Is the honesty of the PGA Tour in Danger? PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and other tour officials may have agreed to a merger with LIV Golf only when the PGA Tour was on the verge of dissolution, according to shocking disclosures that have the golf industry in a frenzy.

This startling assertion surfaced during an open panel discussion on ‘The Smylie Show,’ where host Smylie Kauffman and panelist Charlie Hulme explored the complex relationship between the Saudi-backed LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. So, let’s get right into this conversation.

PGA Tour’s urgency: A driver for the merger?

The origins of this issue date back to the launch of LIV Golf, which aimed to join forces with the PGA Tour. In a recent episode titled “Could Ludvig Aberg Be the Next World No. 1? + Rory McIlroy On PGA TOUR & LIV Golf Reunification,” Kauffman shared, “Right at the beginning, the PGA Tour takes the meetings, and they’re like, Hey, we’re going to start this LIV Golf League. We’re going to pay guys to come over and play in this league, and we just want to have a seat at the table.” However, this offer faced pushback, largely due to worries about audience reaction and the ethical concerns tied to partnering with Saudi Arabia.

In his explanation of the possible repercussions, Kauffman highlighted that by partnering with Saudi interests, the PGA Tour ran the danger of offending a sizable section of its viewership. He stated, “What about the fan that says, ‘Hey, I don’t want nothing to do with Saudi Arabia’? If you’re the PGA Tour, would you have taken that chance to lose a good chunk of your audience that watches the PGA Tour on a regular basis?” This concern illustrates how the PGA Tour sought to strike a careful balance between morality and commercial incentives.

As the competition grew more intense, the PGA Tour was in a vulnerable position. Bringing attention to the Tour’s apparent contradiction, Charlie Hulme responded, “I find the morality thing so funny because it’s like it’s the most important thing until it’s not, and we’re cutting a deal with them.” This opinion is part of a larger criticism of the PGA Tour’s evolving values, particularly as financial strains increase.

Hulme basically said LIV Golf might be a real threat to the PGA Tour’s future, and the merger is more about survival than working together. He pointed out how the PGA Tour’s “moral high ground” faded when things started falling apart. Makes you wonder if the Tour’s principles were ever genuine, right?

A $19 billion battle comes to a close 

Looks like the whole $19 billion beef between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf might wrap up, mostly because LIV made some pretty big strategic blunders.  According to recent financial statements, LIV Golf’s operating losses increased from $244 million in 2022 to an astounding $394 million in 2023, highlighting the unfeasibility of its business strategy.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been periodically injecting more capital to offset these growing losses; by the end of 2025, total investments will have approached $5 billion. Despite these large financial commitments, LIV Golf has had trouble obtaining major sponsorship and viewership arrangements, raising concerns about its long-term sustainability.

Surfacing difficulties, talks between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour have accelerated. Tiger Woods, who is currently on the PGA Tour’s policy board, was upbeat about the current talks, pointing to recent gatherings with U.S. President Donald Trump, Player Director Adam Scott, and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. The goal of these discussions is to bring the sport together and heal the divisions that have recently afflicted professional golf.

So, the Smylie Show’s disclosures and LIV Golf’s financial difficulties imply that the PGA Tour’s merger was more about survival than strategic expansion. Although the future of professional golf is still up in the air as talks continue, one thing is certain: both tours have had to back down from their original positions to maintain the sport’s viability.