The unification of the golf world has brought in a lot of hope for LIV Golf as well as for the fans. With top names including Greg Norman, Jay Monahan, and even the 47th POTUS, Donald Trump, showcased their involvement, it seemed like the unification was about to happen. But now, as the 2025 season comes closer to conclusion, it seems the hopes are also fading away and bringing more concern, especially for the Saudi-backed leagues. Well, it’s not us, but that’s what the new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has hinted at with his address.

And there are not just one, but three concerning avenues that might affect the Saudi-backed league if it took place soon without unification.

Top 3 concerns for LIV Golf hinted by CEO Brian Rolapp

No merger on priority

During the debut address by Rolapp, he was asked some crucial questions about the merger. Being in the new role, he has been taking all the knowledge from Monahan, as shared in his address. But when it comes to following the unification idea, he has a different plan. Firstly, when asked about the conversation with the PIF, he said, “I have not spoken to anyone from the Public Investment Fund. I’ve been here for three weeks, so my focus has obviously been on the TOUR and focusing on the TOUR and learning and starting to develop a bit of a vision for the future.” Well, the change in management has already slowed down the process.

Earlier, Adam Scott, a member of the PGA Tour policy board, shared how there was no conversation after the visit to the White House. Now with the confirmation from Rolapp, this gets concerning for LIV Golf, which is struggling with staggering losses. Not just this, but Rolapp is targeting the strong suite of the league as well.

The weak ends for LIV turn in strong bonds for the PGA Tour

Recently, there has been a shocking update from the PIF league about the plan to stop paying fines for the DPWT participation. The only tour that offered an opportunity for LIV golfers to play might be closed soon. But that has been the biggest opportunity for the new CEO. As of August 20th, 2025, he addressed that, “I think my primary focus is going to be on strengthening the TOUR, and a blank sheet of paper means a blank sheet of paper. Whatever does that, I’ll pursue aggressively. That’s how I view it.” Interestingly, he also mentioned having talks with Guy Kennings of the DP World Tour to understand a middle ground for a competitive model.

The relationship between the two leagues has always been strong. But since the reunification talks picked up, the collaboration of LIV and DPWT also took place. Now that the progress is stagnant, it seems the DPWT and the PGA Tour would turn back on LIV Golf. In fact, the address has invited the golf community to praise him. In a post on X, Joel Beall, senior writer at GolfDigest, wrote, “Undertone of new PGA Tour CEO Rolapp’s address was unmistakable: he’s not afraid to burn it all down and start over.”

However, still, these two aren’t the biggest concern, as what Rolapp plans next could just be the drastic downfall of the Saudi-backed league.

A close eye on the best of the golfers

The biggest strategic move that Rolapp is planning is hinted at by him in his debut address. He said with certainty, “I would offer to you that the best collection of golfers in the world are on the PGA Tour. I think there’s a bunch of metrics that demonstrate that, from rankings to viewership to whatever you want to pick. I’m going to lean into that and strengthen that.” This year, the league, despite the initial struggle, managed to extend its partnership and increase viewership. The tour garnered 2.969 million viewers per broadcast. Interestingly, CBS saw a jump of 17% in 2024.

Even further, he assured that, “I will also say that to the extent we can do anything that’s going to further strengthen the PGA TOUR, we’ll do that, and I’m interested in exploring whatever strengthens the PGA TOUR.” But with the increasing numbers, he is aiming to get the best players. The move of poaching players from the PGA Tour back in 2022 was the savior for the league. But now, as the new CEO is aiming to get players back, it would increase the concern for the league and might begin the downfall.

The new move even brought the critics in support. Monday Q Info has been one of the biggest critics of the PGA Tour. Earlier, the page shared opposingly about the move of the tour, but now the page praised the new CEO. The post read, “Really good first impression. That is how a press conference is done. Let’s hope this is how it will be going forward.”

With the concerning moves for LIV Golf, the management might need to find a new strategy to battle the PGA Tour’s plan.