Andrew 'Chubby' Chandler believes that the PGA Tour's new $3bn investment deal with Strategic Sports Group (SSG) could see the PGA Tour and LIV Golf remain two separate entities despite ongoing negotiations with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The Tour's deal with a consortium of American sports team owners will see billions pumped into PGA Tour Enterprises - the new, for-profit wing of the Tour - which is now set to be valued at around $12bn.
Talks continue with the PIF in the background, but with no meaningful progress since the initial announcement in June last year, an agreement before the Masters - the latest deadline set by both parties - seems a distant hope.
Even if a deal is reached, however, Chandler, a former agent for Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, doesn't see LIV and the PGA Tour merging but believes that shouldn't necessarily be cause for concern.
"I don’t think they will end up as one," the 70-year-old said, speaking to Golf Monthly.
"I do think that LIV will keep going and the PGA Tour will be side by side. They will work out that the PGA Tour finishes at the end of August and then LIV takes over. I can see them co-existing pretty easily.
"I think that the Majors will work out a way of getting LIV players in - as the Masters have now started - and if you set aside the petty differences, it’s not that difficult to set up something whereby the schedules align.
"It’s bound to work out because they can’t keep ignoring each other. I can’t see them coming back together but I can see them living side by side and things being okay."
While the prospect of men's professional golf remaining divided for the indefinite future may not appeal to fans, Chandler claimed that the rivalry between LIV and the PGA Tour can drive the sport forward to a sustainable future if harnessed correctly.
"I don’t think any of this has done golf any harm," he added.
"Everyone’s talking about golf and that can’t be a bad thing. When you look at Formula One and the money they raise, it’s staggering. If you have the right product and eyeballs and get into the right place, they’ll find the money.
"If you look at other sports, it’s the same. Lewis Hamilton's signing for Ferarri put about 10 per cent on their stock a few weeks ago. I find that staggering. Lebron James has got a small share in Fenway Sports and Liverpool but you’re talking hundreds of millions just for a per cent and this is just an extension of that.
"SSG realised that the PGA Tour is worth a lot of money if it’s commercial. It’s been for charity for all these years and now it’s going to go commercial. The $3billion they have put in isn’t actually that much money. Liverpool is worth $5.5bn so the PGA Tour has the potential to be worth far more than the initial $3bn."
Chandler was speaking in association with InstantCasinos.com.
