PGA Tour could face a major problem with LIV Golf in talks to seal a deal that would be a stroke of genius

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LIV Golf and the PGA Tour are still at loggerheads it seems regarding talks over a potential merger.

It has been claimed that a merger between LIV and the PGA Tour will never happen, but that doesn’t mean that people on both sides of the divide are not trying to make it work.

Back in 2022, numerous big name players including the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf.

The Saudi-backed golf league then managed to get names like Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton signed up later down the line.

Since the formation of LIV, only two of their players have won major championships – Koepka at the 2023 PGA Championship and DeChambeau at the US Open in 2024.

It could be argued that one of the reasons why LIV players fail to compete regularly in majors is the simple fact that many of them don’t qualify to play in them in the first place.

That’s because there are no world ranking points on offer, so many of the players have dropped outside the top 100 in the world.

However, that could all be about to change.

PGA Tour problem with LIV Golf in talks to seal Official World Golf Rankings deal

Big news is filtering through this afternoon, and it could have huge consequences in regards to how the golfing landscape could look moving forward.

One of the key factors that has probably prevented LIV from tempting even more players away from the PGA Tour is the fact that there are no world ranking points available to those competing on the Saudi-backed tour.

According to Sportico, the LIV Golf hierarchy are in advanced talks with officials from the Official World Golf Rankings about awarding rankings points to players who complete on the Saudi-backed golf league.

It would be such a huge coup for LIV Golf if they manage to secure a deal whereby their players are eligible to receive world ranking points.

And at the same time, it would be a killer blow for the PGA Tour.

Could more of their players be tempted into switching over to LIV if they have ranking points on offer? There’s certainly a chance of that happening.

PGA Tour would lose their leverage in talks with LIV Golf

LIV have managed to poach some superstar players from the PGA Tour.

However, on balance, the best players are still members of the PGA Tour.

The problem for them is that if they lose one or two more top-10 players in the world rankings, then a big power-shift would be on the cards.

What happens if LIV tempt someone like a Xander Schauffele or a Viktor Hovland into joining their tour? It would certainly give the PGA Tour less bargaining power.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will have a serious task on his hands if LIV do end up receiving points for the Official World Golf Rankings.

Let’s say that LIV do seal a deal to secure world ranking points, and they end up adding another couple of elite PGA Tour stars to their ranks, then a merger between the two tours would surely be the only viable solution.

It may well force Monahan into agreeing a deal with LIV because he wouldn’t have the leverage that he once did.