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PGA Tour-LIV Golf Merger Winners and Losers: Koepka Right Back Where he Belongs

Neil Parker

Last Updated: June 6, 2023 3:24 PM EDT • 4 min 21 sec read.

Brooks Koepka is a winner of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger.
Brooks Koepka lines up a putt on May 26 in Sterling, Virginia. Photo by Rob Carr Getty Images via AFP.

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf Series announced a merger Tuesday that sent the golf world into a frenzy after the two rivals were pit against each other in legal, media, and on-course battles for the past year-plus. Sportsbook Review betting analyst Neil Parker checks in on the development and offers his PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger winners and losers.

Listen, considering none of the players knew a merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf Series was coming reinforces just how unexpected Tuesday’s agreement was.

And, I’m still unpacking and assessing exactly what it all means. 

There are going to be unforeseen consequences that’ll unfold in the months to come, but I struggle to see how it can be spun negatively.

The two organizations have been locked into lawsuits and antitrust claims, and now, all pending litigation will be off the table. That has to be a plus, right?

After all, the hot-button topic has boiled over time and time again and divided professional golf. I’m not here to wax politically or judge. The PGA Tour needed change, and LIV Golf kick-started and helped facilitate that.

When it’s all said and done, golf’s a global game, and if this merger means we’ll have the best players going head-to-head in the best tournaments at the best courses around the world, it’s a huge win.

It’s as simple as that.

PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger: Winners

Brooks Koepka

Koepka is a majors ATM. 

Brooks is right back where he belongs and, now, it looks like he can pick and choose his tournament schedule again while fine-tuning his game to take a run at major-championship history.

Sure, other players who jumped ship for LIV Golf are going to benefit from this merger, but none of them have the potential to take a run at joining the likes of Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods in the history books.

Brooks got paid, and now he’s perfectly positioned to pad the record book again.

Golf fans around the world

Returning to the idea that golf is a global game, I’m anticipating this merger to place an added emphasis on showcasing the best players worldwide. Both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf were predominantly U.S. based, with LIV in the beginning stages of showing a heightened interest in events being hosted around the globe.

The Big 4 North American professional sports leagues consistently attempt to extend their reach across the globe, but golf has arguably already had the most success. Now, it should be easier than ever for professional golf to truly become a global game.

Again, how can the best players going head-to-head in the best tournaments at the best courses around the world be anything but a … wait for it … hole-in-one.

LIV Golf

Not only did the team angle feel forced, “Golf but Louder” was gimmicky, the television coverage was clumsy and kaleidoscopic, and I’m skeptical the 54-hole, shotgun-start events were going to prepare professional golfers to be successful in traditional tournaments over the long haul.

Still, I’m hoping these LIV-style events – or at least elements of them – don’t disappear entirely. 

There’s room for Al Czervik, Ty Webb, and Judge Elihu Smails – and if the reference doesn’t register, take two hours and watch Caddyshack already. Plus, we already know there is an appetite for less-competitive, non-stuffy golf because of the success of the various “The Matches.” 

LIV Golf took a daring first step in presenting the game differently and, regardless of what critics will cite, it connected.

I’m genuinely curious about if, and hopeful that, the aspects of what made LIV Golf unique and approachable for fans continues to live on. If they do, then it’s a huge win for the upstart series.

Oh, and those PGA Tour players who bailed to cash in cushy checks certainly came out on top, too.

PGA Tour LIV Golf Merger Winners and Losers.
Members of Torque GC celebrate after winning the team portion of the LIV Golf Invitational - DC at Trump National Golf Club on May 28, 2023. Photo by Rob Carr Getty Images via AFP.

PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger: Losers

Jay Monahan

I’m not here to dunk on anyone. It’s not my place, and it’s not my style.

It’s just undeniable that the PGA Tour commissioner could have handled this entire situation more successfully. He was consistently unaccountable, unapproachable, and clearly out of touch with the realities of competing professional golf tours.

Monahan banked on moral superiority and expected LIV Golf to fail. I’m not going to dabble on the morality subject, but I will wholeheartedly hammer down that LIV Golf was never going to take its ball and coward away.

Finally, it’s also safe to say he let the loyal PGA Tour pros down and also kept them out of the loop leading into this merger. 

So, now, the question is: Will the PGA golfers be compensated for their loyalty to the tour?

For me, that’s one of the only available avenues Monahan has to reclaiming some respect and trust after what’s transpired in professional golf over the past year-plus.

Rory McIlroy

The toll of being the face of the PGA Tour has worn on McIlroy. He’s discussed it, and we’ve seen it unfold throughout his bout of inconsistent play over the past five months.

His game is just nowhere near 100% and I miss his trademark walking-on-air strut chasing down a pierced iron that still hasn’t landed, and that no one else on the planet can hit.

My bankroll misses his A-game even more.

Sure, there are a handful of other elite players who passed on the lure of a life-changing payday, but Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are still winning in bunches. And, second-wavers Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa, Viktor Hovland and Tony Finau all have victories this season, too.

The winning window only stays open so long, and while Rory’s legacy will always land him among this era’s elite, he had another winless trip to Augusta National Golf Club in April and hasn’t won a major since 2014.

I’m confident McIlroy will rebound. I’m hopeful he dons a green jacket. This saga has just been flatout unkind to the Irishman, so hopefully his luck turns around and he can put the drama and distraction in the rearview and return to the winner’s circle in short order.

Hey, and maybe the turnaround is as quick as the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, where Rory is the betting favorite to win the event for the third consecutive time.

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Written By:
Neil Parker
A lifelong Cowboys, Cubs, Maple Leafs and Gators supporter, Neil has been covering sports in print and online since 2011. His past stops include USA TODAY, theScore, DraftKings Playbook and RotoWire among others. He's a graduate of St. Thomas University and Acadia University and spends ample time at KenWo Golf Club.