Is Golf’s Civil War About to Come to an End?

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Rumours have circled over recent days that finally golf’s civil war between the PGA and LIV Tours could be over. 

With golf being fragmented for three years, both the PGA Tours and LIV have suffered from the game’s great divide but after a clamour to get the game back together, a reported deal could be close. 

At the heart of the negotiations between the two warring tours have been Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods and it’s been reported that the two have helped broker a billion dollar peace deal. 

Agreement Would See Golf’s Warring Factions Reunite

Although the rumours have yet to be officially confirmed, the numbers behind the LIV and PGA Tour merger are hugely significant. 

With the Saudi owners of LIV, the Public Investment Fund giving the PGA Tour $1 billion, those who have defected away from the PGA Tour will see themselves being able to compete alongside some of their PGA colleagues once more. 

The investment from the Saudis would see them take stake in the PGA Tour and receive two spots on the PGA Tour board. 

Significantly, the peace deal would see an end to players leaving one tour for another and the best players in the world being able to compete in the biggest tournaments in the world. 

When Could a New Deal Come Into Effect?

At the moment it is unclear as to when the new peace deal could come into effect, but there will be huge hopes that it will be as soon as possible. A likely starting point could be in 2026, as it stands LIV have already released their 2025 schedule and the PGA Tour are continuing with its new signature events. 

A lot will depend on how quickly it can be legally ratified and new contracts drawn up.

When Could a New Deal Come Into Effect


What Would a New Peace Deal Mean For The Majors?

As it stands the four majors currently operate outside of the PGA Tour and LIV schedules. The problem the majors currently have is that their selection and eligibility criteria largely relates to the world rankings and with those playing on LIV unable to accrue ranking points, the majors have reached a point where some of the best players in the world aren’t able to compete.

The majors should be the pinnacle of the game and if the feud between the PGA and LIV Tours is called off, the majors should receive a real boost. 

With those on LIV potentially being welcomed back to the PGA fold and able to once again climb the world rankings, the majors could once again feature all of the best players on the planet. 

What About Team Events Such as The Ryder Cup And Presidents Cup?

Although every player dreams of winning majors, team events such as the Ryder and Presidents Cup have a special place in the golfing calendar.

Ever since LIV came into fruition both events have suffered. Whereas the American team have been relaxed about players from LIV representing their team in the Ryder Cup, the Europeans have taken a much firmer line and European greats such as Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia were all omitted from 2023 selection due to their LIV affiliations. 

In order to try and accommodate the likes of Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton in future teams, the European Ryder Cup committee have made changes to how the teams will be selected in the future, with many European Tour stalwarts claiming that the new changes are unfair to those who have remained loyal.

The Presidents Cup is different as it is entirely owned by the PGA Tour. Due to the PGA Tour being sole owners, any LIV players can’t be selected and there is a feeling that the quality of the Presidents Cup has been greatly diminished. Some of the International Team’s best players ply their trade in LIV and the omissions of Cam Smith, Louis Oosthuizen, Joaquinn Nieman and Abraham Ancer have greatly impacted the International’s chances of ending the American dominance.

If golf’s civil war was to end it would be superb news for both team events. With the very best of LIV being welcomed back into the PGA family this would ensure that the very best players would be able for selection in both competitions. Team events are a welcome break from the norm and in order to maintain their special status on the calendar, having the very best players in the world available to play is essential.

What About Team Events Such as The Ryder Cup And Presidents Cup


What Will Happen to The Existing LIV Franchises?

What helps make LIV so different to its rivals is the team element that it contains. The Cleeks, Range Goats, Iron Heads, Majesticks, 4 Aces, Ripper GC, Smash Golf, Torque and Fireballs have yet to enter the golfing mainstream, but there has been mass investment into each team and it's hard to imagine that if a merger were to happen the teams would disbandon.

The team element is unique and many within the game would like to keep them, however, there is no way that the amount of LIV tournaments currently on the calendar will fit into the PGA Tour schedule.

A belief that has been shared is that the LIV franchises will cross over to the PGA Tour but rather than have a dedicated season, the franchises would compete over a condensed period of time, such as during the Fall slate of the current PGA calendar.

With these franchises involved on the PGA Tour, the hope would be that PGA Tour giants such as Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth may be able to represent these teams and help take them to the next level. 

The future of the existing LIV franchises is a key issue that will need to be urgently addressed if a merger between LIV and the PGA Tour would happen.

Would the PGA Players Who Have Been Loyal be Compensated, Will There be Penalties?

Those who have defected to LIV have done so with the promise of earning tens of millions of dollars. The likes of McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tiger Woods and Hideki Matsuyama have all turned down hundreds of millions to make the switch from the PGA Tour to LIV and if there LIV counterparts make a return back to the PGA family, you would imagine that some form of compensation with those who have remained loyal will need to be settled.

There is also a question whether those who left for LIV will be penalised in some way. Whether this would be through fines, ranking points or suspensions, it is unlikely that those returning from LIV will just be able to resume as if they have never been away. Some sort of sanction may have to be introduced.