PGA Tour-PIF talks 'substantial' and being moved by Trump's involvement, says Jay Monahan
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Jay Monahan says PGA Tour 'is fully committed to reunification'
Jay Monahan said the PGA Tour believe there's room to integrate important aspects of LIV Golf as golf continues to move toward unification.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan says talks to unify men's professional golf with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund are ongoing but provided no specifics.
Monahan acknowledged hurdles remain, but a deal is possible that would see the PIF's LIV Golf integrated into the PGA Tour.
Former President Donald Trump has participated in two meetings between the PGA Tour and PIF, acting as a facilitator to help broker a deal.
Monahan repeatedly emphasized the Tour would not agree to any deal that compromises its current product.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan updated the media on the status of negotiations with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to unify men's professional golf during his opening remarks. In short, talks continue to drag on. Then he spent the rest of his annual State of the Tour press conference deflecting 16 questions pertaining to a potential deal and refusing to provide any specifics.
'The talks are real, they're substantial, and they're being driven at the top levels of both organizations. Those talks have been significantly bolstered by President Trump's willingness to serve as a facilitator. President Trump is a lifelong golf fan. He believes strongly in the game's power and potential, and he has been exceedingly generous with his time and influence to help bring a deal together,' Monahan said on Tuesday. 'He wants to see the game reunified. We want to see the game reunified. His involvement has made the prospect of reunification very real.
'We appreciate Yasir's innovative vision, and we can see a future where we welcome him on to 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.'
President Trump has participated in two meetings since he took office, the most recent of which took place on Feb. 20. It has been rumored that the last meeting didn't go swimmingly, otherwise it could've been a very different press conference. Monahan confirmed that a meeting to continue discussions isn't currently scheduled at this time. He noted hurdles still exist to a deal, and on multiple occasions pointed out that the Tour wouldn't make a deal that 'diminishes the strength of our platform or the very real momentum we have with our fans and our partners.'
'So while we've removed some hurdles, others remain. But like our fans, we still share the same sense of urgency to get to a resolution,' he said. 'Our team is fully committed to reunification. The only deal that we would regret is one that compromises the essence of what makes the game of golf and the PGA Tour so exceptional.'
The Tour and PIF announced a framework agreement in June 2023 with a deadline to make a deal by the end of the year. Monahan stated that there is no deadline in place for a deal to get done.
'It's just not that simple,' Monahan said. 'When you're in the middle of these negotiations and they're as complex as they are, you know, the reason I say 'urgency' is that that's what we're operating with, but there isn't a concrete deadline that's been established.'
Monahan also hinted that progress made during the initial meeting may have stalled when they reconvened in Washington D.C.
'When you're in the midst of complex negotiations, particularly when you may be near a breakthrough, there are ebbs and flows in the discussion. The most important thing is the mutual respect that we've built over the last couple of years,' he said.
Monahan has changed his tune drastically from the days when he sat in the same room and said the Tour wouldn't give any consideration to LIV Golf.
'Over the last three years, it's undeniable that the PGA Tour has been pressure tested like never before. External forces created an environment where we had to speed up where we always needed and wanted to go,' he said. 'But it's the internal forces, and by that I'm talking about our players, that allowed us to take extraordinary steps to embrace the challenge and reimagine the future of the PGA Tour and the game. The level of commitment and engagement from our players, not just as part of the change but as developers and leaders of the change, has made all the difference. Bottom line, we're better for it. Disruption has generated momentum, growth and real action.'
More than half of the 30 questions addressed the reunification negotiations and Monahan did his best at tap dancing around the fact that he had little meat he was willing or able to share.
'I think I've shared our position today. I've shared it in the past. I think at this point I don't have any additional information to share beyond,' he said. 'There will be a day when we can specifically talk about the end result and how that's been addressed hopefully, but right now I've given you exactly what our focus areas are.'
When one media member took the questioning in another direction and asked Monahan about the five-year anniversary of COVID-19 shutting down the Players Championship, he replied, 'Listen, I shared our priorities – no, I'm just kidding.'
