Whom do you blame for golf’s broken state? LIV Golf or the PGA Tour? Scottie Scheffler blames the former. Time and again, he has made it clear. At the Masters this year, he did not mince words, and it seemed that the frustration had gotten to him at that time: “They did what they wanted to do, and I can’t control their life. I’m not going to sit here and say they should have done something differently. They made their choice. If we want to figure out why the game of golf is not back together, go ask those guys. Go to wherever they are playing this week and figure out when the game is going to come back together.” Now, after playing the PGA Championship and getting a congratulatory hug from the reigning US Open winner, his thoughts haven’t changed much.
Scheffler is at Colonial Country Club for the Charles Schwab Challenge. There, he was asked about the potential merger that might take place and where in the process all things stand. Scheffler was yet again very candid. “I mean, I don’t really know. That’s for the higher-ups to decide. I have said it a few times this year. If you want to figure out what’s going to happen in the game of golf, go to the other tour and ask those guys,” the three-time major winner stated vehemently.
Even Rory McIlroy had shared something similar earlier. “It takes two to tango. So if one party is willing and ready and the other isn’t, it sort of makes it tough,” the 5-time Major winner had stated previously. This clearly indicates that there is some sort of gap between what the PGA Tour and LIV perceive regarding the merger. But Scheffler’s case is slightly different. He is unbothered. Because he had nothing to do with the split.
“I’m still here playing the PGA TOUR. We had a tour where we all played together, and the guys that left, it’s their responsibility, I think, to bring the tours back together. Go see where they’re playing this week and ask them,” he further added. Scheffler is truly unbothered. He has nothing to prove, and right now, he is a golfer who is miles ahead of any competition. Such has been his domination on the PGA Tour and major stage. If anything, the top talent at LIV Golf is the ones who have to catch up to him and prove themselves. In the two majors so far, Scheffler has proven himself with ease, carding a 4th-place finish at the Masters and winning the title at the PGA Championship.
Scottie Scheffler playing Colonial this week is a perfect encapsulation of who he is. Everyone played Truist the week before the PGA, a signature event with no cut and huge $, and is skipping this week after the grind of Quail Hollow. He’s doing the opposite. For him it’s as…
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) May 21, 2025
Despite his strong lack of opinion regarding the merger, Scheffler had professed previously that the competition is something he cherishes. The two-time Masters champion indicated that despite the PGA Tour being one of the most competitive circuits in the world, players who migrated to LIV would have added an extra edge to it.
Scottie Scheffler misses the competition
“I definitely miss the competition. They got some pretty good players on their tour. I still think the PGA Tour has by far the best players in the world. The depth of our fields and the competition that we have are still, hands down, the best competition that there is in the game of golf. That’s why I’m still playing on the tour. I love the competition. I wish some of those guys had stayed, but at the end of the day, they made their choice,” Scottie Scheffler had stated previously.
So far, the LIV Circuit has 14 golfers who have won a major before or after joining LIV. These golfers have 28 majors amongst themselves, and the list includes six-time major winner Phil Mickelson and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka. There is no shortage of talent on the Saudi-backed tour, which is exactly what Scheffler is trying to say.
“One of the great joys of my career is going up against Jon. He’s a tremendous player, a tremendous talent. I was definitely surprised to see him leave last year, and I for sure miss playing against him. We had some great battles over the years. We had some great battles in the Ryder Cup.” Scheffler further added about Jon Rahm.
Rahm was one of the biggest rivals for Scheffler before his move to LIV Golf at the end of the 2023 season. After Scheffler’s 2022 season, where he won four PGA Tour events along with the Masters, Rahm replicated it by doing the exact same. They would have been slated to compete against each other at a high level if it weren’t for his shift to the LIV Golf. We did get a small glimpse of it at the 2025 PGA Championship.
What do you think of Scheffler’s views about LIV Golf and a potential merger? Do you think that it is on the LIV players to help in finalizing a deal?
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