Zurich Classic director has responded to the PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger. Here’s what he said.

The sports world was stunned Tuesday by the announcement that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour are merging with LIV Golf after a contentious year that divided men’s professional golf.

That included Steve Worthy, the CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation and tournament director of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Worthy released the following statement Tuesday morning:

“We are as surprised as everyone else by this announcement. We have received no information beyond what is in today’s (PGA Tour) press release, but we are hoping for some clarity soon on how this will affect our tournament and our ability to generate funds for children’s charities in the New Orleans area. As soon as we learn more, we will share with our partners, sponsors and fans.”

The Zurich Classic, under many names, has been a fixture in professional golf in some form dating back to 1938 and has been played every year since 1958. It is the sixth-oldest non-major event on the PGA Tour.

In 2017, the Zurich Classic changed from a traditional single-player format to a team format, the only such event on the PGA Tour. Among the players who won the Zurich under this format were 2022 British Open champion Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman, who both left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf last year.

The Zurich Classic was already facing some uncertainty for 2024 and beyond as the PGA Tour announced it would create a series of elevated events with higher purses, ostensibly as a reaction to the greater purses offered by LIV Golf. During this year’s tournament in April, Worthy said the Zurich would be interested in becoming an elevated event if that was possible and was eager to keep its late April playing dates.

Now, with this announcement, perhaps all that is thrown into question.