Tiger Woods to be the lone PGA Tour player to participate in direct negotiations with the Saudis over PIF deal: Reports
Tiger Woods is reportedly set to be the lone player representing the PGA Tour in negotiations with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF). The merger between the PGA Tour and PIF, announced back in June 2023, has yet to be finalized despite continuous postponements.
Earlier this year, PGA Tour Players Directors and PIF met to discuss the potential merger, and talks have continued since then. According to a recent report by the Associated Press, Tiger Woods will join PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, board chairman Joe Gorder, John W. Henry, and Joe Oglivie to further advance the deal.
It is important to note that there are six PGA Tour player directors, including Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson, Adam Scott, and Peter Malnati. Initially, Rory McIlroy was also part of this group, but he resigned from his position.
A week ago, reports indicated that McIlroy might rejoin the PGA Tour Policy Board, especially as Simpson was resigning. However, the latest update suggests that Rory McIlroy will not rejoin the PGA Tour Policy Board due to alleged opposition from other player directors.
Tiger Woods snubs Rory McIlroy's return to the PGA Tour Policy Board Players Directors
According to a report by Golf Digest, Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, and Patrick Cantlay were not in favor of Rory McIlroy's return to the PGA Tour Policy Board Players Directors position.
Woods shares a strong relationship with the current World No. 2 golfer. Moreover, they collaborated professionally to start the TGL Golf League. However, their relationship has been falling apart in the last six months, as claimed by the aforementioned source.
McIlroy was a strong supporter of the PGA Tour during its civil war with LIV Golf. However, last year, when the Tour announced the merger, McIlroy shocked the golf world with his thoughts about the breakaway series. His heart softened towards LIV Golf, which is financially backed by PIF, and he ultimately resigned from the Players Director position.
Rory McIlroy opened up about the PGA Tour's decision on his return in a pre-tournament press conference of the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. He said (via Mirror.com):
"I think it got pretty complicated and pretty messy, and I think with the way it happened, I think it opened up some old wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before. There was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason."
Amid all this, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods are set to compete at the PGA Championship next week. The second Major of the year will also feature LIV Golf players. Brooks Koepka will defend his title at the Major.