It has been over 15 months since the announcement that the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) behind LIV Golf had opened negotiations on how the men’s elite game can come back together.
Since then, progress has been slow, althought ahead of August’s Tour Championship, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan offered reassurances that, although talks are “complex,” “conversations continue, and they're productive."
Last week, there was further optimism that a breakthrough was getting closer when it was reported that Tiger Woods was among representatives from the PGA Tour attending meetings in New York with their counterparts from the PIF.
Before the Irish Open, another influential PGA Tour player, Rory McIlroy, confirmed the meetings had taken place, but details have otherwise been scant.
However, per Bloomberg, “financial details inched closer” at the meetings according to sources, although there are some significant sticking points, including how players who had signed lucrative contracts with LIV Golf could be reintegrated onto the PGA Tour, where they are currently suspended.
Bloomberg also states that, in fact, no players attended the meetings, while it indicates that Jon Rahm’s deal, which is reportedly worth around $300 million, is proving particularly problematic for some PGA Tour players.
The report states the players would like the Spaniard and other LIV golfers to repay the money they have made since joining the circuit, while other proposals include paying fines to play in events, making donations to charity, or agreeing to forfeit any future career winnings on the PGA Tour.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, that appears to be a non-starter for LIV golfers, with the report adding: “Rahm and other LIV Golf players have refused to agree any terms that would penalize them for taking a risk and leaving the PGA Tour.”
One of the ideas for a reunited men’s game has been a world tour, with McIlroy describing it as a “dream scenario” at the beginning of the year. For a time, that idea appeared to gain some traction, with LIV golfer Joaquin Niemann later siding with McIlroy, saying: "I agree with Rory that big national championships like the Australian Open should be a bigger part of the worldwide schedule."
However, that might not be straightforward, with the report also suggesting that some PGA Tour players would be reluctant to play regularly beyond the US, which is another issue that has yet to achieve a breakthrough in the discussions.
On a similar theme, ahead of the BMW PGA Championship, PGA Tour player Justin Rose, suggested that another issue with reuniting the men’s game could be scheduling.
He said: “That's been a very hard thing to figure out, obviously, because we have different nationalities, different tours, how do you all kind of get into that position? That's why I can't quite see what the future is in terms of us coming back together because I think you're still limited to the fact that there's only a certain amount of weeks that the top players want to play.
"So you can create this league, that league, this tour, supplement with this, but if it accumulates to 30 tournaments, you're still going to get players choosing, no matter how much money you put up, not to play."
