In a nut-shell - PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan was forced to eat a 14-wheel dump truck worth of crow. After LIV started, and lured Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson (and Dustin Johnson, etc.) and established itself as an alternate golf league to the PGA, Jay lit up the Saudi Monetary Fund for being Saudi-based, and tied-it into the events of 9/11.
The PGA and LIV each brought lawsuits against the other. It is thought that these will "go away," with the merger being announced. This week - maybe a week after the merger? - Jay said that the reason why the merger happened is that the PGA had no-where near as deep pockets as the Saudi Monetary Fund ($600B+) to get into a protracted legal battle.
*I* feel bad for PGA members who did NOT "jump ship," and take the LIV money. USA Today did an article over the past week (maybe Monday?), and listed I think roughly six PGA members who turned down the LIV money. Tops was Tiger Woods, who was likely offered $700 to $800M (!!). If Phil Mickelson got paid $200M, and I think Dustin got $100M, it doesn't seem far-fetched.