Will there be no unification in the golf world; the unification that hangs by the thread of a $3 billion merger? Everyone knows how the PGA Tour-PIF merger has been the center of attraction since it was announced. But has there been any action on it ever since? No! The merger has been pushed way too far from its deadline, which was initially set for December 31, 2023. However, Mohanan just delivered an update on the same, but it is not what you’re thinking.

Monahan revealed that a deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is still in the works, but don’t expect anything to happen soon. The release of the 2025 PGA Tour schedule suggests that there is going to be zero to no action on the merger for another year. Monahan described the discussions as “complicated” and acknowledged that there’s no end in sight, at least not until 2025.

“There’s a lot of elements to them. When you have the level of interaction, we’re continuing to meet and move forward and discuss and debate; you can’t be anything but hopeful,” said Monahan. Well, one thing that fans can’t do at this time is be hopeful. But the Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan seems to be pretty unphased by Monahan’s statement. In a recent video posted by LIV golfer Sergio Garcia, Al-Rumayyan was seen playing golf in a chirpy mood with the Spaniard.

Looking at the video, it was pretty clear that Garcia was trying to teach Al-Rumayyan some golf while throwing some words of motivation here and there. The two looked to be hitting it off well with each other on the greens as they were smiling from ear to ear throughout the video.

Not only that, LIV superstar Phil Mickelson also said around a month ago that the delay in the merger is affecting no one. “Is it necessary that there is a merger? Probably not,”  said Mickelson, according to Bloomberg. The LIV-PGA merger may be on hold for now, but is that stopping Monahan from making new deals? No, not at all.

PGA Tour and SSG partner for a brighter golf future

Jay Monahan is stoked about the new partnership with Strategic Sports Group (SSG). And for good reason! SSG is bringing a whopping $3 billion to the table, which is a total game-changer for golf. This deal, announced in January, made the Tour Commissioner very happy and he is thrilled to see the PGA Tour and SSG working together in perfect harmony.

“If you had told me a year ago I’d be sitting here talking to all of you and we’d have a partner in SSG with the amount of experience they have in the sports and business world with capital behind them and now innovating into our business…to having that level of alignment with our players…it’s really inspiring,’’ said Monahan, per SI.

Of course, there’s still some drama with LIV Golf, but Monahan’s focus is on the positive. He’s all about evolving and improving the PGA Tour, and the SSG deal is a huge step in the right direction. Do you think there’s a better future for the PGA Tour now that SSG is with them? What are your thoughts on the PGA Tour-PPIF merger? Let us know in the comment section below!