While the feud between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has divided the pro golf world for years, there has been one monumental change as negotiations head into 2026. Or two. There’s a new sheriff in town, on both sides of the spat.
New LIV CEO Scott O’Neil and his new counterpart, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, have taken the reins of their respective tours this year, offering fresh perspectives on the dispute that’s dragged on since 2022.
Could the new bosses provide a new pathway to end pro golf’s war? At a recent media event, O’Neil implied as much, admitting the two new CEOs have had discussion and have a “common view” to bring the golf world back together.
Here’s what you need to know.
Who are Scott O’Neil and Brian Rolapp?
From the start, LIV Golf was helmed by Greg Norman, who was a pivotal figure in its inception. But Norman also turned out to be the most divisive figure in the feud.
His frequent vitriol toward the PGA Tour, returned in kind by figures on the Tour’s side, only increased the gulf between the two parties.
In November, word leaked that Norman would be ousted from LIV. O’Neil, an American and longtime sports business executive, took over the CEO role in January of this year.
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After taking over the position, O’Neil told GOLF that he and LIV Golf “have this beautiful mission to grow the game of golf. Take the best players to the four corners of the earth.”
While Norman was leading LIV in the early years, longtime commissioner Jay Monahan headed the PGA Tour. Though Monahan was more civil in his public comments than Norman was, he crafted a zero-tolerance strategy to combat LIV Golf’s rise, banning players who joined the upstart circuit and encouraging PGA Tour players to speak out against it.
In August, Monahan was replaced by Rolapp, the former chief media and business executive for the NFL.
And Rolapp offered up some promising quotes in terms of golf’s future.
“We’re going to honor tradition, but we will not be overly bound by it,” Rolapp said. “The goal is not incremental change. The goal is significant change.”
LIV CEO Scott O’Neil admits talks with PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp
This week, O’Neil took part in Sportico’s Invest in Sports Conference, along with figures such as former MLB great Alex Rodriguez and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie.
During his appearance, O’Neil was asked about the state of negotiations with the PGA Tour, and O’Neil made a big reveal: he and Rolapp have had discussions about the future of pro golf.
“The two of us have talked a few times,” O’Neil admitted.
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That news alone would be a big change from how the tours’ previous heads conducted themselves. But what O’Neil said the two CEOs talked about added more hope for the many who want to see golf’s best all play together again.
“Generally we have a common view on what could be or should be the landscape of golf over the next several years,” O’Neil said of he and Rolapp’s shared vision. “There’s an opportunity for the whole golf world to come together and grow this pie.”
But there were other signs this week that countered the hope of a long-lasting truce or merger in the pro game.
LIV Golf announced it would change its tournaments from 54 to 72 holes in a move to gain recognition by the Official World Golf Ranking. That’s a major change made with the future in mind.
On the other side of things, the PGA Tour declared that they would not grant releases for any PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour or PGA Tour Champions player to compete in the LIV Promotions event scheduled for early January in Florida.
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