Can LIV Golf and the PGA Tour Play Nice?
Spoiler: It’s Complicated.

If you’ve been following the golf world lately, you know it’s less about birdies and bogeys and more about boardrooms and billionaires. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan took the mic at the Players Championship this week, and while he didn’t exactly drop a bombshell, he did give us a glimpse into the ongoing saga of “Will They or Won’t They?” between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

The Dream: One Big Happy Golf Family

Monahan’s big idea? To “integrate” LIV Golf into the PGA Tour’s shiny new for-profit venture, PGA Tour Enterprises. Sounds great, right? Imagine Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka teeing it up together more than just four times a year at the majors. But here’s the catch: Monahan was about as specific as a weather forecast in Florida. (“Chance of rain… or sunshine… or maybe a hurricane. Who knows?”)

When pressed for details—like, say, how this integration would work—Monahan stuck to the corporate script. Will LIV Golf continue as is? Will it fade into obscurity? Will team golf become a thing? Will we finally get a global schedule that doesn’t require a PhD in time zones to follow? Crickets.

The Reality: It’s Messy

Let’s be real: merging LIV Golf and the PGA Tour is like trying to blend oil and water. Or, in golf terms, like trying to fix a slice with a 20-year-old driver. It’s not impossible, but it’s going to take a lot of work—and maybe a miracle.

Adam Scott, who’s been in the room where it happens (shoutout to Hamilton fans), summed it up perfectly: “The product of LIV and the product of the PGA Tour work in very different ways.” Translation: LIV is all about flashy team events and shotgun starts, while the PGA Tour is steeped in tradition with its 72-hole stroke play tournaments at iconic venues. Finding common ground? Easier said than done.

The Wild Card: Saudi Money

Let’s not forget the elephant in the room: the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), which bankrolls LIV Golf. With a reported $950billion\; in\; assets\; andthankstoa$1.5 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group (SSG). So, who blinks first? Your guess is as good as mine.

The Fan Perspective: What Do We Want?

Here’s the thing: as golf fans, we just want to see the best players in the world compete against each other. Right now, that only happens at the majors, and even then, it feels like a sneak peek of what could be. Monahan knows this, and he’s playing the “for the fans” card hard. But let’s be honest—when has any merger ever been about the fans? (Looking at you, cable companies.)

The Bottom Line: Stay Tuned

So, where does this leave us? In limbo, basically. Monahan says the PGA Tour is committed to the process, but he’s also not ruling out the possibility that a deal might not happen. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy has hinted that the PGA Tour might not even need LIV Golf to thrive. Bold take, Rory. Bold take.

One thing’s for sure: this saga isn’t ending anytime soon. So grab your popcorn, folks. The golf world’s version of Succession is just getting started.

Your Turn: What Do You Think?

At Better Golf Academy, we’re all about helping you improve your game—not navigating billion-dollar mergers. But hey, if you could design the perfect golf tour, what would it look like? More team events? Fewer commercials? Let us know in the comments!