Despite thrilling Masters finish, future of pro golf remains in question

But despite the tournament's success, the future of men's pro golf seems to be in limbo. 

According to the New York Times, rivals LIV Golf and the PGA Tour aren't near an agreement to merge, and, even if a contractual agreement is reached, LIV is expected to remain a standalone tour.

In 2021, LIV signed some of the PGA's top names — Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and others — on contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars combined. 

None of the LIV golfers are allowed to play in non-major PGA Tour events unless they are granted exemptions. The loss of that talent hurts the PGA, depleting the tour's reserves by $100 million, according to a 2023 Wall Street Journal report, and causing a viewership drop of nearly 20% in 2024 in the United States (h/t Sports Business Journal). 

Although the PGA Tour has more promising TV ratings in 2025, it seems impossible for it to fully recover when some of golf's biggest names, namely DeChambeau, the reigning U.S. Open winner, are absent. 

LIV Golf — primarily funded by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund — has not enjoyed substantial success. In March, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said LIV was "dying a slow, costly death." LIV generated "virtually zero" revenue in its first season and has lagged far behind the PGA in viewership totals. 

On April 8, the PGA Tour had 1.746 million viewers for the final round of the Texas Valero Open, while LIV had 484,000 viewers for its Miami event. The PGA's 2025 numbers were down 20% from the same event last year, while LIV's totals were the highest in league history.

Better TV numbers for LIV and the PGA Tour mean more profit, which eventually leads to a more interesting product. LIV remaining a standalone tour is not beneficial for either organization. If an agreement that involves merging the two tours is not reached, both organizations risk further losses. 

At least one of the tours seems aware of how important a merger is. In February, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said a "reunification of the game" is his goal, and that he seeks a system "where everybody benefits."  

Whether LIV is as interested in merging with the PGA Tour may be the deciding factor.