It’s been over two years since PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan announced a groundbreaking $3 billion merger, but the long-promised deal has yet to become a reality. In a recent appearance on the No Laying Up podcast, PGA Tour player Harry Higgs voiced what many have been feeling, calling the delays “silly” and wondering how it’s possible that the merger could be dragging on this long. “It cannot be this complicated,” Higgs vented, mocking the committees and subcommittees set up to “figure out this subcommittee.”
Even NBA legend and outspoken commentator Charles Barkley previously took a jab at both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, calling the organizations “idiots” for letting the merger drag on. Higgs, echoing this sentiment, took aim at the repetitive emails from the PGA Tour, which repeatedly claim “productive meetings” but show no real progress. “Stop saying you are having a productive meeting,” Higgs challenged. “Clearly, you’re not.”
For fans and pros alike, the lack of transparency and action is frustrating, especially with players left in limbo about the sport’s future. Higgs speculated that the primary holdup is likely the unresolved lawsuits stemming from the PGA Tour’s reaction to LIV Golf’s formation. As fans might recall, when stars like Phil Mickelson defected to LIV in 2022, they filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Tour. Higgs suspects that the ongoing legal drama could be stalling the process, with the Tour hesitant to reintegrate LIV players without facing repercussions.
Higgs didn’t just air grievances—he offered a bold idea that might, in his view, smooth things over. He suggested that the PGA Tour should adopt a contract system similar to LIV’s, particularly now with its boosted financial backing. “Let’s just give 20 guys with a 10 million-a-year contract and then we can tell them where they need to play,” Higgs proposed, adding that high-profile players like Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Bryson DeChambeau could rotate, with performance-based adjustments allowing other players to step in.
Higgs’ idea might not be a perfect solution, but it’s a creative take on an increasingly complicated situation. Whether the Tour adopts such a system remains to be seen, but with frustrations rising, it’s clear something’s got to give.
Sources for this article include USA Today and No Laying Up Podcast.
