Apr 10, 2026
3 min read
Three years have passed, and the LIV-PGA fight appears to have already been resolved, although it hasn't necessarily been 'won'.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Just three years ago, the war between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf threatened to wipe out all of men's professional golf.
Saudi-backed upstart LIV was a trouble maker to become the sport's premier tour.It made bold announcements while poaching players from the established, US-based PGA Tour.
Back and forth, there were problematic debates about everything from ethics and morality to the world golf rankings to whether the intervention could affect the entire game.
He also entered the 2023 Masters, usually entering, or trying to, because of trouble.Almost all golfers asked about LIV, the disadvantages and all the conditions.Mud is thrown on these surfaces which are very reduced and very well maintained.
Many LIV players wore their team jerseys (as a team sport on this tour) in tournaments as a show of solidarity and promotion, though many made a decision if Augusta National prevented them.
LIV players have been open about the importance of being one of 18 contenders to win a green jacket."It would be great to validate the amount of talent we have at LIV," said LIV's Phil Mickelson.
There was talk of each player attending a party for the 18th if one of them won -- "Can you imagine what a scene that would be?"said LIV CEO Greg Norman.
Augusta National must have imagined this and, along with other reviews, were clearly not too impressed. Although leaders from the PGA and DP World Tours were invited, the tournament refused to invite Norman.
"The No. 1 issue ... is I want to focus on the Masters this week," Augusta National president Fred Ridley said.A year later, Norman bought his own ticket on the secondary market.
The LIV party didn't happen because John Rahm, who was on the PGA Tour at the time, won.Eight months later, Ram signed a contract with LIV for more than $300 million.
Because of this, no one could predict exactly what was going to happen at that time.The PGA Tour was a seemingly immovable commodity, but LIV had tons of money.
"I don't know where the world is going to go this year or two years," Ridley said.
Well, it's been three years and the LIV-PGA battle is definitely settled, if not necessarily "won".
The PGA Tour is back on the front foot, undermining LIV's momentum.Golf is better there.Its competition is better.Its ratings are better.The best golfers who once left are starting to come back.
Meanwhile, LIV has established itself as an international tour, able to host successful events, especially in areas where the PGA Tour does not travel.They have organized 14 activities in 10 different countries on five continents.However, it is no longer a threat to the PGA Tour's existence.
This is where arguments turn into sobs.
There are just 10 LIV players in the Masters field this year, returning to the PGA in part because of a string of reverse mistakes.That includes major names like Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka.Reed cited the traditional 72-hole format, historic location, fan interest and overall sense of increased competition.
"I was really just sitting there and realized that not only ... I wanted to get back to the PGA Tour, but I wanted to get back to playing traditional golf and playing," Reed said Monday at the Masters."I wanted to get that back, I wanted to get the adrenaline back."
The PGA Tour, which fears the loss of all its titles, is so confident in its status that its "Returning Members Program" requires a large payment to return and give up participation in certain tournaments.In Koepka's case, it was $5 million for charity.
"It's meant to hurt, it hurts," Koepka told the AP last year."But I understand. It doesn't have to be an easy road."
Speculation is already brewing about who will leave the PGA Tour, but who might return — with all eyes on Bryson DeChambeau, whose LIV contract expires at the end of the year, and ultimately Rahm and others.
LIV will continue as long as the Saudis are willing to support it.The tour said revenue doubled in fiscal 2025 and continues to introduce new sponsors and global media deals.These events often attract large and enthusiastic crowds.It may still sign or retain big-name players.
The big announcements of 2023 are behind us - says Cam Smith "As the LIV Tour grows and the fields get deeper and stronger and things open up, it will get better and better. I can't wait to see it happen in person."
Instead, the general public rejected LIV's 54-hole format and ignored the game's team.Both feel cheated.
You can still have a fun, fan-friendly event to attend in person; nothing wrong with more golf.Although the American television audience was never formed.
Part of that is simply the power of PGA history, with generations of habits, traditions and host courses.Losing a great talent hurts, but there is so much weight in the establishment, perhaps to topple it is impossible.The PGA Tour also enacted many first player initiatives.
Norman, who leaves LIV in 2025, is also mostly cautious, telling the Australian Golf Digest last year: "Like everything, you look back at losing a golf tournament and ask yourself, 'Why did you lose that golf tournament?'
He said he still hasn't been invited back to the Masters, while current LIV CEO Scott O'Neill has.
It could be a final reminder of a brief, but uncertain time for the sport, where golf's most improbable battles arrived at the original gates of Augusta National.
As in golf, calm reigned.
