PGA Tour, LPGA announce ‘strategic alliance agreement’

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The PGA Tour and LPGA announced Friday that they have entered into a formal “strategic alliance agreement” that the two organizations hope will grow golf.

This document is the codification of their long-standing cooperative relationship, and it specifically includes provisions concerning schedule coordination, shared domestic television negotiation representation, joint marketing programs and the exploration of future joint events.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said this agreement was born, in part, out of the joint work the tours did through the International Golf Federation to bring the sport back into the Olympic program.

For LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, this is an opportunity to lean on some of the vast resources of the PGA Tour.

“We believe the PGA Tour has significant expertise in the areas that we will focus on together and working more closely with them carries with it the very real potential of positively impacting our members, our tournaments, and our ability to grow our sport around the world,” said Whan in a release.

The two organizations are not merging and there is no change in their respective ownership structures. Neither organization is making an investment in the other.

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