‘A good day to have a good day’: Jena Sims, wife of LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka, revels in Saudi takeover of golf after husband wins over £100m by joining the rebel tour before the shock merger
Brooks Koepka’s wife Jena Sims has reveled in the shock news that LIV Golf will be sensationally merging with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, saying it was ‘a good day to have a good day’ .
The stunning merger was announced on Tuesday and has rocked the golfing world, with the PGA and European Tours signing an agreement with the Saudi-backed tour to combine their businesses into a new, yet to be named company. .
The merger ends ongoing litigation between the bitter rivals, but specific financial and operational details of the deal have yet to be disclosed.
The move represents a major victory for LIV Golf, which had attracted several stars like Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau with big-ticket offers last year.
Koepka, a five-time Major winner, is believed to have initially earned more than $100m (£80m) by joining the Rebel Tour. He has since won two LIV events.
LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka’s wife Jena Sims has welcomed the merger of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf
Koepka had earned a whopping £80m salary by agreeing to go on the Saudi-backed tour
The five-time major winner decided to quit the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed series last year
His wife Sims, who featured in the Netflix series ‘Full Swing’, hailed the merger on social media, writing ‘It’s a good day to have a good day’ alongside a photo of the announcement of the merger.
The model also responded to a post from Golf Digest which read “The PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which is LIV Golf’s primary funder, have announced a treaty and potential merger, putting end to two years of civil war in professional golf”. .’
Sims added “And on social media to innocent bystanders and the families of players who joined LIV.”
Koepka was among the big stars to leave the PGA Tour to join Liv Golf.
Mickelson accepted a £160m report with open arms and Johnson won a £120m salary, showcasing the financial might of the LIV project.
Reigning Open champion Cameron Smith and DeChambeau were all paid £80million.
Elsewhere, Bubba Watson took a figure of £40m, with Sergio Garcia taking in £32m and Ian Poulter earning a figure between £16m and £24m.
The LIV Golf stars have been accused of sportswashing over the tour’s links to Saudi Arabia’s controversial Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Rory McIlroy was a staunch opponent of LIV and turned down an offer to join the show
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan under increasing pressure over shock merger
The explosive merger had been hailed by PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan as a “momentous day” for the game in a letter to Tour members, although countless players were taken aback by the news.
Ultimately, household names such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy opted to stay on the PGA Tour, turning down tempting packages offered by LIV.
Woods reportedly turned down a package worth north of £650m, while McIlroy reportedly rejected an offer of around £400m.
Woods and McIlroy had been kept in the dark about the deal until the day it was announced.
There was anger at a players’ meeting ahead of this week’s Canadian Open.
Pathways are in place for the LIV rebels to return to traditional circuits having already cashed in.
Monahan admitted the meeting was “intense” and “heated” with the position of the PGA commissioner now under intense scrutiny.
Monahan was accused of hypocrisy for accepting the deal alongside the DP World Tour and was seen as ceding world golf to Saudi Arabia.
He has previously criticized the morality of accepting Saudi money and pointed to the Kingdom’s links to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
