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PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said negotiations with LIV Golf are still “in good shape” despite the lack of a deal

VaselineAugust 14, 2024

0 2 minutes read

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said negotiations with LIV Golf are still “in good shape” despite the lack of a deal

It appears the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are no closer to an agreement.

Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was asked Wednesday about negotiations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund ahead of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which kicks off the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and he didn’t have much to report. Despite being more than eight months past their initial self-imposed deadline for a deal, things are “looking good.”

“These are very complicated discussions,” Monahan said Wednesday of TPC Southwind. “There are a lot of elements to it. When you have the level of interaction, we continue to meet and move forward and discuss and debate, you can’t help but be hopeful.

“In terms of times and time frames and where we are, I will just say we are in a good place with the conversations. That is the most important thing.”

Still, the Tour released its 2025 schedule on Wednesday, and LIV Golf was not included at all. Monahan said it was a sign that the two leagues would continue to operate separately next season.

Monahan surprised the golf world last season when he announced that the Tour would partner with LIV Golf after years of fighting them. The two sides reached a “framework agreement,” but nothing has been finalized. A deadline of Dec. 31, 2023, was set, but the two parties passed that deadline without reaching a deal.

The Tour has since formed a “transaction subcommittee” to focus on day-to-day negotiations with the PIF. Monahan and several players — including Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods — sit on the committee, which reports to the policy board.

While the tour schedule announcement and Monahan’s comments on Wednesday don’t mean a deal isn’t happening, it appears the two sides are still a long way from a final agreement.

“It’s definitely quieted down … there hasn’t been as much talk in the last couple of months, which is nice,” Patrick Cantlay, a member of the Tour’s policy board, said Tuesday in Memphis. “I think that’s just the nature of it. There’s going to be ebbs and flows depending on what kind of information comes out or what announcements are made.

“When you say ‘end in sight,’ it’s always evolving. The PGA Tour is always changing and trying to evolve and get better. Depends on what you … define as the finish line. But I know we’re all working incredibly hard to get the best result.”

LIV Golf hosts the West Virginia Tournament this weekend. Two events are scheduled for September to close out the 2024 season. The top 50 players in the Tour standings after this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship advance to next week’s BMW Championship. Then the top 30 golfers advance to the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta to close out the season.

VaselineAugust 14, 2024

0 2 minutes read