Last year, on 6 June 2023, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced their plan to unite the PGA and LIV in a bid to end controversy and division in the world of golf.

The restoration of a single tour, bringing together the best talent in world golf, seemed like a reality. A year on, it has still not happened, and there are no signs that it will in the near future.

The PGA players were unhappy at being caught out, especially after pressure over human rights issues in Saudi Arabia led them to reject the generous offers of the new series.

However, any agreement would have to go through the PGA Tour Policy Board, a body that has been renewed with a majority of players in recent months.

The deadline was set at 31 December 2023, but was extended after no agreement was reached. Having missed the deadline as an opportunity to merge, the Transaction Subcommittee is in charge of the negotiations. It includes player Rory McIlroy, who is confident that the negotiations will come to a successful conclusion despite the delay of more than a year.

He told Sports Illustrated in recent weeks that they have been talking to the Saudis three times a week for at least a month. Last Friday there was a meeting in New York with Monahan, Al-Rumayyan and Tiger Woods. It was their first meeting since March.

PIF would buy shares in PGA Tour Enterprises for profit, which was created earlier this year in an agreement with owners of American sports teams, including John Henry, owner of the Fenway Sports Group, who invested a total of $1.5 billion (€1.7 billion).

"Looking forward a few years, LIV will continue on its path, but perhaps with more cooperation or understanding between the tours," McIlroy told SI. "Maybe there will be some cross-pollination where players can start playing on both."

"A year on, it seems like there are a lot of rumours and everything stays the same. I haven't seen any difference since that day," said Keegan Bradley, winner of the 2011 PGA Championship.

"I've heard a lot of things that could happen. I have no idea what is going to happen with the PIF. I hear a new rumour every day. I am hopeful. I would love to see some of the big names come back and play here."

The details of how PGA defectors would return to the unified series, and any penalties, are likely to be an obstacle to a final deal, as is a possible unified tour with many more global stops compared to the PGA, which is primarily based in the United States.

Meanwhile, television ratings have fallen this year, a sign that golf fans are tired of the LIV-PGA split. "The PGA has a vision of what it wants to look like... and what it wants to evolve into," Australian negotiator Adam Scott told Golfweek. "I don't know exactly what their vision is."

"I think we're getting there," Scott said. "Eventually someone will have to say exactly what it is and I think that will happen very soon. You have to break the ice and someone has to show their hand. It's moving as fast as it can," Scott concluded.

Tiger Woods, for his part, says progress is slow but steady. "It's fluid. It changes from day to day," Woods said. "Has there been progress? Yes. But it's an ongoing negotiation, so there's a lot of work ahead for all of us. It may not be big steps, but we are making steps."

As things stand, the only place to see the best players on the PGA Tour compete against the top talent on the LIV is at a major tournament, which is detrimental to the entire season and the future of golf worldwide.