PGA TOUR-LIV Golf Merger Talks Have Completely Fallen Off: Opinion

The PGA TOUR and LIV Golf were set to reunite just a few months ago as Player Directors and even President Donald Trump seemed to indicate things were moving in the right direction.

Since then, the fans have heard absolutely nothing, and it seems to be an indication that talks have completely fallen off. It’s pretty safe to assume that a merger and reunification are unlikely, and let’s be real: we all knew it was not going to happen.

Rumors that the TOUR and LIV would unify and the PIF would invest in the PGA TOUR were as dialed up as ever in February. We were even told that some sources expected the LIV Golfers to be participating in The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in mid-March.

That did not happen.

The TOUR said in a statement after a meeting with President Trump and PIF Governor Yasir al-Rumayyan that progress was being made. It seemed to be an indication that things were moving in the right direction.

It was not.

Here we are, about two months later, and nothing has been said. Nothing has been updated. Nothing has been done. It is time to stop acting like the TOUR and LIV want to come together. They don’t.

The two games they are playing are vastly different. The TOUR hosts events every week, while LIV has tournaments a couple of times a month. One plays four rounds, one plays three. One’s players are focused on legacy, the others on money and personal freedom, whether it is golf-related or not.

I could imagine there are a handful of players who left the PGA TOUR and were totally fine with never coming back and never having anything to do with the organization again. Of course, there is the age-old argument: “You play a game for money.”

But it comes with more than that. The TOUR didn’t allow players to have free access to content that featured them. That is a big piece of the pie in today’s world, as LIV has encouraged many players to make their own content. 

It has been a tremendous advantage for those players like Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson who continue to pump out their own versions of the game that have catered to a newer crowd of players. Add the weaponization of the PGA TOUR suspending Creator/Pro Wesley Bryan recently. 

Then, take into account that LIV Golf’s contracts with some key players are coming to an end. The TOUR might be able to pull some of the players, like Brooks Koepka, back.

There are too many things to work out, and these two leagues are on completely different wavelengths. It’s time to let go of the notion that they’re even interested in working together on a merger.

Cover Image via Jordan Spieth