Latest news with #PublicInvestmentFundofSaudiArabia
NBC Sports
28-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Memorial a reminder of LIV Golf start, framework agreement and little progress
DUBLIN, Ohio — The Memorial always will be known as the tournament Jack Nicklaus built and Tiger Woods once dominated. These days, it's hard to escape the cloud of LIV Golf at Muirfield Village, even if the only evidence of LIV players such as Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm is their photos on the wall as past champions. It was three years ago at the Memorial when an email began filling inboxes across the golf industry announcing the first batch of defectors who signed up to play in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational. Dustin Johnson was the headliner. Another PGA Tour member headed for the Saudi-funded league was Hudson Swafford. He lasted three years before he was relegated out of LIV and now has nowhere to play, at least not anywhere close to home. Brooks Koepka bolted three weeks later. Cameron Smith waited until the PGA Tour season was over. 'It's kind of weird. It feels like it almost didn't happen anymore. It's like we're in a different timeline right now,' Viktor Hovland said Tuesday. One year and two lawsuits later, PGA Tour board members Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy showed up at the Memorial and played in the pro-am. Unbeknownst to any player in the field, Dunne and Herlihy — along with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan — had been meeting secretly with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia to strike a deal. The framework agreement had been signed the day before. The news dropped and shocked a week later on June 6, 2023. The agreement was never finalized. Negotiations are said to be ongoing, but nobody is talking about what might happen. 'We're still kind of in the same position, kind of in a stalemate,' Hovland said. 'So it's a little weird, but certainly miss some of the guys.' There is nothing quite as obvious about LIV this year at Muirfield Village. But then, Rory McIlroy chose to skip out on Nicklaus' tournament for the first time in eight years, another reminder of the disruption the Saudi-funded league has brought to golf. The Memorial is now in its third year as a $20 million tournament, a spike in prize money to respond to the threat of LIV Golf. The objective of the PGA Tour — a plan hatched by the players at a Delaware meeting in August 2022 — was to create a series of big-money events that would bring together all the top players. At first, they were required to play them all. That's no longer the case, which explains why McIlroy decided to skip the Memorial. This is the third signature event he has missed this year. That's his prerogative, of course. McIlroy is not the only player to sit out a tournament that has the best field and the highest purse. Scottie Scheffler didn't go to Philadelphia because he wanted to make room for his two hometown tournaments in the Dallas area. McIlroy is playing the RBC Canadian Open next week. He once was the strongest voice against LIV Golf, first stating his opposition to the concept two years before LIV even launched, and then standing squarely in the PGA Tour's corner when the breakaway league set sail in 2022. McIlroy also has been known to switch positions, striking conciliatory tones in an effort to help golf patch itself back together. 'I think everyone's just got to get over it,' McIlroy said in February on how to repair this mess. 'We all have to say, 'OK, this is the starting point and we move forward.' ... How we all come back together and move forward, that's the best thing for everyone.' The question is who is most responsible for that? This is where Scheffler has stepped in to offer perspective to those who think the fix is simple. McIlroy has a big voice. Scheffler has been the consistent voice. Twice in the last two years, Scheffler has left little room for interpretation on how he feels about the divide in golf and where the responsibility lies. It was last year at The Players Championship when Scheffler was asked if fans were disillusioned by the splintering of stars between the PGA and LIV. 'If guys want to go take the money and leave, then that's their decision,' he said. 'If the fans are upset, then look at the guys that left. We had a tour, we were all together, and the people that left are no longer here. At the end of the day, that's where the splintering comes from.' The subject came up again to golf's No. 1 player last week at Colonial. This time Scheffler was asked if he would have won 11 times in the last 15 months if he had faced LIV players more than four times a year (five including the Olympics). That was followed by whether he knew anything about progress in getting the two tours together. 'If you want to figure out what's going to happen in the game of golf, go to the other tour and ask those guys,' Scheffler said. 'I'm still here playing the PGA Tour. We had a tour where we all played together, and the guys that left, it's their responsibility I think to bring the tours back together. Go see where they're playing this week and ask them.' The subtle humor was found in his few words. LIV wasn't playing anywhere last week, or this week. It returns next week in Virginia after a long break, and then the best from two tours get together at the U.S. Open. That's how it started three years ago during the week of Memorial. That's how it is now.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
No Deal In Sight
