“Anyone that cares about golf, I think, has to be frustrated,” said Rory McIlroy during the FedEx Cup finale at East Lake. He was, unsurprisingly enough, alluding to the merger between the PGA Tour and PIF while divulging his thoughts on its delay. Fast forward a week, and the community is now surprisingly faced with the news of a televised battle between two PGA Tour Pros, including Scottie Scheffler & Rory McIlroy, and LIV golfers Brooks Koepka & Bryson DeChambeau. And, in light of the same, the question naturally arises; is the framework agreement never going to happen?

Scheffler and McIlroy, as per reports from Golf Digest, will take on Koepka and DeChambeau in a ‘made-for-TV’ contest by BZ Entertainment, in Las Vegas. Interestingly, the event will be aired on TNT by the middle of December. Yes! You read that right. It is the same network that has broadcasted the previous nine editions of The Match from 2018.

Bryan Zuriff, producer of The Match and an executive producer of the upcoming event, has confirmed that the contest will be a separate new brand instead of the continuation of the iconic event. This, coupled with the tournament boasting a Ryder Cup format hints at the possibility of it becoming a regular PGA Tour vs LIV Golf showdown in the future. “We’re leaning towards making it more like a Ryder Cup to develop it into a series that’s completely separate from The Match,” said Zuriff. Well, it truly paints a concerning picture of the merger, doesn’t it?

Meanwhile, all four athletes were visibly excited about the upcoming contest as the golfers’ agents expressed the same via their statements. Even so, the PGA Tour, on the other hand, declined to comment on the ‘new brand’ despite one of the golfers in the same being a part of the transactional subcommittee that the Jay Monahan-led circuit appointed.

That’s not all. The Tour’s silence on the matter along with there being no new update on the merger amid reports of a lack of progress (courtesy of the Northern Irishman) does not hint at a promising future. It doesn’t come out as a surprise then, when the 4-time major champ McIlroy dishes out his thoughts and frustrations on the topic.

Rory McIlroy’s candid thoughts regarding the delay in the PGA Tour-PIF merger

“I think anyone that cares about the PGA TOUR has to be frustrated,” reiterated a fed-up McIlroy, “Because we’re … not putting forward the absolute best product that we can.” He further added how the division in the sport has gone on long enough as he said, “I get the argument that these guys left and that was their choice and whatever… I think everyone is trying to find a solution, it’s just a solution is hard to get to.”

But some people, in contrast, feel as though the merger itself is not necessary. Enter Phil Mickelson who questioned the necessity of the entire process. “Is it necessary that there is a merger?” asked the LIV Golf Pro before answering himself, “Probably not, but it would be a good thing if there was not any hostility.”

Coming back to the televised battle, Zuriff himself stated how his goal is to unify the game through the upcoming event. “Golf is increasing in play and decreasing in viewership simply because there’s been a divide,” highlighted the producer, “So my goal was to go to the biggest guys in the sport… to get people excited about golf and not just have to wait around for the majors to see you guys play against each other.” But will it actually help fasten the framework agreements? The world can only wait patiently and watch!