“They can’t be this dumb, can they?” asked a certain journalist. Who and what could he have been possibly talking about? Well, Alan Shipnuck was alluding to the PGA Tour players demanding reparations from LIV Golf Pros, including Jon Rahm, for defecting to the breakaway league. However, this sentiment isn’t shared by everyone. Enter Daniel Van Otterdijk, the Chief Communications Officer of Group Communications at DP World.

This demand is believed to be the bone of contention in the ongoing talks of a merger between the two rival leagues. According to a Bloomberg report PGA Tour players are pushing for John Rahm to hand back the money he made through joining PIF-backed LIV Golf. Rahm signed a $500 million deal with LIV Golf at the start of the year, in what was a departure from his previous stance.

The report also alleges that players on the Tour have requested other defectors to give away the money they have acquired playing for LIV. These demands are the key reasons why despite, a “framework agreement” being reached in June last year, there has been very little progress in the merger talks involving LIV Golf and PGA Tour.

The DP World Tour will also be a part of the unified golf body but has no direct role in the negotiations according to Daniel Van Otterdijk. But he is still confident about a deal being finalized in the next six months while mentioning that the ongoing tug-of-war won’t serve anyone.

Speaking with Gulf News, Van Otterdijk pointed out how the golf world needs the best golfers in the best events, regardless of which circuit hosts them. “Whether you like the format of LIV Golf or not, it doesn’t really matter. You want the best players in the best tournaments, whatever the tournaments are.” 

Understandably, Rahm and other LIV golfers have pushed back on these demands by the PGA Tour. With a stalemate, there is a growing sense of frustration among players and fans, that does more harm than good. A couple of weeks ago, two-time DP World Tour Championship winner Matt Fitzpatrick voiced his disinterest in the merger, saying, “I think in terms of bringing the game together this week, I’m past the point of caring. I just don’t care.”

This sentiment is growing by the day as the delay continues and Daniel Van Otterdijk argues that such demands would serve no one. “I don’t think anybody in golf wants to see this current political situation where players get penalized or can’t play here, there, or whatever. All that is no good for the game and no good for fans,” he told Gulf News.

What the executive said does make sense. Imagine if Jon Rahm was not able to appeal the sanctions set aside by the European Tour. If that were to take place, then the Spaniard wouldn’t have been able to tee off in the Acciona Open de España, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, or even the Andalucia Masters, for that matter. The fans would have missed the 2024 LIV Golf Individual Champion in action, and the European Ryder Cup team would have missed out on a talented teammate as well.

Coming back to the Chief Communications Officer, he sure did make sure to express how he felt about the LIV golfers raking in so many dollar bills through their events. “Do remember,” said Otterdijk, “These players get paid to play because fans come and watch them.” Hard to refute that, seeing as how the PIF-funded circuit has only witnessed an increase in viewers and spectators flocking into the course as opposed to its inaugural year in 2022.

The stalemate between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will continue to deprive fans of seeing their favorites regularly and in one place. As Van Otterdijk pointed out, they all want one thing, to see the best players competing against each other, no matter if they belong to the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, or DPWT.

He further mentioned, “I know that the people at the top want to do that, but they’ve got to work through the commercials and the schedule to make sure that it works for everybody.” That said,  PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan did explain the approach he was looking to take for the talks to move forward.

“You look at where we are right now, we’re in regular dialogue, we’ve the right people at the table with the right mindset,” Monahan said back in August. But at the same time, he cautioned that a final resolution won’t come quickly.

He explained, “I see that in all of these conversations, and that’s both sides. That creates optimism about the future and our ability to come together. But at the same time, these conversations are complex. They’re going to take time. They have taken time, and they will continue to take time.” 

So we went over what is one of the reasons for the delays, but that’s not the complete story

The PGA Tour has more demands from LIV Golfers

September saw a new reason for the delay in mergers, all thanks to the demands of the PGA Tour pros. They proposed the LIV golfers, including Jon Rahm, to return the earnings (the reported $500 million along with the prize money) they raked in from the circuit, all the while paying the penalties to tee off in the Jay Monahan-led Tour. What’s more, they also proposed how the money could go to a charity, following which they could even give up on their future earnings on the PGA Tour.

Shipnuck, after hearing those reports, couldn’t help but lash out at the Policy Board. “I don’t care how petty, vindictive, and greedy Tiger [Woods] & [Patrick] Cantlay are,” wrote the journalist on his X handle back then. “No LIV golfer is going to refund the money they received (and spent!) 2 years ago. No wonder Dunne, Stephenson & Flaherty ejected—vengeance is not a productive negotiating strategy.”

The PGA Tour Policy Board had witnessed the exit of Mark Flaherty, Jimmy Dunne, and Randall Stephenson this year. The reason? Well, they resigned after expressing concerns over the merger talks that the board was having with the Public Investment Fund.

Anyhow, the merger talks and negotiations appear to be ongoing, albeit at a much slower pace. The doubt naturally arises within the community: Will we see an end to it by December, or will the final deal be delayed yet another year?