As PGA LIV deal nears Adam Scott understands negative feelings

LOS ANGELES – More than 18 months since the two rival sides shocked the golf world by announcing a “framework” merger agreement, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are still hammering out the finer details.

Adam Scott has a critical role in those negotiations as both the chairman of the Tour’s Player Advisory Council (PAC) and as a player-director on the policy board since 2024. The Australian understands not everyone in the PGA camp may be happy with the result of a potential reunification.

“I wouldn’t be surprised – or I wouldn’t judge anyone – if reunification happened and they weren’t happy with how it happened,” Scott told the Associated Press at last weekend’s Genesis Invitational.

“I wouldn’t hold it against anybody if there were negative emotions attached to it, the thought of players coming back.”

The ramifications of a reunification are still up in the air.

In 2024, a popular talking point was for PGA stars who turned down big money from LIV to be made financially whole for their loyalty. It is also unclear how LIV players who wish to play Tour events again will be re-acclimatised and whether that would come at the expense of some tour cards for the rank and file.

Scott, 44, was elected chairman of the PAC in February 2023 – four months before PGA commissioner Jay Monahan stunned his Tour’s membership by appearing with Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan for a CNBC interview to announce a merger agreement that had been kept under wraps.

The PGA Tour has done plenty since then, including striking an agreement with a new minority partner (Strategic Sports Group) to help fund its new for-profit wing, PGA Tour Enterprises.

“I’ll be honest, it took a couple of months to wrap my head around stuff,”