Few golf fans probably would have believed it had they been told in February that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf would still be yet to agree a deal by the time the Ryder Cup came around.
Ever since the framework agreement was announced in June 2023, it appeared to be a matter of time until the two sides merged, bringing an end to the game’s civil war.
Talks kicked into another gear at the start of 2025. Tiger Woods insisted a merger was close at the Genesis Invitational, and it seemed that the landscape of the sport was about to change again. However, no deal was reached, and talks between the two sides are believed to have ended.
The PGA Tour have since shown that it can thrive without a deal. Television ratings on the PGA Tour have been impressive. And perhaps that is a sign that they did not need to panic when many big names decided to join LIV a few years ago.
How the PGA Tour should have reacted to LIV Golf signing their players in 2022
Obviously, Phil Mickelson was the biggest name to make the move initially. But he was followed by the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. Jon Rahm would join ahead of the 2024 season.
The defections did prompt the PGA Tour to act. Prize money increased, while it has become harder for the top stars to lose their spots. But speaking on Monday Q Info, seven-time tour winner Peter Jacobsen suggested that they should have been much more ruthless with anyone considering defecting to LIV.
“It’s interesting. When LIV Golf came around, the PGA Tour, I think, blinked first and then they started worrying about the players leaving to go to LIV. And that’s a valid concern, I would never criticise anybody of being afraid of that. But I also believe in the organisation, the PGA Tour. I believe if I had been in charge, I would have said, look, any player that wants to go to LIV, I’ll pay for the Uber, just go, take the money and leave’. Because we have a very strong organisation that was started and founded by players like Nicklaus and Palmer back in ’68, ’69. And the PGA Tour has only gotten bigger, better and stronger through the participation of players over the years,” he said.
“Let’s not forget players come and players go. Remember when Arnold and Jack and Gary Player and Trevino were the players at the time, and then it became Faldo and it became Watson and it became Norman and Tiger. Players move through the PGA Tour in their career because of age, something that we all benefit from. And I think the most important thing is to put faith in your organisation and put faith in the game. I’ve always said that the PGA Tour is not about the players. The PGA Tour is about the communities where we play and the charities we support.”
The problem LIV Golf now has with the wave of big name signings seemingly over
You can definitely understand the PGA Tour’s concerns. Ultimately, the money from the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is virtually limitless; they can continue to back LIV Golf for as long as they like.
But the last few years have shown that the riches on offer do not appeal to everyone. And given that LIV is not attracting large audiences, it is not surprising that the stream of big names leaving the PGA Tour has stopped.
There is an argument that the games of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau have not benefitted from joining LIV. So it is difficult to see where LIV go from here as it is hard to imagine that those who have rejected the league in the past would have seen anything to convince them into a rethink.
Having said that, the PGA Tour could not have foreseen that they would be in such a strong position three years ago. With that, it is hard to criticise their actions when LIV was getting going.
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