PGA commissioner wants the US president to negotiate a deal with the breakaway LIV Golf in hopes of ending the sport’s partition at a professional level.
The PGA Tour has asked President Donald Trump to help broker a deal with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia that could lead to a long-awaited alliance between the parties.
The PIF is the financial backer of the LIV Golf League, which has lured some of the PGA Tour’s stars with its big-money contracts and tournament paydays.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the PGA Tour said commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott met Trump on Tuesday.
“We know golf fans are eagerly anticipating a resolution to negotiations with the Public Investment Fund and want to thank President Trump for his interest and long-time support of the game of golf,” read the statement, which was signed by Monahan, Scott and player-director Tiger Woods.
“We asked the President to get involved for the good of the game, the good of the country, and for all the countries involved. We are grateful that his leadership has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for reunification of men’s professional golf.”
More than 18 months have passed since the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF announced a “framework agreement” for an alliance that shocked the sports world. The parties blew past a self-imposed December 31, 2023, deadline to finalise the deal.
The only real news last year came in June, when PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan met PGA Tour representatives in New York the week of the framework agreement’s anniversary.
Trump does have standing and credibility with the LIV founders.
His Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami is hosting an event in April, as it did in 2023. That year, Trump courses in Washington, DC, and Bedminster, NJ, also held LIV events.
On Tuesday, Trump said he would soon visit the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, although no exact date was announced.
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