There appears to now be light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to talks between those who run the PGA Tour and LIV Golf over how the game of golf manages to move forward.
It has been well over a year since the framework agreement was announced between the PGA Tour and PIF in an attempt to bring the game back together. And yet, from the outside, there has appeared to have been very little progress made in building upon that agreement.
That was until the weekend, with reports claiming that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are on the verge of merging, with PIF set to pay £1 billion for an 11 percent stake in the PGA Tour. It was claimed that LIV Golf events would continue, but under the PGA Tour banner.
There are so many questions about the merger which will need answering, including how the schedule will suddenly look if the game comes back together. Plenty of players argued upon their moves to LIV that playing less golf factored into their decision, so it is not clear what their seasons will look like.
Eddie Pepperell reacts to reports of a merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler end up playing in LIV events alongside the signature events on the PGA Tour and the majors.
Speaking on The Chipping Forecast, Eddie Pepperell believes that anyone expecting the landscape to shift is set for major disappointment.
“I think working out the practical elements of the scheduling is still going to be the most challenging thing. And that’s going to take time, so yeah, I think the money aspect clearly is going to relieve some of the pressure, some of the frustrations,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s going to do a lot for the sport at the moment and the way it’s seen optically. It might provide a bit of access, you might get some players playing on there and here and whatnot, but I don’t it’s a sea change.”
Why Jon Rahm is not suddenly going to return to playing full-time on the PGA Tour
For many casual fans, the most important thing to happen – if, indeed, a merger is close – is the pathway being opened up for the likes of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau to play against the PGA Tour’s best once again.
But clearly, there are so many hurdles still to clear. Rahm and DeChambeau are not going to sign up to all 14 events on LIV, the four majors and a good number of events on the PGA Tour. Rahm would also need to play a certain number of events on the DP World Tour if he hopes to remain eligible for the Ryder Cup.
So the PGA Tour and LIV Golf is going to have to change quite considerably for the game to come back together fully. And it feels as though that discussion can only truly begin once a merger is finally agreed.
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