"Premature Speculation: Rumors of PGA Tour-LIV Merger Disproved in Report"
In a predictable twist of events, the British newspaper article about a finalized merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf may have been premature.
The Sun reported on Saturday that the long-awaited merger between the competing golf circuits was complete and, according to the headline, "Golf's feud OVER."
However, on Tuesday, Front Office Sports cited sources in the industry and reported that the newspaper had acted too quickly.
There are still several details that need to be worked out, including the significant issue of addressing antitrust concerns in the United States.
According to Front Office Sports, there is "strong internal pressure" to finalize the merger before the end of 2024 in order to simplify future scheduling. The PGA Tour has already released its schedule for 2025, while LIV has announced four tournament dates for that year so far.
The surprising merger between the PGA Tour and LIV was announced in early June 2023, with a self-imposed deadline of December 31, 2023, to finalize the "framework agreement." However, that deadline has passed and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan continues to meet and play golf with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, as the 18-month mark approaches.
The Sun's intriguing report claimed that the Public Investment Fund would receive an 11 percent stake in the PGA Tour, that LIV's 14 team events per year would be brought under the PGA umbrella, and that Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy played important roles in the peace negotiations.
