investors cheered the stunning news of a merger between the pga tour and saudibacked upstart liv golf sending shares of big golf equipment makers higher acushnet holdings—the owner of popular brands including titleist—rose more than 2 in afternoon trading investors seem to think the deal ending litigation between the rival golf tours will make the sport more popular and translate into more exposure for the industrys biggest companies liv golf threw the sport into chaos by luring top players like brooks koepka dustin johnson and phil mickelson with massive appearance fees and prize money investors appear pleased the drama could soon come to an end if the deal gets completed