It's May 6th, just one month away from an important day in professional golf. You may have forgotten, but on June 6, 2023, the PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and the Governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, announced an agreement on CNBC. Advertisement It was called the Farmwork Agreement, and it was, at the time, a guiding document for a final agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. In the 23 months since its announcement, the agreement has been tossed into the garbage can of history as the two sides have not come close to a settlement and readily admit, the Framework Agreement is now not worth the paper it was written on. Yasir Al-Rumayyan (left) talks to president-elect Donald Trump during UFC 309 at Madison Square Penner-Imagn Images Instead, the 23 months have been full of fits and starts, including numerous meetings in the Oval Office and has included the guidance of President Donald Trump. Reporting progress or non-progress has been difficult, with Advertisement much information gathered mainly through rumors and unsubstantiated reports. But the last rumor, that came out of the Oval Office, may explain a lot. It was a meeting with Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Monahan, Al-Rumayyan, and Trump. According to rumors, the meeting didn't go well, with Al-Rumayyan walking out of the Oval in disgust. On February 20, the PGA Tour issued the statement below about the meeting. 'We have just concluded a constructive working session at the White House with President Trump and H.E. Yasir Al-Rumayyan. Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, we have initiated a discussion about the reunification of golf. We are committed to moving as quickly as possible and will share additional details as appropriate. Rory McIlroy and Jay Monahan© Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports We share a passion for the game and the importance of reunification. Most importantly, we all want the best players in the world playing together more often and are committed to doing all we can to deliver that outcome for our fans." Advertisement The statement was the last word spoken on the subject by either side. What is extremely clear is that a deal is no closer than when LIV Golf launched its first event outside of London on June 9, 2022. Both sides do not seem to see a need for a deal. With the clock ticking, the urgency that seemed to manifest itself just 23 months ago is no longer there. Now, the situation seems more like a wait-and-see affair, with both sides unwilling to abandon their intractable positions and leaving professional golf in an odd limbo. June 6, 1944, was the beginning of the end of World War II as Allied troops invaded five D-Day beaches in Normandy, France. Advertisement This June 6th will only serve as a reminder of D-Day and nothing else. Related: Jay Monahan Offers Murky Outlook Over PGA Tour Agreement With Saudi PIF Related: Rory McIlroy Sees Worldwide Golf as Part of the LIV Discussions
NBC Sports
03-04-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Brooks Koepka wishes LIV Golf was 'further along,' as CEO says Tour deal not a must
DORAL, Fla. — LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil said Wednesday that he has not been directly involved with reunification talks between his tour and the PGA Tour since taking his job three months ago, adding that he doesn't believe such a deal is absolutely necessary. Those negotiations involving the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia have gone on for more than a year now, some of them even with President Donald Trump involved. At times, progress seems to be happening. Other times, not so much. 'If the deal can help grow the game of golf, I'll jump in with two feet,' O'Neil said at Trump National Doral, the president's course where LIV will play this weekend — and where Trump is expected to appear, possibly as early as Thursday. 'Do we have to do a deal? No. Is it nice to do a deal? So long as we're all focused on the same thing, to grow the game of golf.' What that means remains unclear, and likely is one of the reasons why there is no deal yet. The divide in golf has been there for nearly three years now since LIV got off the ground. LIV players such as Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka are banned from playing on the PGA Tour. That means the world's top players are competing against one another only four times a year at the majors. 'I think we all hoped it would have been a little bit further along, and that's no secret,' Koepka said. 'No matter where you're at, you always hope everything is further along. But they're making progress, and it seems to be going in the right direction.' Earlier this year, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan made clear that he still thinks a deal is possible . 'We believe there's room to integrate important aspects of LIV Golf into the PGA Tour platform,' Monahan said last month. 'We're doing everything that we can to bring the two sides together.' Monahan has said that the priority of the meetings with PIF was about reuniting all the best players more often. 'Our team is fully committed to reunification,' Monahan said. O'Neil and Monahan know each other, and O'Neil has been invited to Augusta National for the Masters next week. O'Neil said in an interview session with a handful of reporters that he's encouraged by what he's seen in his first three months at LIV. The players, he said, are much more competitive even off the course than he envisioned. He said more sponsor deals are done and waiting to be announced. He insisted that ratings will improve now that LIV is playing in North America and not during what was the middle of the night for much of the U.S. for the season's first four stops — Saudi Arabia, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. 'We don't know everything that's going on, but from what we've heard, there's a lot of positive growth and positive momentum from a sponsorship side,' DeChambeau said. O'Neil also pointed to what he says are ways LIV is growing the game, citing that 30% of its fans have never been to a golf tournament before and 40% of the crowd is female. 'We're a global sport. We're (Formula 1) of golf. F1, I imagine, has more people watching in (Asia-Pacific) when they're in Singapore than they do when they're in Miami,' O'Neil said. 'I like where we are. I like it a lot.'
