Remember when golf’s biggest feud was Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson? Those seem like simpler times now, as professional golf enters its third year of a bitter, bitter civil war with no resolution in sight. Just a month ago, optimism surged when PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott made their way to the White House for a high-profile meeting with President Donald Trump. That diplomatic intervention was supposed to accelerate talks between the warring factions. Instead, the silence that followed spoke volumes about the continued stalemate.
Into this void stepped Brandel Chamblee, the outspoken Golf Channel analyst known for his unfiltered opinions. His message was crystal clear: “LIV poached a few stars, but the PGA Tour holds all the cards,” Chamblee stated on social media. The timing of Chamblee’s declaration couldn’t be more pointed—coming directly after Monahan himself admitted to reporters at the Arnold Palmer Invitational that there’s no meeting scheduled with the Saudi Public Investment Fund and that an announcement at next week’s Players Championship isn’t expected.
Monahan’s tepid assessment contradicts his previous enthusiasm following the White House meeting, when he claimed “everything is moving forward with pace.” Now he’s walking back expectations, telling reporters, “We don’t have a next meeting set, but obviously we’re in a really busy stretch here.“
LIV poached a few stars, but the PGA Tour holds all the cards. https://t.co/cq6MqhcYCW
— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) March 5, 2025
This public tempering of expectations provides the perfect backdrop for Chamblee’s assertion that the PGA Tour maintains leverage despite LIV Golf’s aggressive poaching of talent. The analyst’s comments reflect growing sentiment among Tour loyalists that Monahan shouldn’t feel pressured to make concessions simply to accelerate reunification, especially when approximately 70% of golf fans reportedly view possible reunification positively.
This is a developing story…
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