'Golf Is Not In A Good Place and Let's Not Get Away From That' - Paul McGinley Says The Game Is 'Broken' In Stark Warning To PGA Tour

Paul McGinley has issued a stark warning to the PGA Tour to not rest on its laurels in the wake of their $3bn investment deal with Strategic Sports Group, suggesting the men's professional game remains "broken".

The Tour's deal with a consortium of American sports team owners will see billions pumped into PGA Tour Enterprises - the new, for-profit wing of the Tour - which is now set to be valued at around $12bn. A large portion of that will go towards the player equity programme as well as helping fund the increased tournament prize money. 

But while McGinley praised the deal as a positive first step and for "tying players to the Tour", the Irishman said the hard work begins now for the Tour to help re-energise fans who have lost interest over the last 18 months.

"The public who are watching couldn't care less about this announcement. This is about rich golfers becoming richer and that does not turn on the public," he said, speaking on the Golf Channel. 

"The narrative around golf and the divisiveness over the last 18 months has driven people away from the sport and it's not like LIV has taken those viewers - that product hasn't ignited at all in terms of the public perception and engagement. 

"So golf is not in a good place and let's not get away from that. This deal was a strategic and a business move and it's a stepping stone to try and put golf back together. 

"But we have real issues within the game and those issues revolve around giving a digestible, interesting product to the fans that are going to be tuning in to watch."

A key focus for the new consortium will be attracting eyeballs back to the sport to help boost ratings. For McGinley, the key to that success lies not only in an improved product but also in reuniting the game and ending golf's bitter civil war. 

"We need to unify the game desperately and bring the best players back together again - that's important," he added.

"Is team golf the way forward? I haven't heard a lot of people following to watch. All my friends aren't interested in it. They want to see iconic venues, all the top players playing and they want to be excited. 

"So we have some serious issues in the game - golf has lost a lot of fans in the last 18 months and it's broken. This is a step in that direction but there is so much work to do to give fans a product that excites them."

Negotiations between the Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV, remain ongoing. Any such deal could lay the foundations for a return of high-profile LIV stars to the PGA Tour. 

However, concern around regulatory issues from the US Department Of Justice may well slow down the approval of any such deal. The Tour and the PIF have already extended the deadline for an agreement beyond the initial deadline of December 31 2023, with the hope, now, to have a deal in place before the Masters in April.