Washington Post
02-04-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
LIV CEO says a deal with the PGA Tour isn't necessary but can work if it grows the game
DORAL, Fla. — LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil said Wednesday that he has not been directly involved with reunification talks between his tour and the PGA Tour since taking his job three months ago, adding that he doesn't believe such a deal is absolutely necessary. Those negotiations involving the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia have gone on for more than a year now, some of them even with President Donald Trump involved. At times, progress seems to be happening. Other times, not so much.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Tiger Woods became part of Trump's inner circle
Unlike hostile receptions for other White House visitors of late, Tiger Woods was welcomed by Donald Trump for the most gushing exchange of mutual praise. 'Tiger, Tiger, Tiger,' chanted the US president during one press event as he stood shoulder to shoulder with the golfing great. 'Let me ask you, is there anybody like our Tiger?' Trump asked the assembled throng. 'He's the greatest.' Woods, in turn, stood proudly alongside the president wearing a Presidential Medal of Freedom he had received from Trump in 2019. 'It's an honour to be here with you, Mr President,' he said. Meetings had been arranged in part because Trump had boasted before the election he could sort out golf's civil war in '10 to 15 minutes'. PGA tour commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott joined the pair that day in key talks with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and the financial muscle behind LIV Golf. But as golf now edges towards ending divisions, it is another union of relations – with Woods confirming he is dating Trump's former daughter-in-law – that underlines close-knit connections behind two American powerbroker families. Woods has never overtly declared his political leanings, but ties with various Trump relatives in recent months have become impossible to miss. 'Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side,' Woods said on Sunday in a social media post of his relationship with Vanessa Trump, who is said to remain close with her former father-in-law. Vanessa's eldest daughter Kai, 17, and Woods's children Charlie, 16, and Sam, 17, all attend the same school. Charlie and Kai, who recently committed to playing golf at the University of Miami, are both highly rated amateurs. In February, rumours first circulated of a potential relationship between Woods and Vanessa as he was seen arriving at the Genesis Invitational car park with Kai, just days after announcing he was grieving the death of his mother, Kultida. Lengthy and ongoing Saudi PIF-PGA Tour negotiations have inevitably seen Woods also spend more time than ever with President Trump. The pair have been out on the golf course together privately in recent months while at the same time spearheading negotiations for a sporting peace deal. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Joe Clark (@joeplays_golf) Both Woods and Trump have controversial histories in their personal lives. But for the president, there is a genuine love of golf that has undoubtedly fuelled his enthusiasm to welcome Woods to the extended family. White House records show he has played a round at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida eight weekends in a row since returning to power. There are, of course, also major business advantages to be gained. In April, Trump National Doral Miami will play host to a LIV tournament for the fourth consecutive year, while Trump-owned courses in Virginia and New Jersey have also served as venues for LIV events. Golf has been Trump's staunchest supporter among sports, with combat sports like the Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Wrestling Entertainment equally vocal in their backing yet lacking the heritage and clout that golf brings. It has not always been smooth sailing for Trump, though. In 2021, and in response to Trump's role in the Capitol Hill riots, the PGA stripped Trump Bedminster of the right to host the 2022 PGA Championship. Trump was infuriated by the decision – just as he has been with the R&A's refusal to take the Open back to Turnberry since he took ownership in 2014. But that has done little to diminish his influence on the sport and inevitably, when leaders for the PGA and PIF announced a 'framework agreement' in June 2023 to merge the rival tours, Trump hailed it as a 'big, beautiful and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf'. Should Keegan Bradley's Team USA regain the Ryder Cup this September at Bethpage, expect the White House invitation to go out to the 12 winning golfers for a reception with the president. That has not always gone to plan, with the Philadelphia Eagles yet to appear in Washington DC since winning the Super Bowl in February – having refused to attend when they last became NFL world champions during Trump's first term in office – and basketball team Golden State Warriors being disinvited when star player Steph Curry expressed reservations about accepting any invitation in 2017. Woods, for his part, has been cautious about any major expressions of support for Trump and the Republican party. In August 2018, after Woods was pressed about his friendship with Trump, he said: 'You have to respect the office. No matter who is in the office, you may like, dislike personality or the politics, but we all must respect the office.' Woods refused to be drawn, however, when asked to express a view on Trump's impact on race relations. Trump at the time responded on X: 'The Fake News Media worked hard to get Tiger Woods to say something that he didn't want to say. Tiger wouldn't play the game – he is very smart.' Now, however, Woods is far less risk-averse in expressing his commitment to another Trump. 