PGA Tour Commissioner says parties are making progress in the deal with Saudi sponsors of LIV Golf

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) – PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said Wednesday that the difficulty in finalizing a deal with LIV Golf’s Saudi backers is not a cause for concern.

“With complexity comes opportunity,” he said before the start of the Travelers Championship at the TPC River Highlands. “There are many different factors at play, but no one having the conversation is unaware of the complexity. And I think everyone embraces the fact that there are obstacles and things to overcome in a complex situation.

“We have the right people around the table for us,” Monahan said, “and so do they.”

It’s been more than a year since the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia – the financier of the rival LIV circuit – announced plans to form a partnership that would help bring peace to a sport torn apart was lured away by Saudi riches following the departure of dozens of top players.

A framework for the deal was announced on June 6, 2023, with plans to close by the end of the year.

The deadline passed without agreement. Monahan said a June 11 meeting in New York attended by Tiger Woods and Adam Scott, with Rory McIlroy calling from the Memorial, was “very productive.” He declined to provide details.

Monahan said he is on the phone with the PIF several times a week, including about an hour earlier on Wednesday morning. “My view of these discussions and discussions remains very positive,” he said.

Speaking from the last of the limited number of no-cut signature events on the tour calendar this year, Monahan declined to say what has been agreed and what remains unsettled. The original framework has changed tremendously, he acknowledged.

“The framework agreement is still relevant. There are aspects that will certainly continue to play a role. But we all took a step back and started again,” he said, listing new commissions and other opportunities for the players to participate and benefit from a future tour. “We build the vast majority of what we talk about from the ground up.”

Among the complexities facing the deal is a possible objection from the Justice Department on antitrust grounds. The rival tours would have to show that the deal increases competition – by bringing the best golfers to the same tournament, for example – rather than stifles competition by giving golf fans, sponsors and players fewer options.

The parties already yielded to a suggestion from the Ministry of Justice last summer, removing an anti-poaching clause in the framework agreement.

Meanwhile, players continued to defect to LIV, including last year’s Masters champion Jon Rahm.

Only seven players are involved in the talks. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said he did not know enough about the negotiations to worry about what will happen.

“I haven’t really heard much, so I don’t know if they’re doing good or bad, so your guess is as good as mine at this point, I guess,” he said. “Absolutely no frustration or anything like that for me. I have no control over it, so I don’t worry about it too much.

“They have to make a lot of big business decisions,” said Scheffler, a member of the Player Advisory Council. “But as far as input into the negotiations is concerned, I don’t really have much to say.”