Paul McGinley, former winning European Ryder Cup captain and player, believes that a resolution between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf could be reached within a matter of weeks, ahead of the Masters in April.

The long-running negotiations between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf’s Saudi backers, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), are reportedly closer to an agreement than ever before.

McGinley, speaking to BBC Sport Northern Ireland, emphasised that although a reunion between the two tours won’t be easy, it has to be done as no one is benefitting currently.

“The best thing for the game is to come together somehow – it’s not going to be easy as we’ve seen, it’s taken a long time to get to where we are, but it sounds like we’re closer now than we’ve ever been,” McGinley said.

“It’s not going to start with everybody back as friends – it’ll be a slow process in that regard.

“The main thing is to find some kind of umbrella that both tours can work under as well as the DP World Tour and then try to get some kind of schedule out of that,” he explained.

“There’s going to be something announced and from what I hear, it’s going to be announced relatively soon, maybe even before the Masters.”

Getty Images

Launched in 2022, LIV Golf has already attracted the likes of Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka. Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin recently joined LIV Golf, despite Rory McIlroy’s advice to remain with the PGA Tour, although the four-time Major winner has since softened his stance on LIV Golf.

McGinley also warned that golf’s financial model is unsustainable, “The game has got to come together, it’s not sustainable at the moment. The prize money is ridiculous. The business model is not producing the money the players are playing for.

“The Saudis have spent $5bn so far with LIV and they’ve got limited traction. The PGA Tour is spending more than they’re bringing in and they’re going to run out of runway there.

“Nobody’s winning at the moment, except for the players with the huge prize money they’re playing for.”

Main Image: Photo by Phil Inglis/Getty Images