'We look forward to our journey through life together,' he says of his blossoming relationship with Vanessa. Donald Trump has always craved credibility in golf. With the Trump family connection with the biggest superstar the game has known now secured, the president's annoyance at his courses continually being denied a major will only intensify. If this was a love ignited by the school gates then be sure that the relationship announced on Sunday by Tiger Woods and Vanessa Trump was forged at the country club. Two divorced adults, with two talented golfing children, this meeting of two famous, if not infamous, families will clearly give the 15-time major winner more focus on the golf course. Not on his own game, however. Woods, 49, is in the midst of a long and depressingly familiar recovery from injury after an operation on his snapped Achilles earlier this month. He is all but written off for the season and instead faces exhaustive recuperative sessions on the physio table and in the gym and on the range. Yet in the meantime he has another role to fulfil. Of course, with his son, Charlie, Woods's summer was always going to centre around following the 16-year-old around Florida and beyond as he tries to carve his own name in US junior golf and so escape what is, perhaps, the biggest paternal shadow ever cast in the game. Charlie is at a critical time of his development to see if he has the wherewithal to make a living out of his maddening sport and it is fair to say that he would be stretched to find a better mentor. Yet will his father now also provide fairway guidance to his partner's offspring? The Trump clan will certainly be praying for this to be part of the deal. It was surely nothing more than a coincidence that on the Sunday the thoroughly un-Tiger-like statement dropped on to his social media channels – it actually began 'love is in the air' – Charlie and Kai Trump, Vanessa's daughter and the president's granddaughter – had both been competing at the Sage Valley Invitational, maybe the most prestigious junior tournament in the world. Alas, these were not the most rousing results for the Woods-Trump brigade, an alliance already coined the 'Axis of Eagle'. Kai finished 24th in a field of 24, while Charlie was tied 25th out of 36. Kai, 17, is signed up for Miami University next year, but stands at 815th in the American Junior Golf Association rankings. In the boys division, Charlie ranks 838th. In truth, this pair of students at Benjamin School – the £29,000-a-year establishment close by the respective family homes in the southern Florida enclave of Palm Beach and Jupiter where Charlie's sister, Sam, also attends, as do Kai's four siblings – have a long, long way to travel even to approach their lifelong dreams. Yet with the red-shirted one in their corner, they have all the necessary motivation and nous to give it the best crack. It will be fascinating to chart their progress over the weeks and months, particularly with Woods at the helm. Except this could be a double-sided wedge, as it has the potential for Woods to achieve his competitive rush during the down months. And with the stability that has for such long periods been missing from his private life, this added purpose must surely be good news for the fans praying for another comeback. Who knows, this could yet turn out to be a marriage made in Jupiter – if not quite heaven. Inevitably, the industry will frantically delve further into the meaning of the Tiger-Trump amalgamation. Vanessa and Don Jnr, her former husband, are said to enjoy an amicable relationship and this will calm fears that any acrimony could impact the ongoing negotiations between the Saudi Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour. Woods is a key figure as far as the Tour is concerned and President Trump has placed himself at the centre of those discussions, because of his affinity with the sport and the kingdom and because of his own business interests, naturally. Woods has played golf with Trump recently and also visited the White House, and the denizen of the Oval Office will be thrilled to have the icon on his side and, just about, in his tribe. Trump has always craved respect in the professional game and, forever with an eye on the bottom time, will be hoping that with a rich golf club portfolio boasting courses such as Turnberry and Doral, this connection will prove fruitful. However, in a time of great uncertainty, what this could mean to the sport at large remains unknown. Intrigue is in the air. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
