Paul Casey has become the latest star to have his say on the future of professional golf, with the PGA Tour and bosses of LIV Golf working on a deal to reunite the world’s best players
As negotiations between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf continue, Paul Casey claims there is “no incentive” among players for both parties to reach a settlement.
Casey became one among a number of prominent names to depart the PGA Tour to make the mega-money switch to LIV in the summer of 2022. Since then, the Englishman has achieved some success on the breakaway circuit, winning the Team Championship with the Crushers in 2023 and nearly won his first individual title in Hong Kong this month.
Casey won three PGA Tour tournaments and rose to No. 3 in the world rankings, but he is no longer able to compete on the American circuit owing to his LIV commitments.
The former Ryder Cup winner and his fellow LIV stars could be handed a road back to the PGA Tour, as the two opposed parties are presently negotiating a deal to reunite the world of golf. However, the conversations have been ongoing since an initial framework agreement was revealed in June of last year.
The transaction was supposed to be finalised by December 31, but negotiations are still proceeding three months later. Casey believes that, despite all of the commotion off the course, players are unmotivated to reach an accord.
“There is compensation involved, so it goes back to there being no incentive to do that,” he stated on the Are You Not Entertained? program. “I am in a completely different position; I have enough and like playing golf with players like Bryson and Joaquin Niemann, but there is no incentive for the others.
“When you look at the membership, there are a lot of men simply striving to keep their tour cards on various tours, guys who aren’t interested in politics, and then guys at the top who make a difference, but they have to be driven. Currently, there is no motive for that change.”
On Monday, negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) resumed, with the two parties meeting in the Bahamas at the Albany Resort, with Tiger Woods in attendance. According to multiple accounts, Woods played golf with PIF chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan as part of the meeting.
Regarding Woods’ involvement, fellow Player Director Webb Simpson told Sports Illustrated, “Outside of our meeting, he’s been really engaged along the process. He’s an excellent leader, and I believe he has taken on the role of our leader, on whom we rely heavily…
“Ultimately, I want us all to play together more than just the majors,” he said. “It does not have to be limited to the PGA Tour. That’s why we all enjoy sports. The best teams in the Super Bowl. Best teams in the NBA Finals. I believe it will be a while before we get there. I didn’t come away with a better grasp of what the future holds. But I walked away thinking, “I am glad we did that.”
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