PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has expressed “regret” over not sharing plans to agree a shock merger with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

A group representing victims’ families and survivors of 9/11 said it felt “betrayed” by the PGA and Monahan.

“Any hypocrisy, I have to own,” he told the Golf Channel on Wednesday.

“In allowing confidentiality to prevail, I did not communicate to very important constituents, including the families of 9/11, and I regret that, I really do.

“I feel like the move that we made and how we move forward is in the best interest of our sport. But for any difficulties I’ve caused on that front, I have to own that as well.”

After Tuesday’s announcement of the PGA and DP World Tour merging with the PIF, Monahan faced calls to resign at an “intense and heated” meeting with players – having not consulted them before agreeing the deal.

“When you get into conversations like this, there needs to be confidentiality,” Monahan added.

“If you start opening this up and asking opinions and sharing where this is going, ultimately it’s going to be very difficult for us to get to the result that we’ve gotten to.”

PGA concern ‘merely window-dressing in quest for money’

The 9/11 terror attacks on the United States in 2001 killed almost 3,000 people. According to an FBI declassified document, 15 of the 19 plane hijackers in the attack were Saudi nationals.

Terry Strada, whose husband Tom was among those killed, is chair of 9/11 Families United and said the group was “shocked and deeply offended” by the merger with a “league that is bankrolled by billions of sportswashing money from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.

“PGA Tour leaders should be ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed,” she added in a statement.

“It appears their concern for our loved ones was merely window-dressing in their quest for money – it was never to honour the great game of golf.”

Speaking to the BBC, DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said: “This has never been about sportswashing.”

The PGA and LIV have agreed to combine their commercial operations and rights into a new, yet-to-be named for-profit company.

Monahan will be its chief executive, with Yasir Al-Rumayyan – governor of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), which backs LIV – as chairman.

The inaugural LIV season started last June, when Monahan said: “I have two families that are close to me that lost loved ones, and so my heart goes out to them.

“And I would ask any player that has left or any player that would ever consider leaving, have you ever had to apologise for being a member of the PGA Tour?”

Trump hails ‘beautiful and glamorous deal’

Phil Mickelson was one of the first players to switch from the PGA to LIV, and Strada wrote to the six-time major winner and other big names who had accepted lucrative deals from LIV.

Speaking before the US Open last June about those who lost loved ones in 9/11, Mickelson said: “I have the deepest of sympathy and empathy for them.”

He added: “I would say to the Strada family, I would say to everyone that has lost loved ones, lost friends on 9/11 that I have deep, deep empathy for them. I can’t emphasise that enough.”

The 52-year-old American responded to news of the merger on Tuesday by tweeting: “Awesome day.”

Courses owned by Donald Trump have hosted LIV events this season and last, including its most recent event in Sterling, Virginia.

On Tuesday, the former US president said: “Great news from LIV Golf. A big, beautiful and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf. Congrats to all.”