Can men's pro golf reconcile & what might it look like?

BubbaP

BubbaP

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Rory as usual giving his views to reporters:

golf.com

'Get over it': Rory McIlroy says PGA Tour-LIV unification works only in 1 way

With golf years into its civil war, Rory McIlroy is over hurt feelings and bruised egos getting in the way of reunifying the game.
golf.com golf.com

Assuming no-one on here has any real insight, so a speculation thread.

Will it happen? If so in what timelines? And what might it look like?

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Personally I struggle to see them just pulling the plug on liv and dismantling it, but it might happen.

Could use the standings and maybe invite the top few to The Players which would potentially elevate its status. Plus maybe a few other PGAT events.

Liv could have a bonus team (or more) at each event made up of players from the PGAT.

Not sure how it would play for DPWT, but if they dropped the fines then things could build on where they are now.

2027 season maybe, or could something happen earlier.

A few opening thoughts...
See if we can keep it civil 🤞
 
Think we will see 4/5 events outside all the tours funded by PIF where the top players from each tour plays against each

The events will be held in US , Africa , Europe , Asia and Aus

Funding is key , over the next few years LIV will need to find a way to monatise the tour and start to bring in its own money to enable them to stand on their own

PIF will find the big events standing above the tours

Those big events imo will be no cut fields of the top 50-60 players

Top 10 or 15 from PGAT , LIV , DPT and Asia Tour then some invites etc
 
Could be a good shout.
Do you think the FedEx and RTD would need to end/shrink to make space to fit in those 4 or 5 events in? Or find other slots?
 
BubbaP said:
Could be a good shout.
Do you think the FedEx and RTD would need to end/shrink to make space to fit in those 4 or 5 events in? Or find other slots?
Click to expand...
Yeah there will need to be some sort of adjusting

The good news is there are lots of pro golfers who can play in the other events and they can also be used as qualifiers

They can be what the WGCs should have been
 
As much as I’m anti-LIV, I think the fact they play tournaments around the world and not just in the US, is great. Would hope that when/if they merge, that will be kept.

It’s been discussed in other threads, that the PGA tour is largely quite boring, often feels like Groundhog Day with the courses and conditions being very similar. Australia has been an obvious venue for years as they’ve had so many great players and have top courses, plus Japan and the far east, Middle East, not to mention mainland Europe.

As for points, money etc, none of that really interests me. I’m not even sure a team element works, unless it’s matchplay.

Just play decent, interesting courses, good fields and the rest will come.
 
As someone who has only ever watched about 10 minutes of LIV golf I wonder in the long term how long it will keep going if the major TV golf channels like SKY never show it and therefore it has a very limited view number of viewers.

When the original World Tour started it very quickly lost tournaments in 'far away' places.
 
I’d love to see a world tour with a month to month set up, so like GB & Ireland say the whole month of July, 4 events, Then Australia month, Dubai, South Africa, Asia, Europe, America etc etc.

Maybe a team format month, maybe a specific ‘links’ month, 4 links venues, a mixed month with crossover events with the woman. Majors month? Or majors kept seperate.

Who knows, probably could never work just think it could build good anticipation especially here with a GB&ireland or Links month with all the best players for 4 weeks
 
I think we need to reflect back to what was said on June 6th 2023.

There was never any intention to merge LIV and the PGAT - they were always to remain separate - just under one umbrella governed by the Newco - I don't think we'll have deviated from that too much.
I could see LIV (or specifically) the PIF directing more investment towards the DPWT - I'd imagine the SSG aren't interested in funding a tour that isn't prosperous, but if that were to mean opportunities for more players from LIV to compete in DPWT events, I'd welcome that as I'm sure most European golf fans would - and we are already seeing the seeds of that with players rejoining the DPWT.
What is clear is the PGAT as was will never go back to the way it was - I'd predict a calendar with more distinction between regular weekends and Signature events, and a lesser requirement for the players to compete in a minimum number to free up space for any opportunities they may want to take to play overseas, as those situations develop in time.
 
Liking the suggestions, shame the forum won't be in the corridors of power!

