3 Reasons Why PIF-PGA Tour Merger Maybe a Done Deal as Al-Rumayyan & Tiger Woods Tee off in the Bahamas

The PGA Tour and PIF bout might come to an end sooner rather than later. The two entities have been locked in a product war and then a subsequent detente for the past two years. The original framework agreement crossed the December 31 deadline but both parties were willing to extend it. The Tour, meanwhile, has secured a third-party investor in Strategic Sports Group, which PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan believes will move the talk further. 

Amid all these, came the news of a meeting between PIF officials and the PGA Tour Player-Directors. Not just that, Tiger Woods and PIF chief, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, both seem to be in attendance as well. There have been enough indications that golf’s civil war might come to an end at last.

Rory McIlroy thinks PIF & LIV Golf are different

Rory McIlroy made a distinction between PIF and LIV Golf. Per the four-time Major winner, there is a massive difference between Yasir Al-Rumayyan’s vision for golf—for which McIlroy harbors admiration—and the reality put forward by Greg Norman and the likes.

Speaking after THE PLAYERS Championship, Rory McIlroy said, “I have spent time with Yasir. The people that have represented him in LIV I think have done him a disservice, so Norman and those guys. I see the two entities and I actually think there’s a really big disconnect between PIF and LIV. I think you got PIF over here and LIV are sort of over here doing their own thing. So the closer that we can get to Yasir, PIF and hopefully finalize that investment, I think that will be a really good thing.” It remains to be seen if the remaining player-directors of the Tour also share the same viewpoint.

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The post-meet memo from Jay Monahan to PGA Tour players

There were expectations of a positive announcement from the PGA Tour Commissioner when the Tour reached Ponte Vedra. However, Monahan refused to say anything beyond talks, which are progressing further. Nevertheless, Eamon Lynch, cited insider sources to report that a meeting is on the cards as soon as Monday, which Patrick Cantlay admitted.

But rather than in Ponte Vedra, the meeting appears to be going on in the Bahamas. In fact, there have been reports that Jay Monahan has sent a memo to its players informing them of a ‘constructive’ dialogue with PIF regarding the ‘due diligence process’ to select the investor in the PGA Tour Enterprises.

Tiger Woods willing to accept LIV Golf?

Reportedly, Tiger Woods and PIF chief, Yasir Al-Rumayyan have been playing golf together in the Bahamas. Seemingly, that created the pathway for the meeting between PGA Tour Policy Board members and PIF officials. Notably, Woods dubbed LIV Golf, PIF’s product, confusing while releasing his TGL. In light of that, the meeting happening at Woods’s Albany estate can prove to be a turning point.

Any official announcement has yet to come out of the Bahamas at this moment. Cantlay earlier said that he would be in the ‘listening’ mode. The player directors of the board want to get a clear picture of PIF’s future plans for LIV and how they think the team format fits into the broader picture of the golf landscape.

Read More: ‘He’s Too Anti LIV’: Tiger Woods’s Authority Gets Belittled by Rory McIlroy’s Ex-Agent Chubby Chandler