Over the weekend, news emerged of possible secret meetings between the PGA Tour player director and Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) head Yasir al-Rumayyan.
By the end of The Players Championship, Patrick Cantlay confirmed he would compete for the first time in the Bahamas on Monday.
On Tuesday, Golf Channel reporter Kira Dixon spoke with one of the player directors, how did the meeting go?.
“Yasir came into this meeting with an idea of where professional golf should go…The PGA Tour side, the players have an idea of where professional golf should go.” Dixon said the players “We’re a long way from actually taking steps towards unification,” he said of the director.
The PGA Tour Player Directors are comprised of Cantlay, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Webb Simpson, Peter Malnati and Adam Scott. Dixon declined to say who he met with.
Nevertheless, she continued to explain the progress of the meeting.
“It was a very positive meeting. We will continue to have a very open relationship.”
When the bombshell statement was made on June 6, a December 31 deadline for agreement was voluntarily set. Negotiations remained at an impasse, and that time passed.
Meanwhile, a new commercial entity, PGA Tour Enterprises, brokered a deal worth up to $3 billion with SSG (Strategic Sports Grouo).
It is widely believed that the initial talks between the two parties led to LIV Golf poaching Jon Rahm for an astronomical sum.
There appears to be no agreement imminent between PIF and the PGA Tour. But the fact that the player director himself met with Al Rumayan, rather than Commissioner Monaghan or other officials, could at least move things forward.
Whether that will lead to unification of golf remains to be seen.
Kendall Capps is the senior editor of SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social media platforms.
