PGA Tour releases its 2025 schedule with no involvement of LIV Golf in sight
Players work on their game on the practice green at the St. Jude Championship golf tournament Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. The tournament is scheduled to begin Thursday. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The PGA Tour released its 2025 schedule on Wednesday with no real surprises and every indication the tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf will be going their separate ways at least until 2026.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said talks with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia are “complicated discussions” but that the sides continue to meet as they try to work out a deal for an investment with the commercial PGA Tour Enterprises.
“As it relates to times and timeframes and where we are, I’d just say that we’re in a good place with the conversations,” he said. “That’s the most important thing.”
Asked if the release of the 2025 schedule suggested there would be no involvement with LIV through 2026 or 2027, Monahan replied, “That’s fair.”
The only real change in the schedule was putting the Memorial and the RBC Canadian Open back to where they were previously — the Memorial on May 29 through June 1, followed by the Canadian Open and then the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
In an effort to create space between the signature events this year, the Memorial was the week before the U.S. Open — a week after Memorial Day — and Memorial host Jack Nicklaus expressed his displeasure.
The 2025 season begins Jan. 2 with the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. Without the Olympics on the calendar, the regular season ends Aug. 24 at the Tour Championship. The rest of the tournaments are in the same order as 2024.
The eight signature events now will have a minimum of 72 players. There were times last year the field dipped below 70 if there was a withdrawal.
LIV Golf players, such as Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, are only together with the best of the PGA Tour at the four majors if eligible.
Rory McIlroy, who is on a transaction subcommittee that is negotiating with PIF, said he hasn’t been on a call since the first week of June. He had referenced conference calls that occur on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but “players aren’t expected to hop on those.”
Patrick Cantlay in on the board of the PGA Tour and the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises and noticed that chatter has “definitely quieted down.”
“There’s going to be ebbs and flows, depending on what kind of information comes out or what announcements,” he said. “But I know all of us are working incredibly hard all the time to get the best outcome.”
The only other changes to the 2025 schedule are the venues. The BMW Championship is the only postseason event that moves around, and it will return to Caves Valley outside Baltimore next year, the course where Cantlay rallied to beat DeChambeau in a playoff.
The U.S. Open returns to Oakmont for the first time since 2016. The PGA Championship will be at Quail Hollow for the second time, and the British Open goes to Royal Portrush, a quick turnaround for the links in Northern Ireland where Shane Lowry won in 2019.
The Truist Championship is moving from Quail Hollow next year because of the PGA Championship and will be held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf