“It’s not worth talking about,” said Adam Scott bluntly when asked about the never-ending saga of the PGA Tour and PIF merger. And honestly, can you blame him? Do you even remember when this whole merger idea was first brought up? Well, the two sides agreed to a framework agreement on June 6, 2023. Yeah, it’s been that long. Almost 2 years later, the world still wonders what’s next. Scott’s frustration is understandable, given that he’s part of the PGA Tour Enterprises transaction subcommittee alongside Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

So, where do things stand? “Same as always. It s–ks,” Scott told the Associated Press at Kapalua. “It’s not worth talking about. Obviously, it’s so complex and when the government department (Justice) is involved, I think we sit and just wait for them.” He added, “If the PGA Tour is their priority, we’ve got problems.” Ouch. 

Word is, the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) are this close to figuring it out. There’s even buzz that a deal might reach an agreement as soon as The Players Championship in March. But the Justice Department is still heavily involved, and it’s a no-brainer that they would give more weightage to the PGA Tour. The primary roadblocks in the deal so far have been the PGA Tour golfers not wanting to play outside America (not something PIF seems to agree with) and, secondly, them wanting LIV golfers to give up their earned money from the league back. Well… this is something Jay Monahan and Co. have to wrap their heads around. PIF is all about expanding the sport to the global level and giving money to hard-earned winnings back. We’re sure nobody sees that happening.

And as if things weren’t complicated enough, there’s something else as well—Donald Trump takes office in two weeks. The incoming president has straight-up said he could get the Tour and PIF to agree in a mere “15 minutes.” Back in November, McIlroy even admitted that Trump’s election win “clears the way” for progress. So, could this political shakeup finally move the needle? Scott isn’t too optimistic but remains cautiously hopeful—kind of.

“Soon there should be more movement,” Scott said. “But it’s very difficult to bring all of this together, certainly from a competition layout. It’s a lot. Someone has to compromise their product. I don’t like the sound of that generally. Who’s going to do it? Everyone a little bit? That’s not good. Someone a lot? That person is not going to be happy. It’s really a tricky one.” Scott is right. Both PIF and the Tour will have to reach a certain middle path so that they all can get the best of the deal. 

Scott’s comments really sum up the frustration around the merger, but the bigger picture is all about the tone of PGA Tour leadership. Even though progress has been slow, Commissioner Jay Monahan has been hopeful, though, to be honest, his updates don’t exactly bring any big revelations.

Jay Monahan’s say in all this merger?

Back in August 2024, during the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Monahan shared his thoughts on the state of the merger—but didn’t provide much clarity. He suggested that the release of the 2025 PGA Tour schedule might signal there wouldn’t be much change between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf for the current season. “They’re very complicated discussions,’’ Monahan said at TPC Southwind. “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. As it relates to times and timeframes and where we are, I’ll just say we’re in a good place with the conversations. That’s the most important thing.’’

When asked if he had any upcoming face-to-face meetings with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Monahan kept it vague. “I have a lot of meetings on the subject. I’m not going to get into the specifics of it. It’s a clear focus of mine, it’s a clear focus of the organization. That said, there is a lot of dialogue.’’ Patrick Cantlay, who is a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, also shared his take on the situation, echoing Monahan’s tone.

When asked if he saw an “end in sight,” Cantlay said, “Well, it’s definitely quieted down, there hasn’t been as much chatter the last few months, which has been nice. I think that’s just kind of the nature of it. There’s going to be ebbs and flows, depending on what kind of information comes out or what announcements.” He added, “When you say ‘end in sight,’ it’s always evolving. The PGA Tour has always been changing and trying to evolve and get better. Depends what you mean by—what you define as the finish line. But I know all of us are working incredibly hard all the time to get the best outcome.”

If all this wasn’t enough Alan Shipnuck, a successful golf journalist, also chimed in, predicting the merger could happen “Sometime in 2025.” So, where does that leave us? Still waiting. Waiting on the DOJ. Waiting on Trump’s “15 minutes” magic. And, of course, waiting to see what happens to the two circuits if this deal actually happens.