PGA TOUR Player Reveals He’s Against Merger with LIV Golf: Here’s Why

A press conference with Rory McIlroy at the BMW PGA Championship this week revealed that roughly half the players on the PGA TOUR and half the players on LIV Golf do not want a merger deal to occur.

Talks between the two sides have been ongoing for over a year, but it was recently revealed that PGA TOUR players are interested in LIV Golfers giving back some of their massive signing bonuses. 

Then, a day later, McIlroy revealed that perhaps 50 percent of players on both sides are uninterested in coming back together to unify the game of golf.

Rory McIlroy Drops a Truth Bomb About the PGA TOUR Deal with PIF

One of the TOUR players against a merger finally revealed themselves.

Michael Kim said he is not particularly interested in a merger because it won't truly change anything, not even television ratings. What needs to change is the TV presentation and experience for viewers.

DeChambeau, Mickelson, Koepka, and Johnson returning to be in TOUR fields won't make a true difference, Kim says.

"Do I want a deal? My short answer is No but I don’t care much. Whether the tour and LIV make a deal or not, it will not affect my bottom line. It won’t change my schedule in the slightest bit and won’t change my earnings. This realistically only affects the top 30ish golfers on the pgatour and that they’ll prob make more money after this deal. You can make the argument that if the players come back, it’ll be better for the pgatour, and bring more interest but I find that hard to believe. It’s not gonna be a big mashup, it’s only going to be for a few events with a big purse if I were to guess. How many LIV guys actually affect ratings and events? Phil, Bryson, Rahm? Will it increase ratings and earnings by more than 1%? Sure the first couple events would be cool but after that? I might be totally wrong but that’s my opinion. What’ll make a much bigger difference is how to make the TV product much better. I just think there needs to be consequence to their decision to leave and SUE the tour. You can call that petty but the LIV guys sued the pgatour mainly for their PIP money. The same pgatour that was the reason why you even got the big payday in the first place. That’s just as petty in my eyes."

Do I want a deal?
My short answer is No but I don’t care much.

Whether the tour and LIV make a deal or not, it will not affect my bottom line. It won’t change my schedule in the slightest bit and won’t change my earnings. This realistically only affects the top 30ish golfers on… https://t.co/ReOQTyRYOa

— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) September 18, 2024

This is the first of potentially several more players who could speak out about a merger. As a fan, I do want to see the big names and the world's best compete more often than the majors. However, the product is stale, and there needs to be a way to make things more entertaining from a spectator's perspective.

Kim is right -- bringing back the big names for more events won't solve the underlying issue: golf coverage is where the game is failing.

Cover Image via Golf Digest