Deal for tours and LIV unlikely before 2026, says DP World leader

Men’s professional golf will not be reunified until 2026 despite “significantly more momentum” in negotiations, according to DP World Tour chief Guy Kinnings.

Almost 11 months since the announcement of a Framework Agreement between the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Kinnings revealed the leaders of the key parties in golf ’s civil war had yet to all meet around the same table.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and members of private equity investors Strategic Sports Group met PIF governor Yasir AlRumayyan in Saudi Arabia in January, while Tiger Woods and other player directors did in the Bahamas after the Players Championship.

“While I’m all for looking forward rather than looking back, we all know that after the Framework Agreement was announced, there wasn’t a lot of progress or obvious progress,” said Kinnings, who recently succeeded Keith Pelley.

“Has there been a big negotiation where all the parties have sat round and talked about the future product? I don’t think that meeting’s happened yet.

“I can’t explain in detail or fix what’s gone before, now looking forward we’ve just got to make sure that happens as soon as possible.

“All I know now, because I have actually directly been involved in it, is there’s a lot of work going on in terms of looking at a working plan, so there is significantly more momentum.

“There is an intent to get the right people in the room. And it’s no different from what you need to do in business – don’t leave until you’ve got a deal done.”

Asked to suggest a timeframe for golf ’s rival factions to come together, Kinnings added: “I don’t see any Tour’s schedules changing in ’25.

“If you could get a resolution now, maybe you could do some stuff towards the end of ’25, but the reality is the ’26 season needs to be the one where there are significant changes.

“To do that you’ve got to have that agreed towards the end of ’24.”

Guy Kinnings and Padraig Harrington in 2019.