President-elect Donald Trump said during the US election campaign that he needed about 15 minutes to resolve the dispute between the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour's Saudi investors. He began his efforts by playing a four-hour round of Golf with PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan.
The Washington Post reported that Monahan accepted an invitation from Trump to play a round at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, last Friday.
The PGA Tour confirmed the information in a press release.
“President-elect Trump has always been a strong supporter of golf, and Commissioner Monahan was honored to receive an invitation to play at Trump International,” read a press release. The President-elect and the Commissioner share a common passion for golf, and the Commissioner enjoyed his time with him.”
The next day, Trump attended the UFC gala at New York's Madison Square Garden with Elon Musk and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), who financially supports the rival LIV circuit at the origin of the feud in the world of golf.
Monahan and Al-Rumayyan played together in Scotland last month, in a European Tour tournament.
The PGA Tour has not disclosed the content of the discussions, and Monahan has not shared this information with PGA star golfers to ensure the discussions remain private.
The PGA and the FIP announced an agreement on June 6, 2023 which would allow the Saudis to invest in a new commercial project led by the PGA Tour. This announcement was scrutinized by the US Department of Justice, and although a deadline has been set for December 31, negotiations are still continuing.
Meanwhile, the PGA Tour has reached an agreement with a consortium of sports team owners, the Strategic Sports Group, which has invested US$1.5 billion in PGA Tour Enterprises. This sum could ultimately rise to $3 billion.
Despite this, the golf world is still torn apart. The PGA Tour has continued to exclude LIV Tour players — including U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm, among others — from its tournaments.
The best golfers on the planet can therefore only compete four times per season, in major tournaments.
