PGA Tour Requests President Trump's Assistance in Mediating with Saudi Arabian Officials
The Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Tour has requested the assistance of President Donald Trump in negotiating a deal with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. This could potentially lead to a long-awaited partnership between the two parties.
The PIF is the financial supporter of the LIV Golf League, which has attracted some of the PGA Tour's top players with its lucrative contracts and tournament payouts.
On Tuesday, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott met with Trump, as stated in a press release issued on Thursday.
"We are aware that golf enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting a resolution to the negotiations with the Public Investment Fund and we would like to express our gratitude to President Trump for his interest and longstanding support of the sport of golf," read the statement, signed by Monahan, Scott, and player-director Tiger Woods. "We requested the President's involvement for the betterment of the game, the country, and all the countries involved. We are appreciative that his leadership has brought us closer to a final agreement, paving the way for the reunification of men's professional golf."
It has been over 18 months since the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and the PIF announced a "framework agreement" for a partnership that surprised the sports world. The parties have surpassed their self-imposed deadline of December 31, 2023, to finalize the deal.
The only significant update last summer was in June, when PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan met with PGA Tour representatives in New York during the week of the framework agreement's one-year anniversary.
Trump holds credibility and influence with the founders of LIV.
His Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami will be hosting an event in April, as it did in 2023. In that year, Trump's courses in Washington, D.C. and Bedminster, N.J. also hosted LIV events.
