The PGA Tour has formally rejected a proposal from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) that would have preserved LIV Golf in its current format while granting PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan a seat on the Tour’s Policy Board, sources confirmed to multiple outlets Thursday. The Guardian first reported the Tour’s refusal, which came via official correspondence Monday and threatens to derail nearly two years of unification talks.

Core Dispute: LIV’s Survival
At the heart of the stalemate are fundamentally incompatible visions for LIV’s future. The PIF insisted on maintaining LIV’s 13-team, 54-hole, 25M−per−event structure as part of any 25M−per−event structure as part of any 1 billion-plus investment into PGA Tour Enterprises. Tour leadership, however, remains adamant that LIV must either dissolve or dramatically scale back operations to reintegrate players.

“Unification cannot mean perpetuating the current fracture,” a high-ranking Tour official told Sports Illustrated under condition of anonymity.

Leadership Digs In
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has publicly acknowledged potential “integration” of some LIV elements but never endorsed its full survival. Meanwhile, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil—who replaced Greg Norman in January—told reporters at this week’s LIV Miami event: “Do we need a deal? No. But we’re open if it grows the game.”

The Tour’s newly formed for-profit arm, PGA Tour Enterprises, has already secured $1.5 billion from Strategic Sports Group investors. This alternative funding gives the Tour leverage, with executives reportedly concerned about LIV’s unsustainable financial model after four years of massive PIF subsidies.

Political Football
The breakdown follows two White House-brokered meetings between golf’s power brokers, including a February summit with former President Donald Trump, Tiger Woods, and Adam Scott. Trump—whose Doral resort hosts LIV Miami—reportedly pushed for compromise but failed to bridge the gap.

What Comes Next?
With the June 6 anniversary of the original “framework agreement” looming, sources indicate both sides may now pursue parallel paths:

• The Tour accelerating its SSG-backed “Signature Event” model
• LIV expanding internationally, with a new Australia deal signed
• Potential antitrust lawsuits resurfacing

As LIV players tee off at Doral’s Blue Monster this weekend, the real battle remains in boardrooms—with golf’s civil war now guaranteed to extend into 2025.

Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig contributed to this report from Miami.