Tiger Woods, along with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott, participated in a second meeting at the White House on Thursday, highlighting the growing momentum towards reconciling the divide caused by Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which finances the competing league, was expected to be part of the discussions, as indicated by a source familiar with the event.
This source, who requested anonymity due to the private nature of the meeting, mentioned that the gathering was reportedly initiated by former President Donald Trump, who may have been present during the discussions.
Al-Rumayyan was in Miami Beach earlier in the week for an investment summit featuring Trump as a speaker.
This marks the second time in just over two weeks that PGA Tour leaders, including Woods and Scott, met at the White House. Woods was unable to attend a previous meeting on February 4 due to the passing of his mother in Florida.
During the CBS broadcast at the Genesis Invitational, Woods announced, “We have another meeting coming up,” expressing optimism about the situation.
“I believe healing will come swiftly,” Woods remarked. “We are determined to steer this game in a positive direction. The sport has faced challenges for several years, and fans are eager to see top players compete together, and we are committed to making that a reality.”
Since its launch in June 2022, LIV Golf has successfully attracted several high-profile players such as Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Jon Rahm, offering signing bonuses reportedly exceeding $100 million in some instances.
An agreement between the PGA Tour, PIF, and the DP World Tour was established in June 2023 but expired at the end of the year due to antitrust concerns raised by the Justice Department.
At the beginning of 2024, the PGA Tour enlisted Strategic Sports Group, a collection of North American sports owners led by Fenway Sports, as a minority partner with a significant $1.5 billion investment in PGA Tour Enterprises.
There are ongoing negotiations for PIF to become a minority investor; however, Monahan emphasized last week that the primary goal is to facilitate more opportunities for all elite players to compete together.
“Progress is being made swiftly,” Monahan stated. “There’s a shared enthusiasm among all parties involved for reaching a resolution.”
On Wednesday night, Radar Atlas on X, which monitors private jet movements, reported that aircraft belonging to the PGA Tour and Adam Scott had landed in Washington.
The future landscape of how this cooperation will unfold remains uncertain, although Monahan described his vision for the end product. Currently, top players from LIV can only face off against names like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy at the four major tournaments, with some LIV competitors also gaining entry into select European tour events.
Any agreement with PIF will require approval from the PGA Tour Enterprises board, which evolved from the original framework agreement set in June 2023.
Tiger Woods attends another White House meeting as PGA Tour inches toward Saudi agreement.
