During his speech Tuesday night at the Champions Dinner, two-time Masters winner Scottie Scheffler offered a brief nod to the six LIV Golf League players in the room at Augusta National Golf Club who have won the green jacket.

This tidbit was shared by Tom Watson Thursday morning when he and fellow honorary starters Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player were asked about the continuing schism in men’s professional golf between LIV and the PGA Tour, and whether or not golf needed reunification.

“The one thing I do know,” Watson said, “is that Scottie Scheffler in his speech at the past champions dinner on Tuesday night said, ‘I’m glad we’re all together again.’ So the players would like to get together.”

As elder statesmen in the game, the trio undoubtedly have opinions worth soliciting, even if they are not immersed in the tour to the degree they once were. The exception, of course, might be Nicklaus, who hosts a PGA Tour event annually, the Memorial Tournament, in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Furthermore, Nicklaus was a major figure in the creation of the tour in 1968 when players banded together and broke from the PGA of America.

By and large, the legends, who have 11 Masters titles among them, did not sound optimistic.

“I think the LIV pushed the PGA Tour into doing some things that were a little premature for the PGA Tour. But the PGA Tour is doing fine,” Nicklaus said. “I think they’ve changed their structure; the players now own a piece of what’s going on. I think their plan of … elevated events and their plan of bringing young players along in the other tournaments has been very successful. We’re making new stars for the game. Would I love to see them all come together? Sure, I think we all would. But I think the PGA Tour is the tour where most of your good players are, and I think it’s very healthy no matter which way it goes.”

Currently, talks are not going anywhere. It has been nearly two years since the tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia struck a deal on a framework agreement to merge the two tours. Recently, however, after some encouraging signs, the antagonists seem further apart after the tour turned down a $1.5 billion investment offer from PIF, which financially underpins LIV. So for the time being, golf continues on with two competing tours.

“I think anytime in life, and getting closer to 90 now, you realise that confrontation is a terrible thing,” Player said. “Confrontation and forgiveness [are] very important. All I can say is that they [LIV players] have chosen to do that, and that’s their choice. And that’s their tour, and we have our tour. … It would be wonderful if they could get together. Whether they will or not, time will tell.”

“I concur with Gary,” Watson said. “They made their choice to play their own tour, and that’s where they are right now. I don’t see a real working mechanism for the two tours to get back together. I think that’s one of the reasons you haven’t seen an agreement, as you said, since June two years ago.

“It’s really up to the powers that be to see if there’s a framework in which the two tours can cooperate. I don’t see that framework happening,” Watson added. “Maybe they’re smarter people than I am, but the key element of the PGA Tour, the one thing that is required of you is to get permission to play in a competing tournament—the conflicting event rule. That’s there to protect the sponsors of our PGA Tour so that the fields are not depleted of all the good players as they go and play other tournaments. That’s the main requirement.

“Over the years, I got special exemptions, maybe twice a year, once a year, got permission of the tour to be able to compete in a tournament that’s opposite the PGA Tour, and that’s the reason. I don’t see that the two tours can get together.”

Main Image: Stephen Denton