Even Monahan cracked fun at how little he was willing to say.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
"This Reads Like A Satirical Cartoon": People Are Mocking This Trump Voter Who Claims To "Understand" Tariffs But Doesn't Get Why Prices Are Rising
Another day, another confused Trump voter! On today's edition, we've got a MAGA supporter who supposedly understands tariffs but can't imagine why costs are rising. In a social media screenshot posted to r/LeopardsAteMyFace, this person wrote, "Trump i voted for him,now that being said I understand the tarrifs,but what good are they doing to help us? Everything is going up i thought one reason to elect him as president was for things to be cheaper I haven't seen it,Everything is going up i know the government is making more money but its us I'm worried PLEASE!" The Trump voter seemingly edited the post with an update, writing, "OK I understand now just last time he was in office it seemed like right a way fuel was cheaper. Thanks all of you!" Related: Economists widely agree that Donald Trump's tariffs will likely result in rising costs, with many companies such as Walmart and Procter & Gamble already confirming the reasons behind their recent price hikes. Sooo I'm not sure if this Trump supporter really does understand now! Naturally, people had a lot to say in the comments: "Here let me explain using cookies: You voted for a fascist because you thought he would give other people's cookies to you, but now he's taking your cookies and telling you to go fuck yourself. Hope this helps." —u/Apple-Dust Related: "These fools will never get that tariffs are just a type of tax." —u/Gadshill "It's a sales tax with extra steps." —u/GoodDog_GoodBook123 "Why is water wet? Trump said water was dry, but every time I take a shower, I get wet? Is this something the transgender Democrats are doing? Can we arrest them? Is this from the Deep State?" —u/rwblue4u "Any Trumper who tells you they 'get' or 'understand' tariffs is lying." —u/Glenn-Sturgis Related: "This reads like a satirical cartoon. 'I understand exactly how an extra tax works, but why am I suddenly paying more?? And I could've sworn prices were cheaper last time he was in power and was working with Obama's economy… explain please??'" —u/Revolutionary-Ad5695 "The bizarre disconnect we're all going to continue to see from Trump voters on the tariffs issue is so frustrating. These bozos believed that foreign governments pay our tariffs because Trump told them this. They argued with Kamala Harris supporters at the time, despite the fact that this is Econ 101. They never believe they have ANY responsibility at all. They don't believe they're expected to research the issues, learn anything new, or verify any of the information they're being given, before they adopt it as their new mantra." "The biggest frustration is the fact that they're being continually misled and never, ever learn from it. There'll be a new lie tomorrow to cover up yesterday's lie, and they'll regurgitate it perfectly, without ever feeling any embarrassment or personal responsibility." —u/Longstroke_Machine "'Last time he was in office seemed like right away fuel was cheaper.' There was a pandemic, everything was closed, and demand for fuel cratered. I'm not sure why they all have amnesia about that part while remembering the cheap gas. They sure made enough noise about it at the time." —u/WintersChild79 Related: "'I understand now.' Lord knows what Rumpelstiltskin gold was spun on that thread with those geniuses." —u/ThatsRobToYou And finally, "Yeah. We tried to explain this beforehand, but he didn't understand since he only speaks Republican." —u/Jocelyn-1973 What do you think about all this? LMK in the comments below! Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. Also in In the News: Also in In the News: Also in In the News:
The Hill
8 minutes ago
- The Hill
US and EU frame the ongoing deal between the trading partners and solidify some commitments
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and the European Union on Thursday issued a joint statement that frames the ongoing deal between the trading partners and solidifies some trade commitments. 'This Framework Agreement will put our trade and investment relationship — one of the largest in the world — on a solid footing and will reinvigorate our economies' reindustrialization,' the document reads. Together, the U.S. and the EU have 44% of the global economy. Key points in the letter include a 15% U.S. tariff rate on most European goods, with specifics on auto tariffs tied to EU legislative actions. In addition, the EU agrees to eliminate tariffs on industrial goods and many agricultural products, while the U.S. will reduce tariffs accordingly. The agreement also covers $750 billion in energy purchases and $600 billion in EU investments by 2028. The agreement also addresses non-tariff barriers, digital trade and environmental regulations. In July, President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met briefly at Trump's Turnberry golf course in Scotland and announced a sweeping trade deal that imposes 15% tariffs on most European goods, warding off Trump's threat of a 30% rate if no deal had been reached by Aug. 1. Before the Republican U.S. president returned to office for his second term, the U.S. and the EU maintained generally low tariff levels in what is the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world, with about $2 trillion, around 1.7 trillion euros, in annual trade.
Axios
8 minutes ago
- Axios
U.S., Europe release new details on auto tariffs under trade deal
U.S. and European officials released a joint statement on Thursday that outlined details of a trade deal — including reduced tariffs on autos that will take effect once Europe eliminates its own tariffs on U.S. goods. Why it matters: It is the only official text of the agreement since Trump announced the deal in Scotland late last month. Details: The text of the statement largely confirms what Trump announced alongside European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen, including a 15% across-the-board tariff rate for U.S.-bound goods. The statement says European autos and auto parts — currently subject to a 25% tariff rate — will benefit from the lower rate only when the bloc "formally introduces the necessary legislative proposal to enact the tariff reductions" on U.S. goods. Europe said that it would drop tariff rates on U.S. goods to zero.
