Over a year after the PGA Tour and LIV Golf unveiled a proposed merger framework, the two tours remain separate, and the deal is still stalled. Despite the June 2023 agreement between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), key issues remain unresolved: regulatory scrutiny, internal backlash, and a clash of visions. LIV wants to preserve its team-based model; the PGA Tour wants a unified circuit. Since then, the PGA Tour launched a separate $1.5 billion venture with U.S. investors, rejected PIF’s updated offer, and remained largely silent, especially former Commissioner Jay Monahan.

But a change in leadership may bring a shift in tone. With longtime NFL executive Brian Rolapp now installed as CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, the new commercial arm of the Tour, optimism has resurfaced, especially from LIV’s side. In a recent appearance on The Rick Shiels Golf Show, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil spoke candidly about the future of the stalled merger and his expectations from Rolapp’s entry. “I would say that if you go to the root of the question, saying, ‘Are there opportunities for our golfers to play more golf together?’ Absolutely,” O’Neil said, when asked directly about the status of the merger talks.

O’Neil, who took over as LIV Golf’s CEO in January 2025, succeeded Greg Norman amid a broader repositioning of the upstart league. He and Rolapp, who started his new PGA Tour post in June, are not just professional counterparts. They are longtime friends, having known each other since their Harvard Business School days and even attend the same church. Their relationship, O’Neil hopes, can bring more collaborative energy to the table. “Is Brian here going to help facilitate that at a faster pace than otherwise would? Of course,” he said. “Brian, he’s… I’m still the new guy at six months. You know, Brian’s new at six minutes. And um—but yeah, he’s—hopefully it leads to good things.”

O’Neil emphasized that he doesn’t see the merger purely through the lens of corporate structure but as an opportunity to allow the best players to compete more often. When asked if Rolapp would be invited to a LIV event, O’Neil was honest: “Listen, he’s someone I know very well and have a lot of respect for. Um—and I doubt he’ll come. It’ll be too much of a news circus.” He added that they’re more likely to meet quietly during The Open, away from cameras and headlines.

For now, the tone is cordial, even hopeful, but the actual merger remains in limbo. Key sticking points, such as LIV’s future format and governance control, continue to stall a resolution. That uncertainty stands in stark contrast to moves elsewhere in the golf world, where, rather than narrowing access, tradition is being revived in bold new ways.

R&A resurrects tradition PGA Tour has scrapped

While PGA Tour executives like Jay Monahan continue to shrink access to their events, the R&A is going in the opposite direction. Starting in 2026, the PGA Tour will significantly cut back on Monday qualifiers, citing field-size constraints and broadcast scheduling. Long a pathway for underdogs and journeymen, Monday qualifiers will be reduced from four to two spots for 132-player fields, or eliminated altogether in some tournaments. The rationale, per Tour leadership, is to streamline operations and reduce delays in daylight-restricted events.

But across the Atlantic, the R&A is embracing the same spirit that the PGA Tour is sidelining. On 13 July 2026, the Monday of Open Championship week, Royal Birkdale will host a new “Last-Chance Qualifier”—an 18-hole, winner-takes-all shootout that awards one final spot in the 156-man field. Up to 12 players will compete for that single ticket to the major, reviving the drama that traditional Monday Qs once delivered.

“A new winner-takes-all Last-Chance Qualifier will generate drama and excitement for fans,” The Open announced. It’s a bold play at a time when fan engagement is front and center for the R&A, which also unveiled the Heroes Classic—a short-format celebration of past champions—and expanded activations throughout Championship Week. “The Open is one of the world’s great sporting events,” said R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon. “We’ve introduced new features that elevate the experience, particularly in the lead-up to the Championship.”

With over 1.2 million ticket applications last year, the message from fans is clear: they want more golf, more stories, and more chances for new heroes to emerge. While the PGA Tour moves inward, the R&A is choosing to widen the path. And in today’s fractured golf landscape, that choice may resonate more than ever.