Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau have become the unofficial voices of their respective sides in the ongoing PGA Tour–LIV Golf standoff. And more than two years after both tours first mapped out a framework for unification, the prospect of an actual deal looks dimmer than ever.
Speaking at CNBC’s CEO Council Forum this week, McIlroy didn’t shy away from acknowledging the obvious.
“I think for golf in general it would be better if there was unification,” he said. “But with what’s happened over the last few years, it’s just going to be very difficult to be able to do that.”
Both organizations are operating under new leadership—LIV appointed Scott O’Neil as CEO earlier this year, while the PGA Tour installed Brian Rolapp this summer. O’Neil has said the two have spoken several times and share a vision for what the sport could look like in the coming years. Even so, the Tour doesn’t appear to be rushing toward any merger. Its $3 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group and strong 2025 TV projections give it little incentive to accelerate negotiations.
LIV, meanwhile, continues to hemorrhage cash. The league has reportedly lost more than $1.1 billion through its first three seasons. Despite tweaks such as shifting to 54 holes and pushing for broader legitimacy, the financial picture remains grim—and McIlroy believes that’s a key reason a deal remains elusive.
“As someone who supports the traditional structure of men’s professional golf, we were trying to deal with people who were acting, in some ways, irrationally, just in terms of the capital they were allocating and the money they were spending,” McIlroy said. “It’s been four or five years and there hasn’t been a return. A lot of these guys’ contracts are up. LIV have spent five or six billion U.S. dollars, and they’re going to have to spend another five or six just to maintain where they are.”
He added: “I’m way more comfortable being on the PGA Tour side than on their side—but who knows what’ll happen?”
DeChambeau, like McIlroy, believes unification is ultimately best for the sport, but he isn’t expecting breakthroughs anytime soon.
“Man, I wish something major would happen,” he told Fox News. “But I don’t think it’s going to in the immediate future. There are too many wants on both sides and not enough gives. We’re just too far apart on a lot of things.”
Still, he remains optimistic that global golf will eventually benefit from the disruption.
“It’s going to take some time, but ultimately, I do think the game of golf will grow internationally,” DeChambeau said. “It’s positive disruption… and it’ll take time to let the water settle and make a perfect scenario where we all come back together.”
For now, both tours are pushing forward with their own structural changes, hoping improvements on each side will elevate the sport. Whether the two finally reunite down the road remains the unanswered—and perhaps unanswerable—question.
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