A few more merger anniversaries might pass by without any breakthrough. It’s been one year since the PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan, and PIF governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, announced the shocking framework agreement between the rival tours. Former board members, like Rory McIlroy and Jimmy Dunne, have lamented the slow progress, however. 

In a recent podcast, McIlroy indicated that nothing decisive would happen before 2026. His attempt to rejoin the board in place of Webb Simpson was stalled by existing members, who opined that naming a successor isn’t ideal when the policy board relies on voting for others. 

Nevertheless, the 26-time PGA Tour winner was inducted into the newly formed Transaction Committee which looks after the day-to-day activities of the merger negotiation. Rory McIlroy, with a new perspective on the matter, said, “[T]hese things take time, this thing isn’t just going to happen overnight and there’s going to have to be compromises made on both sides.”

One of the key sticking points is, of course, LIV Golfer’s inclusion. Rory McIlroy favored a comeback without any repercussions. However, he was cornered on that matter as Rickie Fowler, Scottie Scheffler, and Justin Thomas, all disagreed publicly. Reportedly, even Tiger Woods wasn’t in favor of Ulsterman’s ‘forgive & forget’ approach. 

McIlroy accepted that there are a few stumbling blocks. The PGA Tour player-directors met Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the Bahamas. But a few more meetings like that with PIF officials need to happen. The Northern Irishman said in Beyond the Clubhouse podcast “2026, if that means we’ve just got a year-and-a-half left of this and 2026 looks a little different, I actually think that’s a pretty good timeline considering all of the things that have to be worked out.”

McIlroy’s thoughts echo that of Xander Schauffele. The 2024 PGA Championship winner offered a reality check to fans in the Memorial press conference. Asked about the timeframe, Schauffele said there are a lot of things to work on before thinking about unification. 

Like Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele calls for patience 

The eight-time PGA Tour winner opined there would be a time in the coming years when golfers will joke about the fracture in the game. But that’s half a decade away. “I think there’s a lot of things people don’t realize that need to occur for things to go back together, for everyone to sort of shake hands and move along. There’s been so much damage that’s been done just in, you know, it feels like we’ve been in this mess for a couple years, it’s only been a year.”

Schauffele also blasted the PGA Tour commissioner for not standing up for the players. Speaking to Times UK, the one-time major winner said, “He [Jay Monahan] didn’t take a stand when anyone left, he didn’t come out to the public and face the music, none of that… Historically in tough situations, you need a strong leader who can make the big waves smaller… Right now, we don’t have that”.

Monahan, however, defended his stance, saying that it’s not ideal to fast forward a negotiation in full public of the nitty-gritty of the details. The PGA Tour, per a New York Times report, has exchanged sheets with PIF that would see the Saudi sovereign fund invest $1.5B in the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises.