While the feud between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has divided the pro golf world for years, there has been a monumental shift as negotiations head into 2026. Or two. There’s a new sheriff in town, on both sides of the feud.
The new CEO of LIV Scott O’Neil and his new counterpart, the CEO of the PGA Tour Brian Rolapphave taken the reins of their respective tournaments this year, offering fresh perspectives on the dispute that has dragged on since 2022.
Can the new bosses offer a new path to end the pro golf war? At a recent media event, O’Neil implied as much, admitting that the two new CEOs have had a discussion and have a “shared vision” to bring the golf world together.
Here’s what you need to know.
Who are Scott O’Neil and Brian Rolapp?
From the beginning, LIV Golf was led by Greg Norman, who was a key figure in its early days. But Norman also proved to be the most divisive figure in the feud.
His frequent vitriol toward the PGA Tour, backfired by figures on the Tour side, only widened the gap between the two sides.
In November, word got out about it Norman would be expelled from LIV. O’Neil, a long-time American sports business and executive, took over the role of CEO in January of this year.
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After taking office, O’Neil told GOLF that he and LIV Golf “have this beautiful mission to grow the game of golf. Get the best players to the four corners of the earth.”
While Norman ran the LIV in the early years, longtime commissioner Jay Monahan ran the PGA Tour. Although Monahan was more civil in his public comments than Norman, he created a zero-tolerance strategy to combat the rise of LIV Golf, banning players who joined the initial circuit and encouraging PGA Tour players to speak out against it.
In August, Monahan was replaced by Rolappformer chief executive of media and business for the NFL.
And Rolapp offered some promising quotes regarding the future of golf.
“We’re going to honor the tradition, but we’re not going to be overly bound by it,” Rolapp said. “The goal is not incremental change. The goal is meaningful change.”
LIV CEO Scott O’Neil acknowledges talks with PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp
This week, O’Neil participated in Sportico’s Invest in Sports Conferencealong 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 great discovery: he and Rolapp have had discussions about the future of pro golf.
“We’ve both talked a few times,” O’Neil admitted.
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This news alone would be a big change from the way previous tournament leaders ran. But what O’Neil said the two CEOs talked about added more hope to many who want to see golf’s best play together again.
“Overall we have a shared view of what the landscape of golf could be or should be over the next several years,” O’Neil said of his and Rolapp’s shared vision. “There’s an opportunity for the entire golf world to come together and grow this pie.”
But there were other signs this week that defied hope of a long-term truce or unification in the pro game.
Announced LIV Golf would change its tournaments from 54 to 72 holes in a move to gain recognition from the Official World Golf Ranking. This is a big change made with the future in mind.
In turn, the PGA Tour stated that they would not issue concessions to any PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour or PGA Tour Champions players to compete in the LIV Promotions event scheduled for early January in Florida.
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