LIV Golf CEO Says Talks with PGA Tour Continue Informally, but No Deal Is Close

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said that informal discussions between the Saudi-backed league and the PGA Tour are still taking place, but a resolution to the sport’s prolonged rift remains out of sight. He added that although he regularly speaks with PGA Tour chief Brian Rolapp, a friend and former business-school classmate, their conversations have yet to yield any real progress toward completing the framework agreement the two tours unveiled in June 2023, prior to either assuming their current positions. "The reality is we continue to have conversations, and Brian and I do have a relationship, we text, we talk relatively regularly”, as O’Neil explained during his interview with Reuters. O’Neil also said to Reuters, "We are not in any serious negotiation at this point. We both believe that there are opportunities to work together, and we both believe that there is plenty of space in golf. We at LIV Golf are intently focused on developing LIV Golf around the world."

“The PGA Tour is a US-focused tour, and they do an incredible job. I would say we’re on a global tour. It’s very akin to Formula 1 and IndyCar,” said O’Neil as he was explaining his goals to Reuters. “IndyCar is a wonder. I went to the Indianapolis 500, and it’s an incredible experience and event. Formula 1 is different, though. It is a cultural experience.” O’Neil said he still believes LIV Golf ought to pursue “something” with the PGA Tour, though he offered no specifics on what a potential arrangement might entail. He also declined to say when, or even whether, the two sides might meet again, noting that Rolapp holds a similar view. From the interview with Reuters, O’Neil said, "We are not in any serious negotiation at this point. We both believe that there are opportunities to work together, and we both believe that there is plenty of space in golf. We at LIV Golf are intently focused on developing LIV Golf around the world."

O’Neil’s comments paint a picture of two tours that remain cordial but fundamentally distant, each charting its own course while acknowledging the theoretical value of collaboration. Neither side appears ready to take the substantive steps needed to advance the long-stalled framework agreement. LIV focused on global expansion and the PGA Tour maintaining its U.S.-centric model, meaningful convergence remains speculative at best. The sport’s divide persists, softened by dialogue, but nowhere near resolved.