Jay Monahan gives bold statement on the PGA-LIV merger after the 'optimistic' White House meeting

Tour Jay Monahan finally opened up about the PGA-LIV merger amidst the ongoing negotiation discussions. The framework agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has been in talks since its announcement in June 2023.

There have been constant delays in the decision regarding the merger; however, it once again became the talk of the town last month as President Donald Trump chimed in on the discussion. The US president had a meeting twice last month with the Tour commissioner and the Player Directors about the reunification of the game of golf.

Jay Monahan finally shared the details of the meeting and the progress update in his recent interview with Golf Week. Monahan acknowledged that they are "optimistic" after the meeting at the White House about "a deal [is] getting done." He also reflected on the PIF governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, while sharing details about the merger.

"Coming out of our last meeting, the President said he was optimistic about a deal getting done", Monahan said. "Yasir [al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor] called it a good meeting. When you’re in the midst of complex negotiations you have ebbs and flows, but I don’t feel less confident that we can get there and I don't think my comments have reflected anything other than that.

"We appreciate Yasir’s innovative vision and can see a future where we welcome him onto our Board and work together to move our global game forward," he added.

While on the one hand, merger talks are ongoing, on the other hand, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf both have kicked off their 2025 season.

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Jay Monahan shares the details about the PGA Tour's deal with SSG

While the PGA Tour has been in conversation with the PIF since announcing the framework agreement in June 2023, in January 2024, the Tour announced a $3 billion deal with Sports Strategic Group (SSG). It has been 13 months since the deal was announced, but it has not made a significant move publically.

In the interview with Golf Week, Monahan was asked if there had been any movement with SSG following the $3 billion deal. In response, Monahan said:

"We're active right now. We'll be in a position to announce investments that are going to be very intuitive, logical and exciting. That's just a matter of going through the processes to get to a place where we're comfortable. Sometimes these things do take time."

The PGA Tour has a significant deal with SSG while also actively looking forward to a deal with the PIF. Moreover, in 2025, President Donald Trump's involvement in the PGA-LIV merger has given a push to the entire process.