'Do I Want A Deal? My Short Answer Is No, But I Don’t Care Much' - PGA Tour Pro Offers Insight Into PIF Deal

Michael Kim says a PIF deal would have very little affect on the majority of PGA Tour pros, as he gave a great insight into how a lot of them feel about it

Michael Kim at the John Deere Classic
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Michael Kim, one of the most open and honest pros on the PGA Tour, has given a great insight into the continued wrangling with the Saudi PIF - saying that for most players a new deal won't make any difference.

"Do I want a deal? My short answer is no, but I don’t care much," was Kim's assessment of the situation in an informative post on X.

It comes in the wake of Rory McIlroy saying that PGA Tour players were split on whether they wanted a deal to be done to allow LIV Golf players back into the fold.

Kim, though, says that whether a deal actually gets done or not would not affect him at all - and in fact would only benefit those at the very top of the standings.

"Whether the tour and LIV make a deal or not, it will not affect my bottom line," Kim wrote. "It won’t change my schedule in the slightest bit and won’t change my earnings. This realistically only affects the top 30ish golfers on the PGA Tour and that they’ll probably make more money after this deal." 

Kim also cast doubt on that narrative that having all the best players in the world playing together again would create some massive up-lift in TV ratings - or at least a sustained one.

"You can make the argument that if the players come back, it’ll be better for the PGA Tour, and bring more interest but I find that hard to believe. 

"It’s not gonna be a big mashup, it’s only going to be for a few events with a big purse if I were to guess. How many LIV guys actually affect ratings and events? Phil, Bryson, Rahm? 

"Will it increase ratings and earnings by more than 1%? Sure the first couple events would be cool but after that? I might be totally wrong but that’s my opinion. What’ll make a much bigger difference is how to make the TV product much better."  

Rory McIlroy talks to the media ahead of the BMW PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy says players are split 50-50 on a PGA Tour-PIF deal

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The mechanics of how the two tours will be reintegrated is also seen as a huge sticking point - in terms of when and where LIV players will be allowed back, how many would be allowed back and if there would be any penalties imposed.

Some players are adamant that LIV golfers, those that launched legal action against the PGA Tour especially, should have some financial consequences for their actions - which Kim fully backs and insists is not a petty way of thinking.

"I just think there needs to be consequence to their decision to leave and SUE the tour," he added. "You can call that petty but the LIV guys sued the PGA Tour mainly for their PIP money. The same PGA Tour that was the reason why you even got the big payday in the first place. That’s just as petty in my eyes.

"FYI, just because there’s a deal doesn’t mean every LIV guy gets full status on the PGA Tour. There’s gonna be very limited crossover."

Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.