Golf is fractured. It has been the case for about 3-4 years now. Some would blame LIV Golf, some the PGA Tour, and some even say the DP World Tour. But if Scott O’Neil is to be believed, golf could have been unified a long time ago, at least some of it, if a set of “invisible hands,” meaning the PGA Tour, hadn’t intervened when their deal with DPWT was in the final stages.

The PGA Tour funds the DPWT and has a seat on its board. The Tour is changing its schedule and the number of events in 2027, giving the DPWT a 6-month window, September through February. It is for DPWT to get it together with the help of the PGA Tour top players who are willing to travel and won’t have a place to play those months. Basically, what is happening is the PGA Tour is telling the DPWT not to worry about the LIV players, as the PGA Tour pros (the ones that would actually want to show up) will tee up there for 6 months.

In an interview earlier this week with Golf.com, O’Neil said, “We’ll have surprise objections at the last minute of deals; for example, we’ll have the ‘invisible hand’ come get us at times,” hinting at the Tour’s involvement in DPWT’s decision-making. But what the European Tour may not be realizing is the consequence of this.

In 2022, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour formed a partnership, making it harder for the European circuit to make deals with LIV since the two tours need to work together. Because of this partnership, the PGA Tour owns 40% of European Tour Productions, which means 10 DP World Tour players can earn PGA Tour cards each year.  By the end of 2035, this deal will end, and the DPWT’s survival might depend on the PGA Tour. They may have to let go of a major share of European Tour Productions and could cease to exist, or could own just a small percentage of their tour.

European pros like Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton joined LIV and faced the wrath of DPWT in the form of fines. Earlier, LIV was paying these fines, but now, it won’t be doing so. Rahm and Hatton have also refused to pay these fines, which increase by a reported six figures every time they tee up in a LIV event. This season, the Spaniard even missed the closing stretch of the European Tour. This has put their Ryder Cup appearances in jeopardy. Other budding names like David Puig may also suffer.

O’Neil recently told The Telegraph about talks with the DP World Tour to resolve the Ryder Cup uncertainty.

“This is something that needs to be settled, and I’m looking forward to that day,” O’Neil explained. “We’re having constructive conversations with Guy Kinnings [the DP World Tour chief executive] and his team. We are hoping that before the season starts, we can all come together in the best interest of golf and put this behind us.”

Overall, the efforts to merge men’s professional golf are still unclear. On June 6, 2023, there was an unexpected agreement to bring together the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) into one organization by the end of that year. However, that deadline passed without a solution. This agreement aimed to resolve all ongoing legal disputes and create PGA Tour Enterprises, with PIF being a minority investor. Nearly two and a half years later, there has been no real progress in negotiations, despite continuous efforts.

And what’s the players’ take on this merger? They themselves have been vocal about where they see things headed.

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Players look forward, yet nobody believes it will happen

Jon Rahm expressed doubts about a possible LIV Golf agreement before the Masters in April. He said, “I think we all would like to see that. But as far as I can tell, and you all can tell, it’s not happening anytime soon.” He highlighted how challenging the situation is, adding, “We all want a solution, and it’s hard to find one.”

Rory McIlroy has similar concerns, even though he supports bringing everyone together. At CNBC’s CEO Council Forum in late November, he said he believes the merger would benefit golf but thinks, “with what’s happened over the last few years, it’s just going to be very difficult to be able to do that.” He is also worried about the spending habits of LIV Golf’s Saudi backers, who have invested five to six billion dollars without getting any return.

Bryson DeChambeau gave a straightforward view of the current situation.

“I wish something major would happen, but I don’t think it will in the immediate future. There are too many wants on both sides and not enough concessions on the other. We’re just too far apart on many issues,” he told Fox News in November.