MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A deal between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is still being discussed but appears nowhere imminent, at least based on comments Wednesday by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.
In an informal discussion with reporters at the FedEx St. Jude Championship—his first since the Players Championship—Monahan acknowledged that the release of the 2025 PGA Tour schedule could be viewed as a sign that there will not be anything different between the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf League next year.
“They’re very complicated discussions,’’ Monahan said at TPC Southwind. “There’s a lot of elements to them. When you have the level of interaction, we’re continuing to meet and move forward and discuss and debate, you can’t be anything but hopeful.
“As it relates to times and timeframes and where we are, I’ll just say we’re in a good place with the conversations. That’s the most important thing.’’
Asked if he had any personal meetings planned with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which funds LIV Golf, Monahan said: “I have a lot of meetings on the subject. I’m not going to get into the specifics of it. It’s a clear focus of mine, it’s a clear focus of the organization. That said, there is a lot of dialogue.’’
A year ago at the FedEx St. Jude, Monahan met with the media for the first time since taking a nearly month-long leave due to health issues in the aftermath of the “framework agreement’’ that had been announced on June 6, 2023.
That was the shocking development that saw Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF, taking part in a joint interview to announce the deal.
The framework agreement was meant to initiate discussions toward s a deal between all parties to, in theory, unify the game after several high-profile players left the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to join LIV Golf—which this week is at the Greenbrier resort to play its 12th of 14 2024 events. LIV Golf has yet to announce its 2025 schedule but has hinted at plans to play more international events.
So far, the sides remain apart, with LIV players prohibited from taking part in PGA Tour events and the LIV Golf League not accredited with Official World Golf Ranking points.
Monahan used the opportunity to laud the deal made with Strategic Sports Group (SSG) and announced in January that has pumped $1.5 billion into the new PGA Tour Enterprises, a for-profit arm of the business that is separate from PGA Tour Inc., a non-profit entity that is essentially the PGA Tour as we know it.
“If you had told me a year ago I’d be sitting here talking to all of you and we’d have a partner in SSG with the amount of experience they have in the sports and business world with capital behind them and now innovating into our business...to having that level of alignment with our players...it’s really inspiring,’’ Monahan said.
Patrick Cantlay, who is a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, was asked if he saw an "end in sight'' to the negotiations.
"Well, it's definitely quieted down, there hasn't been as much chatter the last few months, which has been nice,'' Cantlay said. "I think that's just kind of the nature of it. There's going to be ebbs and flows, depending on what kind of information comes out or what announcements.
"When you say 'end in sight,' it's always evolving. The PGA Tour has always been changing and trying to evolve and get better. Depends what you mean by—what you define as the finish line. But I know all of us are working incredibly hard all the time to get the best outcome.''
The PGA Tour schedule that was announced Wednesday basically mirrors the 2024 schedule, the biggest difference a swapping of dates between the Memorial Tournament and the RBC Canadian Open in the two weeks leading up to the U.S. Open.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jay Monahan Says PGA Tour and LIV Golf Will Continue to Operate Separately Next Year.
