Jay Monahan gives update on LIV Golf talks

If Jay Monahan’s comments are anything to go by, we shouldn’t expect a deal unifying golf’s warring factions to be completed any time soon.

The PGA Tour commissioner was asked for some rare detail on the protracted talks with LIV Golf’s backers at the St. Jude Championship in Memphis.

The US circuit are still working on a deal with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) which bankrolls the LIV breakaway, after a “framework agreement” that was first struck 14 months ago.

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And the crux of Monahan’s update to a small group of reporters on Wednesday was that, well, there really isn’t one.

“They’re very complicated discussions,’’ he said. “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.’’

Monahan did acknowledge that the release of a new schedule for 2025 indicates that the PGA Tour will still be operating independently from LIV next year.

Asked if he had any sit-down meetings planned with PIF chiefs, he added: “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 organisation. That said, there is a lot of dialogue.’’

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Patrick Cantlay, who sits on the PGA Tour’s Policy Board, was similarly coy when asked if there was an “end in sight” for the deal.

“Well, it’s definitely quieted down, and I agree with you, there hasn’t been as much chatter the last few months, which has been nice,” Cantlay said in his press conference.

“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.

“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.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.