Tiger Woods has voiced his disappointment over the ongoing delay in finalising a merger deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. He acknowledged that even if an agreement was reached among the relevant parties, it would still require approval from the Department of Justice.
It's been nearly a year and a half since a preliminary agreement was established between Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, with the aim of resolving the sport's internal conflict.
However, despite a noticeable thawing in relations - as demonstrated when Monahan and Al-Rumayyan played golf together at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship pro/am in October - the deal appears to be far from finalised.
Speaking at a press conference for his Hero World Championship on Tuesday, Woods expressed his dissatisfaction with the stalemate, stating: "Wish we had something more concrete. Still working through it, it's happening daily. Things are moving and they're constructive.He went on to echo Rory McIlroy's view of the standoff, blaming the Department of Justice for the hold-up. Woods continued: ".
He then echoed Rory McIlroy's perspective on the deadlock, attributing the delay to the Department of Justice. Woods added: "Even if we would've had a deal done by now, it's still in the DOJ's hands."
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In 2023, the PGA Tour, PIF and the DP World Tour agreed on a deal that would merge their commercial assets, thereby allowing free movement between the tours - with LIV Golf included in this new merger. However, it's understood that the DOJ's Antitrust Division is the primary hurdle, with McIlroy expressing last month his hope that Donald Trump's potential return to the White House might expedite matters.
The future of the existing golf tours post-merger remains shrouded in uncertainty, as PGA Tour players have faced suspensions and multimillion-dollar fines for defecting to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Big-name players such as Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Jon Rahm are expected to have the freedom to transition between tours and choose their competitions once the merger is finalised.
Tiger Woods has confessed his uncertainty about the future shape of the sport following the merger, stating: "I think something will get done. In what form or shape, I don't know yet."
Meanwhile, LIV Golf continues to attract interest from top PGA Tour talent, with rumours swirling that Tony Finau is being courted by the league for an as-yet-unnamed team. However, unlike last year's high-profile defection of Rahm to LIV for a staggering £450million, the tension within the sport appears to be diminishing.
Recent developments have seen Sergio Garcia and Tyrrell Hatton making a comeback to the DP World Tour, with indications pointing towards them joining Rahm at next year's Ryder Cup in New York.
