The PGA Tour and LIV Golf look no closer to finding common ground, and unification looks unlikely in the short term.
The PGA Tour is coming off the back of a highly successful season. All four major championships were won by golfers from the Tour, and a 34% increase in TV viewership of PGA Tour events was reported from the previous season.
Meanwhile, LIV Golf is hemorrhaging money. Its UK entity posted losses of about $461.8 million in 2024 and cumulatively over $1.1 billion since inception. And their star status faded last season as none of their players won a major, and only three LIV players were selected to play in the Ryder Cup.
The PGA Tour holds significant leverage, so it is unlikely that the two sides will reach an agreement by the start of 2026. That may disappoint Rory McIlroy, who thought we would be closer to a resolution by now when he was asked in 2024.
Rory McIlroy thought LIV Golf and PGA Tour could be unified by 2026
In 2024, DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings outlined a timeline for the potential unification of LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. He said, “I was talking to the guys from the Strategic Sports Group, and I said, ‘Listen, we’ve got to get together, we’ve got to pull it all together, we’ve got to find the product that works.
“‘It probably won’t be until 2026 but beyond there – and is good for the game, something that fans like and works for everyone.’”
That was put to McIlroy, who was vocally against LIV Golf and its players at the time.
McIlroy was optimistic about the timeline set out by Kinnings. He was asked if he was frustrated with how long unification could take, and said on the Beyond the Clubhouse Podcast, “Not particularly because these things take time.
“This thing isn’t just going to happen overnight, and there’s going to have to be compromises made on both sides.
“2026, if that means we’ve just got a year-and-a-half left of this and 2026 looks a little different, I actually think that’s a pretty good timeline considering all of the things that have to be worked out.”
McIlroy has since softened his stance on LIV and players’ decision to leave the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed league. That said, he still wants to see a resolution to the issue that has divided golf for years.
But here we are, fast approaching 2026, and there is still no light at the end of the tunnel. McIlroy just had the best year of his career on the PGA Tour, and his side is on top in this ongoing saga. But he will undoubtedly be frustrated that two years on from his comments, we are no closer to a solution.
Jon Rahm said PGA Tour and LIV Golf resolution not happening soon
McIlroy isn’t the only player hoping for the best players in the world to play together again. Speaking before the Masters this year, Jon Rahm said he hopes to play with the PGA Tour players more often.
He also acknowledged that it isn’t close to happening. He said, “I think we all would like to see that, but as far as I can tell and you guys can tell, it’s not happening anytime soon.”
LIV’s players’ lack of accountability is part of what is holding things up. They left the PGA Tour knowing the consequences of that, yet many still play the victim.
Bryson DeChambeau was not allowed to play the Procore Championship with his Ryder Cup teammates, as it is a PGA Tour event. In response, he said, “It’s on [the PGA Tour] if they don’t let us become together as a team and play.”
But the PGA Tour has rules, and DeChambeau and Rahm both broke them. They must be willing to show some level of accountability in these negotiations if we are to find a resolution anytime soon.
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