It appears that an end to golf’s civil war may be in sight with reports at the weekend claiming that the PIF were closing in on a £1 billion deal to buy a minority stake in the PGA Tour.
Of course, it has been well over a year since the framework agreement was announced, and along the way there have been a host of false dawns. So it is hard to believe that the situation may soon be resolved. But reports suggested that LIV Golf events are set to continue under the PGA Tour banner, while PIF will secure an 11 percent stake in the PGA Tour.
There are plenty of questions which need answering if a merger is indeed imminent. And one of the big talking points will be what happens with the LIV players once the tours come back together.
Some argued that they moved to LIV due to the quieter schedules, so LIV events continuing may not work for them as they also potentially feature in a number of PGA Tour events, as well as the four majors.
How LIV Golf could look if merger with the PGA Tour goes through
But if LIV experiences drastic changes, what happens to the team format which does make the league unique? There are also a number of players towards the bottom of the PGA Tour and LIV standings who may be apprehensive about what a merger may mean for their opportunities.
The PGA Tour has already proposed significant changes for 2026, which includes smaller fields and fewer players keeping their cards. So LIV returning to the fold would have to be factored in.
Speaking on The Smylie Show, Michael Kim has admitted that he has not factored in LIV players potentially returning to the scene, but insisted that he cannot see things returning to how they were – based on everything he has heard.
“To be completely honest, I have no idea of how these negotiations are going, but just picking up breadcrumbs here and there, just talking to some of the other guys, I have a hard time believing that it’s just going to be back to normal and it’s just going to be a big mashup. I have a really hard time believing that that’s going to happen,” he said.
“A lot of these guys, their eligibility has run out from their tournament wins from back in the day. I guess they could get sponsor exemptions, but that’s a pretty limited selection. And from the PGA Tour perspective, they really only want probably Bryson, Jon Rahm, Cam Smith, there’s very few select guys that we probably want back. And the way I truly see it, if a deal ever comes back, these tours aren’t going to just merge into one.
“LIV is going to do some of its LIV stuff for a while, the tour’s just going to be on its own, and there’s just a little crossover. Jon and Bryson might play a few events here and there, but I have a hard time believing that at the Sony Open, Jon Rahm’s going to tee off, I have a hard time believing that. I think it’s more like a Champions League, soccer format, where guys play their own leagues and then a few times a year, they just come together.”
A new normal is likely
Even if the reports of a merger are true, it is difficult, as Kim suggests, to see a seamless transition which sees the golfing world back on the same page. And players further down the rankings on the PGA Tour have to be considered, particularly at a time when field sizes are already set to come down considerably.
Figures like Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau are going to be committed to LIV for some time. So unless LIV is scrapped, it is going to be all but impossible for either to return to the PGA Tour on a full-time basis.
It seems that golf is heading towards a new normal – with huge question marks still hanging over what that looks like.
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