"Most players are sick of the situation"- Former LIV Golf player calls for immediate resolution of PGA x PIF merger
Laurie Canter has been on both sides of the PGA Tour x LIV Golf debate. The golfer is no longer with LIV but has played there and on the DP World Tour. He thinks the chasm between the two sides might be overstated and believes most players on both sides are just tired of it.
The ex-LIV star said (via Golf Monthly):
“I think most players are either sick of the situation or sick of talking about it and would like a resolution. I actually think from a lot of players’ perspectives the currently landscape isn’t necessarily bad."
Canter continued:
“We’re playing for a lot of money and there are three really viable tours that have great tournaments. From that perspective it’s a great time to be a pro, but it’s definitely got to be the best resolution that everyone has a clear pathway to the top and we know what that is.”
Rory McIlroy claimed yesterday that there was to be a meeting between the two sides. He is hopeful that after the recent American election, things will get moving in the right direction. President-elect Donald Trump said famously before he won the election that if he were involved in the negotiations, they would end quickly with a resolution.
Whether or not he will get involved remains to be seen but Canter believes everyone just wants this to end. Several golfers, including Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and others have expressed a desire to compete against the best of the best regardless of tour.
Laurie Canter has no update on the merger
Like most players, Laurie Canter is not directly involved with the discussions between the PIF and the PGA Tour. That also means he doesn't have any idea what the status is.
Canter said he can only rely on the news reports like everyone else (via Golf Monthly):
“I wouldn’t be able to have any update, I’d be completely guessing at how close we are. I read the same reports you did. It definitely feels like things have softened. I was around in the middle of 2022 and at that time playing on the DP World Tour it did not feel like it does this week. I’m here speaking to you now. That wouldn’t have happened in the middle of 2022."
The former LIV Golf star added that he thinks things are trending in the right direction:
“I think that everyone is beginning to talk and actively work to make whatever event better within golf.”
The PGA Tour - LIV Golf merger was agreed to in the summer of 2023. The shocking agreement didn't have anything but a framework and they have spent the last 18 months negotiating beyond that. It has so far not yielded a complete agreement.