Jordan Spieth Breaks Silence on PGA Tour’s Future As Donald Trump Pushes for LIV Golf Merger Progress
The PGA Tour boss, Jay Monahan just made a big move—closing in on a game-changing deal with LIV Golf’s Saudi backers. It took long enough. Along with Adam Scott, a player director on the PGA Tour board, Monahan met with former President Donald Trump at the White House. In a statement released after the meeting, Monahan shared that they had asked Trump to get involved in the negotiations “for the good of the game, the good of the country, and all the countries involved.”
“We are grateful that his leadership has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for the reunification of men’s professional golf,” Monahan said. The statement was co-signed by Monahan, Scott, and Tiger Woods, who serves as vice chairman of the PGA Tour Enterprises and is the only player director with a term without limits. This move marks a significant step as the PGA Tour works toward reuniting the world of professional golf, potentially reshaping its future for the better.
That’s not all for the changes. The format for the 30-man field tournament held at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta each August, which decides the winner of the season-long FedEx Cup, is once again under evaluation. Since 2007, the Cup format has seen many changes, the latest in 2019 with staggered starting strokes. It gave Scheffler a two-shot lead, he won the Cup but didn’t post the lowest 72-hole score. The Tour is now considering to enhance the broadcast experience, competitions, player profiles, and on-site experience, as part of its Fan Forward initiatives.
Jordan Spieth was asked about these changes. He replied, “Whoever it was didn’t want two different champions; it was confusing on the same green. Then you go to the stroke format and, although easier to follow, I think the idea is that the tour networks and fans believe there’s a possibility of a better format. Whether that involves any kind of head-to-head matches or fewer guys on Sunday all playing for it, I think everything’s pretty much on the table.”
Although confirmed on February 24, 2025, there is still no update. So he too lacks clarity. But, whatever works for the fan engagement works best for the Tour. Stating his confusion, Spieth added, “How the week starts, 20,000 part, 800 part, 700 part – it’s hard for people to kind of grasp it and get behind it. It’s a very difficult thing to understand or try to figure out, how you reward a season-long champion in a four-round event without diminishing the whole regular season, but also creating exciting drama, and a dramatic finish on Sunday. So, how will you do that? I don’t know,” ahead of the Cognizant Classic.
