If you’re like me, you believe professional golf is healthier and more entertaining when the best players are competing against each other as much as possible.
Hopefully, we can agree on that.
But assuming the Department of Justice doesn’t permanently block a deal between the PGA Tour and the PIF—more than 18 months after the framework agreement, I’m officially exhausted by the updates on the updates on the updates—how exactly would golf come together into one cohesive unit?
Outside of a few people at the negotiating table, nobody knows that answer for sure.
What we do know is that LIV is operating as if it will be here for a long time.
They just signed an agreement with the South Australian Government for Adelaide to be the exclusive home of LIV Golf through 2031. That’s on top of a TV contract with Fox Sports, adding hundreds of employees, creating new U.S. offices and otherwise proceeding with long-term intentions.
Anything is possible but it’s not looking like the Saudis are going to close up shop any time soon.
If LIV is here to stay, how will this unification process happen?
The top players in the world average about 21 starts per year. Given the structure of signature events, most Tour pros won’t go much beyond that—Rory McIlroy recently explained how he’s planning to play about 18 events this year.
Four of those starts will be the majors. LIV has a 14-event schedule that overlaps with many of the top Tour events such as the FedEx Cup playoffs.
The math is not math-ing here. Something has to give.
If LIV players are going to stay full-time on their home circuit, there wouldn’t be a ton of opportunity for them to cross over to the Tour side.
So, considering that, what will this “reunification”—a vague term being thrown about by embattled Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and players in the know—actually look like?
Last week at the Genesis Invitational, Monahan said the goal was to unite the game, “under one tour with all the top players playing on that tour. What it means is the reunification of the game which is what we have been and are focused on. Candidly, that’s what fans want. So when you talk about reunification, that’s all the best players in the world competing with each other and against each other.”
That all sounds good but what does “one tour” mean? It’s open for interpretation.
In no particular order, here are three speculative options.
1. LIV has a condensed schedule, coexisting alongside the Tour
One option is that LIV continues to operate independent of the Tour but cuts back significantly on its tournament load.
If LIV shrunk to, say, from 14 events to eight, some of the top LIV players could be free to compete in the “signature events” on Tour. And perhaps this could even allow Tour players to have the option of adding LIV events in the fall if they wanted to participate.
While it wouldn’t be “one tour” in the traditional sense, the top events would have all the top players.
As for reintegration (shoutout to the TV show “Severance”—please comment with all of your theories about what Lumon does), the most basic option would be that certain LIV players are welcomed back immediately with no qualifying necessary. Others won’t be so lucky.
Maybe recent major winners (Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, etc.) and players in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking receive immediate signature event status—but it’s up to them to maintain that status for the following year by earning enough FedEx Cup points, being a top finisher in the LIV standings or having another achievement in a major.
The Tour needs a few of these guys back and their recent accomplishments should make them exempt.
Outside of the Dechambeau and Rahm types, there could be a couple of tiers.
Perhaps, in the second tier, LIV players have the option to receive Tour status outside of the signature events but must earn enough points to get their Tour card (or entry into the signature events) for the following year. This would act similar to a major medical exemption.
And, in the third tier, the worst LIV players can either retire to PGA Tour Champions or go through Q-School and/or the Korn Ferry Tour like everyone else.
Sorry, but that is what the money is for.
Much to my dismay, some players who miss one of these cut-offs could probably get sponsor exemptions like other players who didn’t earn signature event starts.
This option would keep LIV intact and bolster signature events, essentially giving us about 18 or so events per year where the top players congregate.
Will the Tour’s middle class like this? Not at all. But for the good of the sport, you have to let certain guys back into the fold.
“Whether you stayed on the PGA Tour or you left, we have all benefited from LIV,” McIlroy said. “And I’ve been on record saying this a lot: we’d never be playing for what we’re playing for this week ($20 million) if it weren’t for LIV.
“So I think everyone’s just got to get over it and we all have to say, ‘OK, this is the starting point and we move forward’. We don’t look behind us, we don’t look to the past. Whatever’s happened, happened. And it’s been unfortunate. But reunification is the best thing for everyone.”
As for punishment for LIV players who turned their back on the Tour, I don’t think you can do that much monetarily other than rewarding Tour loyalists with equity, TGL money and other sweeteners.
2. LIV goes under the umbrella of PGA Tour Enterprises
Some will argue for one cohesive circuit with golf being played around the globe.
In this scenario, we would essentially get one tour that has about 16 events throughout the year. Combined with the majors, these would be the 20 tournaments where the best players are expected to participate.
Golf revolves around the U.S. market but I think it’s doable to branch out beyond that if done correctly.
LIV would become an investor in the Tour, under the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises umbrella.
Perhaps the LIV branding could live on for certain events like the one in Australia but it would be a part of the Tour structure.
And a couple of the most successful DP World Tour (European Tour) events, like the Scottish Open or BMW PGA Championship, could be incorporated as well.
The details of how this option comes together would be pretty complicated but I’m imagining the current crop of Tour players eligible for signature events paired with the top 10 to 15 LIV guys.
It would basically be an expansion of the signature event model with qualifying criteria similar to what I explained in the first option.
I think there is room for creativity here, like changing up formats, reimagining possible team elements, holding night golf tournaments and other experimentation.
3. LIV only takes place in the fall as a cash-grab series
I don’t see this happening but another option would be LIV taking a reduced role that sticks just to silly-season fall golf and perhaps a couple of other one-day shootout style of events throughout the Tour calendar.
In this scenario, LIV players would be fully reintegrated back into the Tour in the way I have already described. The Tour schedule would move forward per usual.
However, LIV would host a more YouTube-ified series of cash-grab events in the fall that would be open to all of the top players. These would have whacky formats and prioritize entertainment over competition.
During the Tour season, LIV could host random one-day tournaments. For example, an 18-man knockout tournament where the last man standing on the 18th hole wins the entire purse for that day.
The allure here for LIV would be that it could have a more distinct season with stronger fields. It would give LIV a much-needed identity.
At the same time, the Tour would be free to operate the serious competition portion of the calendar while getting more participation from top LIV guys.
LIV is already heading in the YouTube direction with DeChambeau, Rahm, Phil Mickelson and the noteworthy signing of YouTube golf godfather Rick Shiels.
It might as well go all-in at this point. Nobody will take this league seriously as a place for meaningful competition so it’s time to be entertaining.
Out of these three scenarios, I think the most likely would be some version of the second option.
But, once again, I don’t think anyone really knows what will happen.
Which option would appeal to you most as a golf fan? If you don’t like any of these, what would your ideal situation look like?
Let me know below in the comments.
Top Photo Caption: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau could be playing again on one tour. (GETTY IMAGES/Kevin C. Cox)
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