McGinley is saying there'll be an announcement before the Masters.

Sorting out a schedule may be the first (tricky) step.

The various interviews & articles about players currently on liv returning to pgat I was struggling to visualise how that may happen.
Liv announcing the Oz deal for a few more years also, unless that's a smokescreen.
 
Tiger said that he thinks it's really close to getting sorted out, It was when he was in the commentary box for the final round yesterday.
Said for the games sake that it needs to be sorted and that everyone wants to see the best players playing together more often.
There might be a clip on social media somewhere.
 
I think all the tours have their place in golf, and appeal to different followers. The anomaly was LIV and the money being so out of proportion to the quality of the golfers in it, and the low to nil value of any wins on it. But there is a market and prestige and rewards for the golfers, to take top level golf beyond the USA. The team thing just failed. But there has to be a future for 6 or 8 top tournaments, with the best in the game, playing a few more in Europe, Aus, Japan, south America. The signature events in effect. The PIF could run these if they want. But maintaining a mercenary stable of players is not the way to do it, and trying to 'beat' the PGAT was not the way to develop it, and why LIV fell so spectacularly on its face. The endless PIF money is often touted as the bigger gun that will win in the end. But I didnt realise that be the end of this year it will have pumped 5Bn into essentially a failed venture. The fund is just under a trillion. Half a percent of that is not nothing. The PIF has a very wide brief and purpose, and channeling much more of it to golf at all costs is not going to happen either.
It does seem some solution is in the pipeline listening to Tiger at the weekend.
 
Just referencing Fore Right's post here.
Is control too strong a phrase , as was only a small % wasn't it?
Fore Right said:
The mood music seems to suggesting that a merger is not going to happen.

It looks more like the PIF is going to invest in PGA Tour Enterprises and continue to run Liv.

This info is from Scott Oneals (Liv CEO) own words on his daughter's podcast.

The PIF having control in both tours will lead to events having all the best players competing against each other in certain events.

Click to expand...
 
Reports suggesting that some of the PGAT representatives weren't particularly happy with the discussions at the White House last Thursday - and that Yasir is showing signs that he's happy to continue funding LIV.


It was an Eamon Lynch piece so I'm not linking it as I cannot stand the guy, but it's out there if anybody wants to go and read it.
 
Feels like some well coordinated interviews from Monahan and McIlroy in order to manage expectations

golf.com

Jay Monahan's latest update on PGA Tour-LIV deal strikes different tone

A month ago, Jay Monahan sounded confident that a PGA Tour deal with LIV Golf would be done soon. His tone was a bit different this week.
golf.com golf.com

"As you were" for now.

Feeding on snippets which isn't ideal, but it maybe seems like Monahan's vision is one tour (PGAT and in US? Not clear)
 
BubbaP said:
Feels like some well coordinated interviews from Monahan and McIlroy in order to manage expectations

golf.com

Jay Monahan's latest update on PGA Tour-LIV deal strikes different tone

A month ago, Jay Monahan sounded confident that a PGA Tour deal with LIV Golf would be done soon. His tone was a bit different this week.
golf.com golf.com

"As you were" for now.

Feeding on snippets which isn't ideal, but it maybe seems like Monahan's vision is one tour (PGAT and in US? Not clear)
Click to expand...

I think the PGAT maybe felt like Trump was going to support them in their position of wanting to water down LIV while getting some of those player back competing more frequently. Yasir is fully behind LIV of course, and won't allow this to happen, and Trump has important political relationships to maintain with the KSA.

Plenty of people now of the opinion that we just crack on with two separate tours and let the global audiences decide if they want one, the other, or both.
 
Mel Smooth said:
I think the PGAT maybe felt like Trump was going to support them in their position of wanting to water down LIV while getting some of those player back competing more frequently. Yasir is fully behind LIV of course, and won't allow this to happen, and Trump has important political relationships to maintain with the KSA.

Plenty of people now of the opinion that we just crack on with two separate tours and let the global audiences decide if they want one, the other, or both.
Click to expand...

Think the global audience are very clear

LIV can’t stand up without the PIF money because the global audience isn’t enough to support it
 
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