Jay Monahan rules out possibility of big PGA Tour - LIV announcement during The Players Championship - REPORT

Things have slowly begun to progress between the PGA Tour and the PIF, but Jay Monahan isn't going to make any major announcement anytime soon. The commissioner called his recent trip to the White House a "huge step" in the process, but a deal isn't imminent.

The Players Championship is next weekend, and it's arguably the biggest non-Major tournament in the sport of golf. It's often called the fifth unofficial Major, and it would be an ideal time to announce something. All eyes will be on TPC Sawgrass that weekend.

However, Monahan said he can't envision having an announcement to make regarding the PIF merger at that time via Brentley Romine:

"I don't see that happening."

The Players, ironically, will be the first-ever PGA Tour tournament to include a former LIV player. Laurie Canter, who is now back on the DP World Tour, earned his way into that event with a runner-up finish at the recent South African Open.

Despite the obvious connection there, fans will have to wait longer for any sort of announcement about the PGA x LIV Golf merger. There is no timetable, but it reportedly won't be happening by next weekend.

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Jay Monahan addresses recent updates in PGA Tour merger

Jay Monahan heard the reports that the recent White House meeting didn't go very well, but that's not the takeaway he had. He believes the meeting was positive even if it didn't necessarily solve the entire issue.

Jay Monahan addressed the recent reports (Image via Imagn)

Via NBC Sports, Monahan said that anything he, Donald Trump and Yasir Al-Rumayyan have said is consistent with the verbiage needed to navigate a "complex discussion" about fixing the chasm in golf.

He also said his comments don't necessarily speak to his confidence level but rather the goal they all have in mind. He said this was a step in the right direction and that he views the meeting positively as a result.

As for the eventual merger, Jay Monahan doesn't kid himself. He knows not everyone on the PGA Tour is going to like what happens, but he still believes it's the best way forward.

The commissioner said:

"With our player directors and with our board, we’re highly conscious of reunification and focusing on that as a goal, and ultimately, when we get to that position, that’s a question we’ll all answer."

He admitted that they are all trying to solve this problem in the most "effective and proven" way they can. That means balancing what the PGA Tour needs, what the game of golf needs in the long run, and so much more. That is a big reason this merger, which was agreed to in June 2023, has taken so long to even get to this point.