Is there another roadblock in the PIF-PGA Tour merger? The conversation about the biggest deal in golf has been dragging along for 3 years. In this period, the entire landscape of golf has changed. The PGA Tour has adapted to the competition, LIV Golf officials have found reliable broadcast partners, and Jordan Spieth has finally recovered from his injury. And yet, the merger has still not been completed. The last few conversations between Jay Monahan & Yasir Al-Rumayyan suggested that things might finally move ahead. But despite the PGA Tour commissioner’s reassurances, the PIF Governor’s reaction placed doubts on the situation.

To that tune, even Webb Simpson showed his frustration towards the situation. The 2012 U.S. Open winner vented out to Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig a few minutes ago. Simpson’s quote was shared by NUCLR GOLF on X as he said, “It seems like there is a little bit of a breakdown in communication (on the other side)”. On our side, when questions are asked of us, we get answers right away. We’ve been diligent. I don’t now if the same is true on their side. That part has been kind of frustrating.” Based on what he is saying, the PGA Tour has clarified its position on the merger by putting forth a proposal. However, the PIF’s hesitance to add to the conversation may have caused some concerns. However, the real issue might be much bigger than initially presumed.

Reports from a few days ago suggested that the PIF is actually planning to buy a certain golf course. Their target is the Wentworth Golf Club in England for $275 million. For anyone who isn’t aware, the Wentworth Golf Club is the headquarters of the DP World Tour. And if LIV Golf does end up purchasing it, then as Fox Sports mentioned, it might start a civil war within the golf community. Especially considering the DP World Tour’s strategic alliance with the PGA Tour.

Interestingly, that is not all that Simpson talked about during the interview. In his conversation with Harig, the 39-year-old also mentioned another issue about LIV Golf that troubles him. Simpson mentioned how “To me, it’s hard to get your mind around the team concept. I’ve gotten that feedback from golf fans. You can get your mind around the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup once a year. But the franchise model or Formula 1 model on the PGA Tour … it’s hard to see a future in that.” Based on his interaction with the PGA Tour followers, it seems that LIV Golf’s team format should be dropped. The concept may have worked in the limited roster of the Saudi-based league, but won’t be applicable in a 144-player field. So there is no space for it on the PGA Tour.

So what does it mean for the merger? Only time will tell. For now, let’s understand why things between the PGA Tour and PIF went sour.

Webb Simpson & Co.’s PGA Tour’s evaluation of LIV Golf

Over the course of a month, Yasir Al-Rumayyan visited the White House twice. Both times with the intent to strike a deal or at least progress further ahead. Apart from Donald Trump, Jay Monahan, Tiger Woods, and Adam Scott had also joined the conversation to convince the PIF Governor. However, the two parties didn’t come to terms with the situation.

At first glance, everything seemed great as Jay Monahan gave positive updates from the conversation. But not that long after, alternate reports came in saying that Al-Rumayyan had found the PGA Tour’s offer insulting. Apparently, Monahan & Co. had valued LIV Golf to be worth $500 million. This dragged on for a few days before the community stopped getting updates about the PIF-PGA Tour merger altogether.

With everything that has happened recently, do you think the merger will ever be completed? Share your views in the comments section.