PGA TOUR and PIF Talks Are Stuck in the Mud Over Money

PGA TOUR and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) are still working out the terms of a merger that could end the division in men’s professional golf.

But the talks are reportedly stuck in the mud over money, Bloomberg reported this morning, as players from the TOUR are not necessarily enthusiastic about LIV Defectors keeping the hundreds of millions of dollars they took to leave and join the new golf league.

The report states the PGA TOUR players are hoping to “ensure some financial parity” as the terms of the merger are still up in the air. LIV Golfers would be able to return to the TOUR, play in the same tournaments as those who never left for LIV, and would essentially be in the same situation — just hundreds of millions of dollars richer.

Credit: Sky Sports

LIV Golfers took an extreme risk by taking massive sums of money from the PIF. They sacrificed their membership to the established PGA TOUR, and also their reputations, at least in some instances.

The players having the ability to transition straight back into the TOUR with no repercussions is likely frustrating TOUR players who stayed loyal.

The contract that is specifically the sticking point is Jon Rahm’s $300 million deal, which he took last December.

. @business says after meeting last week, an agreement between the @PGATOUR and PIF on financial details “inched closer.”

More: https://t.co/XnNoI66IQE pic.twitter.com/wlfT7JzZxh

— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) September 17, 2024

Rahm won the season-long LIV Individual Title this past weekend.

TOUR players want some of the money from these lucrative contracts to be given back — but there are other options. They might not necessarily want things like a cut check to be written out to the PIF for a certain percentage of their signing bonus. Instead, they may want LIV players coming back to the TOUR to play for no purse; an extraordinarily preposterous request. There could also be fines given as an alternative, which sounds much more realistic.

For now, it appears things are moving along in terms of the overall merger, but money was always going to be the big issue here. With neither side willing to truly part with their current terms for a merger, it could be some time before anything gets done. Even worse, the merger could be abandoned altogether.

Cover Image via Golf Magazine