In February, LIV Golf and the PGA Tour had seemed to have reached a crucial milestone in merger talks, particularly with their meeting at the White House involving President Donald Trump. This development appeared to revive the conversation after a nearly two-year lull. The following month, at the 2025 PLAYERS Championship, Tour commissioner Jay Monahan further fueled the discussion, stating, “We’re doing everything we can to bring the two sides together.” Well, have they been successful? If the Tour pros constantly voicing their frustration at a lack of updates is any indication, then the answer is a “no.”

Currently playing at the 2025 Rocket Classic, the PGA Tour pro, Beau Hossler, expressed his frustration over the stalled merger talks between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. According to Golfweek, his frustration stems from his inability to answer questions from members at his home club in Dallas about the status of discussions involving the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and LIV. During a mandatory Tour player meeting, Hossler reportedly said, “I tell them I don’t know anything more than you,” adding, “That’s frustrating for me as a member of the PGA Tour. I feel like I should know.”

Beau Hossler’s response is likely to further frustrate fans, especially due to the lack of updates on the merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. However, when the PGA Tour pro, Matt Kuchar, pressed a Tour pro for more information on LIV, the pro stated that negotiations are stalled, with both sides “at loggerheads” and “no resolution in sight.” The main point of contention seems to be Yasir Al-Rumayyan’s insistence on incorporating a team concept into any potential deal, which the PGA Tour is reluctant to accept.

But Matt Kuchar is still hopeful and said, “I don’t think it’s any breaking news that the talks have gone silent. They said we’re still open to negotiations.” Despite the rising tension, even Brian Rolapp seemed wary of getting into the conversation straight away. At the 2025 Travelers Championship, he admitted that his “focus is on growing the Tour,” and “That’s [merger talks] a complex situation that’s probably something I should learn more about before I speak.” 

However, Kuchar is still sure they will reach a negotiation in time, and added, “I get the feeling that both sides still want to do something but I also think we’re at a stalemate.” But nonetheless, LIV Golf sensation Jon Rahm does not seem to share the same optimism, despite the history between the two circuits’ CEOs.

Jon Rahm does not feel too confident about the merger talks

By now, the golf world likely knows that the PGA Tour’s new CEO, Brian Rolapp, and LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil are friends, having met at Harvard Business School and interacted frequently over the years. This connection has led many fans to believe that their friendship could finally drive progress in the stalled LIV Golf-PGA Tour merger talks, which have seemingly made no progress since the 2023 Framework Agreement. Despite the enthusiasm in the golf world about the same, Jon Rahm does not feel the same.

During the 2025 LIV Golf Dallas, Jon Rahm dismissed any thought that their history could help move the merger talks ahead. He said, “I feel like that’s a question for obviously both the CEOs, right. Whatever I say is speculation. It’s not what they know. I would hope that them having a close relationship from the past should help facilitate at least the dialogue between them two, but at the end of the day, it’s not just up to them.” 

In fact, even Scottie Scheffler can back that Jon Rahm statement. Ahead of the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge, Scheffler pointed out that “merger talks” should be left for the “higher ups,” however, if “you want to figure out what’s going to happen in the game of golf, go to the other tour and ask those guys.” So, there’s plenty of animosity between the players themselves, even if golfers like Scheffler miss competing “against those guys [LIV players].” 

On the other hand, although Jon Rahm said he would like “to be positive about it and think that that would help it out,” he still feels “There’s also people behind them and higher up than them that would ultimately make the decision. Things are never as simple as they seem.” At this point, what is the most likely outcome for the merger talks?