Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Whirlwind Week Leaves Golf World Taking Pace of New Reality

  • Fans still searching for answers after PGA Tour-PIF announcement.
  • The future of professional golf remains unclear for the time being.
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The wildest week in professional golf history is coming to an end with heads still spinning and no clear picture of what the future holds.

Most fans and media have not been satisfied with PGA Tour policy board member Jimmy Dunne’s attempts to explain his optimism in partnering with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

“I am quite certain and have had conversations with a lot of knowledgeable people that the people that I’m dealing with [from the PIF] had nothing to do with [the Sept. 11 attacks],” Dunne told Golf Channel. “And if someone can find someone that unequivocally was involved with it, I’ll kill him myself.”

Dunne’s company lost 66 employees during the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.

The 65-year-old Dunne told Sports Illustrated that he reached out to PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan to see why he was spending so much on LIV and realized the Tour could potentially work something out for the good of golf. 

Reaction to Dunne’s comments has not been positive for the Tour, much like fans’ reception of PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan’s confusing and sometimes awkward public appearances this week.

LIV Leads The Way

Six of the 10 players on Forbes new list of the highest-paid golfers in 2023 compete for LIV Golf: Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Cam Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, and Patrick Reed.

Johnson brought in a total of $111 million on and off the course, topping the entire list.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for
The Memo Newsletter

Get the biggest stories and best analysis on the business of sports delivered to your inbox twice every weekday and twice on weekends.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Aug 7, 2026; Bedminster, New Jersey, USA; Sergio García tees off on the 16th hole during the second round of the LIV Golf New York tournament at Trump National Bedminster. Mandatory Credit:
First at FOS

Production Company Sues LIV for $1.2M In Missed Payments

Fresh Tape managed logistics and on-site production for a LIV event in Florida.

LIV Golf Finally Cancels Its $40M Michigan Finale

This week’s tournament in Indianapolis will be LIV’s season finale.
Aug 7, 2026; Bedminster, New Jersey, USA; Dustin Johnson tees off on the 16th hole during the second round of the LIV Golf New York tournament at Trump National Bedminster.

LIV Vendors Say They’re Unpaid As League Seeks to Stay Afloat

LIV’s funding from the Saudi PIF is ending this month.

Scheffler Passes McIlroy, Pulls Behind Woods in Total Earnings

He can break Woods’s record at the BMW Championship in St. Louis.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

8/18/26 – Clippers’ Ballmer Reportedly Cleared, Walter Eyes Chelsea Exit, Jayden Daniels Trolled

0:00

Featured Today

Trendy Golf Hat Divide Is More Than a Fashion Fight

As golf has gotten trendier, so has the sport’s style.
Joey Spallina of the Maryland Whipsnakes
August 6, 2026

How Eye Black Became ‘War Paint’ on the Field

“You’re going into battle, doing something you only do on game days.”
August 6, 2026

Tom Brady Explains His Aggressive Push Into Trading Cards

Brady talked to FOS about his eponymous card company.
FILE PHOTO: Cricket - Indian Premier League - IPL - Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings - Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India - April 23, 2026 Mumbai Indians' Suryakumar Yadav in action
August 5, 2026

India Is Stealing Cricket’s Throne From England and Australia

India’s insatiable appetite for cricket has shifted the traditional locus of power.
WPBL
July 30, 2026

Who’s Playing Women’s Professional Baseball?

Sixty players from 11 countries are descending on Illinois for six weeks.

WNBA: Fans Were Erroneously Told to Cover XX-XY Athletics T-Shirts

It marks the latest flash point in fan-involved incidents for the WNBA.
August 17, 2026

Tennis Players Await US Open Purse Before Deciding on Protest

The US Open hasn’t yet announced how prize money will be allocated.
August 17, 2026

Mark Walter in Talks to Sell Chelsea Stake Amid Federal Probe

Walter agreed to sell the Lakers just last week.
Sponsored

Saints Great Turns to Ownership

Marques Colston discusses his Champions Fund launch and finding success after football.
August 16, 2026

Caitlyn Jenner Reacts to WNBA Transgender Controversy

Two former NBA players have said they’re declaring for the WNBA draft.
Bayonne celebrates after defeating Blackwood in the New Jersey Little League State Championships at the Cresskill Little League Baseball field, Aug 3, 2026, Cresskill, NJ, USA.
August 14, 2026

How a Little League Tournament Turned Into a Legal Battle

Two Tulsa teams were disqualified over eligibility issues this summer.
Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Luis Arraez (4) celebrates after getting on base Aug. 13, 2026 at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa.
August 14, 2026

MLB Sets 2027 Field of Dreams, 2028 All-Star Game Amid Labor Fight

Red Sox, Royals get Field of Dreams as Giants land All-Star Game.
August 14, 2026

Why Jeff Bezos Remains on the NFL Ownership Sidelines

FSG announced the Liverpool deal Friday.