The PGA Tour believes it's in a position of power, and the organization is acting like it.
After it seemed as if unification could be around the corner a little more than a month ago, it now seems pretty far away. On Thursday, The Guardian reported Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund recently sent a letter to the PGA Tour trying to get concessions in exchange for a $1.5 billion investment in the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises, matching the Strategic Sports Group's investment.
The caveat to the $1.5 billion investment included two things: LIV Golf remains and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the chairman of LIV Golf and governor of the PIF, would become a co-chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises. The PIF sent the letter to the PGA Tour last week, with the Tour responding Monday. From the report:
The PGA Tour replied to the PIF’s demands on Monday, with neither deemed acceptable. Those with detailed knowledge of the situation stress reunification of golf is the PGA Tour’s core aim, a matter that is hardly assisted by LIV continuing in its present form. There would also be understandable unease within the PGA Tour should Rumayyan, whose organization has bankrolled LIV, be afforded such a prominent position as the breakaway tour continues on its own path.
Does the PGA Tour need unification?
Players on the PGA Tour, including world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, have recently stated the Tour doesn't need unification. Rumayyan, in addition to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, Adam Scott and Tiger Woods, have recently met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss unification. LIV Golf is playing its first U.S. event of 2025 this week at one of Trump's courses in Miami at Doral.
The Guardian reported that the letters between the organizations last week were some of the first communications between the groups since the meetings at the White House.
Last month at the Players Championship, Monahan said, “We appreciate Yasir's innovative vision, and we can see a future where we welcome him onto our board and work together to move the global game forward. As part of our negotiations, we believe there's room to integrate important aspects of LIV Golf into the PGA Tour platform. We're doing everything that we can to bring the two sides together.”
The PGA Tour declined to comment to The Guardian.
LIV players heading to the Masters
Next week, 12 ...
