Donald Trump is hosting a high-level meeting at the White House today between PGA Tour leaders and LIV Golf representatives, as professional golf's key stakeholders work towards unifying the fractured sport.
Tiger Woods, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott are joining representatives from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund for the crucial talks in Washington.
The meeting marks a significant step in ongoing negotiations to resolve divisions in elite golf that have persisted since LIV's formation in 2022.
The White House summit follows an earlier February meeting where Monahan and Scott met with Trump to discuss accelerating federal approval of the proposed deal.
Donald Trump is keen to meet leaders from both PGA and LIV
Reuters
Trump's involvement stems not only from his passion for golf but his potential influence over the US Department of Justice, which has been reviewing the merger plans.
The former president has existing connections to the negotiations, having played golf with Rory McIlroy in January and maintaining ties with PIF, which finances LIV Golf.
Woods spoke optimistically about the negotiations during Sunday's Genesis Invitational broadcast, telling CBS they were in a "very positive place right now."
"Things are going to heal quickly," Woods said.
"We're going to get this game going in the right direction."
The 15-time major champion added: "It's been heading in the wrong direction for a number of years and the fans want all of us to play together -- all the top players playing together -- and we're going to make that happen."
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The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF announced a framework agreement to form an alliance in June 2023, though the initial deal expired at the end of that year.
The Saudi fund is proposing to inject £1.5 billion into PGA Tour Enterprises, a for-profit entity created when the framework was announced.
The US Department of Justice's antitrust division continues reviewing the proposed investment, with some senators raising national security concerns about Saudi Arabia's involvement in American sports.
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Rory McIlroy has also thrown his support behind Donald Trump
Reuters
Key sticking points in today's discussions include determining the precise role for Yasir al-Rumayyan, the PIF's governor, in golf's new structure.
Another crucial matter is establishing where the Saudi-backed LIV Tour fits within the global golf calendar alongside the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
The potential deal could create a pathway for LIV players like Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau to return to PGA Tour events.
Monahan told reporters last week that negotiations were "moving forward with pace" towards reunifying professional golf on one tour.
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