'There’s No Merger, No Conversations' - PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp Shuts Down LIV Golf Talks
The CEO of the PGA Tour claimed that no merger talks had been held with LIV Golf, which recently revealed new investors
Speaking to Bloomberg News, PGA Tour CEO, Brian Rolapp, has confirmed that the circuit won't strike a deal with the LIV Golf League following financial difficulties in 2026.
"There’s no merger, no conversations, we’ve been really concentrated on the PGA Tour,” explained Rolapp in an exclusive interview.
He went on to add: "We've been mainly focused on where we're going and improving our product."
The news comes just days after the LIV Golf League secured funding from an unnamed investor, which should keep the league going through the remainder of 2027 after the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia pulled funding at the end of April.
It's thought that the investment is between $250 to $300 million, and would make its players "majority equity holders" in the circuit, calling it "a first for a major global sports league."
Despite this, Rolapp has no interest in working alongside LIV Golf, which is a far cry from June 2023, when news broke that the PGA Tour, under Jay Monahan, and the PIF of Saudi Arabia, the former backers of the circuit, would strike a landmark agreement to unify the game of golf, on a global basis.
Rolapp during his Bloomberg Television interview
Since then, though, talks have stagnated between the two and, consequently, both have gone on different paths.
After Monahan stepped down from his role as CEO, Rolapp has taken over and re-shaped the circuit, introducing a Championship Series and a Challenger Series that will begin in 2028.
This is one of the key areas the PGA Tour is looking to explore going forward, with the new format set to embrace upcoming talent, such as Miles Russell, who has been predicted to go far in the pro leagues.
Russell finished T20th during his Korn Ferry Tour debut in 2024
At the age of 15, he became the youngest player to make a cut on the Korn Ferry Tour and, two years later in 2026, he made the weekend at the US Open on his Major debut.
From 2028, players will now be promoted and relegated in a two-tier series format and, speaking about the move, Rolapp stated: "We’ve opened up the meritocracy of golf. If he’s that good, we’ve worked out a system where he will work his way up."
Innovation is a big-part of Rolapp's mantra and, continuing to speak to Bloomberg, the soon to be PGA Tour Commissioner, explained: "Any professional sport, worth it's salt, will always challenge where it is.
"One thing I learnt from the NFL is that if you're not going forward, you're going backwards. When I took the job (at the PGA Tour) I made it clear that we're going to honor tradition, but we're not going to be overly bound by it.
Rolapp speaks to media during The Players Championship
"Huge innovation doesn't happen without a crisis. A lot of short-comings in professional golf came with a little bit of competition.
"Competition is a good thing, and we've seen that, and we're trying to build something that outlives all of us here...
"I think we (the PGA Tour) have a lot of stars and there's a misconception of professional golf that only a given competition matters if one or two golfers are in it.
"When you look at professional golf, the difference between winning and losing a competition is one stroke over four days... The reality is we have a great collection of some pretty amazing golfers.
"The established guys, like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, or (Jackson) Koivun and these younger guys. We have this amazing roster of veterans and young guys and it's our job to showcase them better."
