The PGA Tour and LIV Golf have been talking about the game of golf back together for some time now, but negotiations have moved at a snail’s pace since a merger was announced nearly two years ago.
It was all the way back in June 2023 that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan did a press tour to announce a merger of the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf.
Little did we know at the time that an actual deal was nowhere close to being done, and in the years since, the negotiations about reunifying professional golf have gone almost nowhere.
But that seems to have changed in 2025 with Donald Trump in the White House and rhetoric from both sides publicly talking positively about a deal getting done.
The clearest message about a potential agreement to unify the PGA Tour and LIV Golf came on Tuesday from Jay Monahan himself at his annual press conference at the Players Championship, played at the tour’s home base at TPC Sawgrass.
Monahan opened his press conference by firmly establishing his commitment to reunification, openly talked about the potential of bringing LIV Golf innovations to the PGA Tour, and giving full credit to President Trump for facilitating continued talks and bringing the two sides together.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan says he is fully committed to reunification with LIV Golf and credits President Trump for facilitating negotiations.
“His involvement has made the prospect of reunification very real.” pic.twitter.com/yKMFdqtwnk
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 11, 2025
“Many of you know from your own reporting that talks are real, they’re substantial, and they’re being driven at the top levels of both organizations,” Monahan began. “Those talks have been significantly bolstered by President Trump’s willingness to serve as a facilitator. President Trump is a lifelong golf fan, he believes strongly in the game’s power and potential, and he has been exceedingly generous with his time and influence to help bring a deal together. He wants to see the game reunified, we want to see the game reunified. And his involvement has made the prospect of reunification very real.”
We know how much of a golf fan Trump is based on the amount of times he plays golf on the weekends while serving as president. But his relationship with Saudi Arabia and LIV Golf has been firmly established with Trump courses having hosted multiple LIV events. And it’s clear from all sides he’s been a central figure in these discussions, without even starting another trade war.
Aside from Jay Monahan giving Donald Trump his flowers, perhaps the most surprising element of his statement was the concession that he is open to incorporating some LIV Golf elements into a newly merged entity (while naturally providing a seat on the board to Yasir Al-Rumayyan, which seems to be a pivotal cog in any arrangement).
“We appreciate Yasir’s innovative vision, and we can see a future where we welcome him onto our board and work together to move the global game forward. And as part of our negotiations, we believe there’s room to integrate important aspects of LIV Golf into the PGA Tour platform. We’re doing everything we can to bring the two sides together. That said, we will not do so in a way that diminishes the strength of our platform or the very real momentum we have with our fans and our partners,” Monahan continued.
“While we’ve removed some hurdles, others remain. But like our fans, we still share the same sense of urgency to get to a resolution. Our team is fully committed to reunification. The only deal that we’d regret is one that compromises the essence of what makes the game of golf and the PGA Tour so exceptional,” he concluded.
What those LIV elements may be will be the most interesting part of any deal between the two sides. Will we see the PGA Tour go more global? Will we see the incorporation of team events and/or standings throughout the season? Will there be live music, shotgun starts, and players (gasp!) wearing shorts? That remains to be seen.
But in truth, any element of LIV that comes to the PGA Tour and any influence that the Saudi Arabian government will have over the future of professional golf in this potential deal will be seen as a major victory for the PIF and worth all the billions of dollars spent on their sportswashing endeavor.
