And it’s less about how people respond today, and it’s all about respond in 10 years. When they see the impact that we’re having on this game together, there will be a lot of smiles on people’s faces and there’ll a lot more people playing this game all over the world; and if you’re a young player that wants to get to the highest level of the game today, you’ll be more inspired than you’ve ever been.”

Under the new agreement, Al-Rumayyan will join the board of the PGA Tour. He will also be named chairman of the to-be-named commercial entity, with Monahan becoming its CEO. The PGA Tour will maintain a majority of the board and hold a majority voting interest in the new company.

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