Tiger Woods and LIV Golf CEO Yasir Al-Rumayyan are scheduled to play golf together on Monday in the Bahamas.
Their conversation will likely revolve around a potential partnership between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF).
According to a report published by Golfweek last Friday, the Player Directors on the Tour and PIF were scheduled to meet in private after the Players Championship. Patrick Cantlay, a member of the policy board, subsequently verified this, and it is anticipated that the meeting will occur in Florida on Monday.
Since then, Sports Illustrated has disclosed that the peace negotiations are currently happening at Albany Resort in the Bahamas, which is also the location of Woods’ PGA Tour tournament, the Hero World Challenge.
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The 82-time PGA Tour winner’s presence was initially unknown, but it has since been verified that Woods would be accompanied on the golf course by PIF chairman Al-Rumayyan, with whom he will talk about the future of professional golf.
Speaking following his last round at the Players, Cantlay revealed the dealings, but he would not address the subject. “I anticipate speaking much less and listening much more. I’m eager to find out what I find out, and I’ll know a lot more afterwards,” he said.
“I have to listen to what they have to say, and if I am at a meeting in that role, I will always try to speak for the whole membership. As always, more information is preferable. I suspect our first meeting will cover much ground; it will be more of a meet and greet. To the best of my abilities, it is always my responsibility to represent the entire membership.
I support the membership as a whole. Additionally, if it’s absent, it’s absent.
One individual who won’t be in the Bahamas is Rory McIlroy, who left his position as a player director for the PGA Tour in November of last year. Throughout the Tour’s history with LIV Golf, McIlroy has been one of the most outspoken players. He started out as one of the Saudi-backed league’s harshest critics. Following the shocking announcement in June of the American circuit’s intention to collaborate with its Saudi competitors, McIlroy gradually withdrew from politics, which culminated in his resignation the following winter.
The four-time major winner expressed his opinion on the player peace talks, which he feels should have taken place sooner rather than later, even though he is no longer in the meeting room. “I’m delighted it’s happening, even if I believe it should have months ago. At Sawgrass, he stated, “Hopefully, that advances discussions and brings us closer to a resolution.
“I’ve had time to spend with Yasir. I believe that Norman and those individuals, who have represented him in LIV, have done him a harm. At his core, he wants to act morally. They are a sovereign wealth fund, after all.
“They want to put money in a bank account and forget about it for decades. If they’re wanting to invest in sports in any capacity, the PGA Tour is unquestionably one of the wise and safe companies they want to put their money into.”