Tiger Woods could be key to PGA Tour sealing LIV Golf merger in Saudi Arabia talks
Tiger Woods, Jay Monahan and members of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund have jetted to New York for showdown LIV Golf and PGA Tour merger talks
Tiger Woods and Jay Monahan are in New York for showdown merger talks (Image: Getty Images)
Tiger Woods is one of a number of representatives from the PGA Tour who will meet members of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) on Tuesday over a peace deal with LIV Golf.
The PGA Tour have been in ongoing talks with PIF since Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Saudi chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan announced a shock framework agreement last June. Over one year on though, a deal is yet to be signed off, with frustrations growing between fans and players alike.
Talks remain ongoing though, with ESPN reporting that the likes of Woods and Monahan are in New York with their Saudi counterparts in a bid to move along proceedings.
Per the report, it is claimed that the two sides are discussing the possibility of PIF pumping a whopping $1billion into the Tour’s new for-profit entity, PGA Tour Enterprises. It is expected that the meetings in the States will take place over a couple of days.
Tiger Woods is set to play a role in the merger talks this week (Image: Getty Images)
Public updates on proceedings have been sparse in recent months, but Monahan did give an insight into where negotiations were up to at the recent Tour Championship at East Lake. “You look at where we are right now, we’re in regular dialogue, we have the right people at the table with the right mindset,” he said.
“I see that in all these conversations on both sides, that creates optimism about the future and our ability to come together. “At the same time, these conversations are complex, they’re going to take time.
“They have taken time and they will continue to take time. When I sit here today, I think the most important thing is our obligation to fans, players and partners is to focus on what we control, which we’re doing as I outlined and continue to carry this momentum forward.”
“I’m not going to negotiate details in public or disclose details or specifics, but all I can say is that conversations continue and they’re productive.” Woods was last drawn into conversation on the matter at The Open Championship in July, claiming progress had been made.
“I can tell you we’re making progress. I can’t tell you more than that just because we’re not going to negotiate on the outside. We’ve got to keep everything at a high level and private, but things are moving and things are changing…”
“There’s a good interchange of ideas and thoughts of how the game could look like going forward. It’s just a matter of putting that all together legally. Obviously we have the DOJ with oversight looking into that as well and making sure that we don’t do anything improperly there, as well, but also making sure that all the players benefit from this as well as everyone who’s involved. They want to make money as well. They want to make that return.”
