Once in a while, the golf world does wonders! One will be when the $3 billion PGA Tour and PIF merger announced in 2023 summer will become a reality. The answer to when it will happen is still uncertain, as both parties have been discussing the merger for more than a year with no avail of finalization. Has it become a nuisance for the golfers as much as it has been for the fans? In an exclusive interview with Aravind Menon of EssentiallySports, the Crushers GC member, Anirban Lahiri shared what players know about the merger and why’s the wait so long.

Although the PGA Tour has set up the Transaction Committee exclusively for the merger, Lahiri revealed that the merger is not going to be as people expect it to be. Currently, the fans are expecting that if two leagues come together, they would be able to play in events of both leagues, but that is not what might happen. Lahiri explained that the golfers on LIV Golf and the PGA Tour are aware of the ground reality, that it’s unlikely that a complete merger will occur for the two leagues.

The 7-time Asian Tour winner added, “It’s unlikely that LIV goes away, or the PGA Tour completely accepts what we’re doing, or the players can come back and play on the PGA Tour.” He explained that much water has passed under the bridge hinting at the lawsuits filed by both parties and concluded that both parties will need to do more to reach a consensus which is quite complicated.

Talking about whether the delay in the merger was an inconvenience for the golfers in the exclusive sit-down with EssentiallySports, Lahiri relayed that it was actually not. The 37-year-old told Menon, “I think the bigger disturbance is not so much for the players. It’s more for the fans. It’s more for the sponsors. It’s more for people who want to invest in the game.” Lahiri also highlighted the dip in the ratings of both leagues, saying that the viewership cannot be split forever and the two parties would have to come together, sooner or later. As LIV Golf Greenbrier amassed only a few thousand viewers and PGA Tour’s TV ratings have been on a decline too.

Although the path to an amicable way looks daunting, Lahiri emphasized “There’s enough room, enough space” for both leagues to exist and continue to grow side by side without any hostilities. Which, as per the LIV golfer, was the best way for golf, as Rory McIlroy had also advocated for the same. However, Lahiri echoed what Greg Norman had previously clarified: that even if a merger takes place, LIV Golf would never change its course. And he gave a pretty solid reason why it shall not change.

Anirban Lahiri exemplifies LIV Golf’s success in the past 3 years

Before the 54-man roster spearheaded by Greg Norman reached Adelaide, the Great Shark addressed the press and talked about the merger and how it would affect LIV Golf. Norman was quick to explain that the breakaway circuit has been totally separate from merger talks and has been a standalone entity, it’s just that their investors were looking into the PGA Tour. Expanding on the same idea, Anirban Lahiri also explained in an ES Exclusive why LIV Golf merging with the PGA Tour would be meaningless.

As the disruptive league has already announced the four 2025 events, it was already perceived that the LIV Golf and PGA Tour were not merging in the 2025 season either, which Lahiri too conformed to. Then the 37-year-old praised the league’s success in Asia, Europe, and the United Kingdom. He expressed, “It’s very heartening for me to see that the change between 2022 and 2024. [It] has been heartwarming for me. You know a lot of us; we are hearing the roars; we are hearing the buzz” which indicates that LIV Golf was doing something right.

So, if the PIF-backed circuit had to shun all the progress for just the merger, Lahiri relayed, “It would make no sense for everything to kind of be undone.” But the Crushers GC member was less focused on political unrest in the golf and has been following his philosophy of going out on the course, hitting birdies, and doing his job.

The 7-time Asian Tour noted that he was hopeful the two divisive fronts of the golf world would sort it all out and eventually turn out to be better for the parties involved.