AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tiger Woods said last month’s meeting between the player directors on the PGA Tour policy board and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and chairman of LIV Golf, was a “positive” step toward a possible reunification of the professional game.
The day after The Players Championship, the player directors and commissioner Jay Monahan met with Al-Rumayyan in the Bahamas, a gathering seen in many circles as a crucial step toward a possible deal between the Tour and PIF.
“I don’t know if we’re closer [to a deal with PIF] but certainly we’re headed in the right direction,” Woods said Sunday at the Masters. “That was a very positive meeting and I think both sides came away from the meeting feeling positive.”
The Tour announced a framework agreement with PIF last June that ended costly litigation between the two sides and opened the door to a possible deal that would include the for-profit assets of the Tour, LIV Golf and the DP World Tour. Last month’s meeting was the first that involved the player directors, which include Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Peter Malnati, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson and Jordan Spieth.
In January, the Tour announced the creation of a new for-profit arm, PGA Tour Enterprises, and an initial $1.5 billion investment from Fenway Sports-led Strategic Sports Group. Last month at TPC Sawgrass, Monahan said negotiations with PIF were “accelerating,” but he didn’t offer any details.
