Speaking ahead of the 106th PGA Championship, Tiger Woods said negotiations between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s backer, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), have a “long way to go.”
“I think we’re working on negotiations with PIF,” Tiger said Tuesday at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. “It’s ongoing, it’s fluid. It changes day-to-day. Has there been progress? Yes, but it’s an ongoing negotiation, so a lot of work ahead for all of us with this process. And so we’re making steps and it may not be giant steps, but we’re making steps.”
On June 6, 2023, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan announced a framework agreement to unite golf. A Dec. 31 deadline to finalize the details was missed.
During the span, Tiger Woods was added to the policy board, as players sought more influence over tour business. Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, and Peter Malnati round out the board.
In the past week, Rory McIlroy was denied his spot back on the policy board. He insinuated that certain board members were not comfortable with him re-joining. McIlroy is in favor of a global, unified product largely financed by PIF, while others seemingly prefer to work with PIF but overall push forward with private equity. Earlier this year, the PGA Tour secured up to $3 billion in funding from the Strategic Sports Group to launch a for-profit branch, PGA Tour Enterprises. Tiger is vice president.
Longtime independent board director Jimmy Dunne surprisingly resigned earlier this week, citing the lack of “meaningful progress” in PIF talks.
“Well, the PGA Tour is for the players and by the players,” Woods said. “So, we have an influence and there’s roles for the player directors, and there’s roles for the independents. We’re trying to make the PGA Tour the best it can be, day in and day out. That’s one of the reasons why we have arguments and we have disagreements, but we want to do what’s best for everyone in golf and the tour. Without those kinds of conflicts, the progress is not going to be there, so it’s been good.”
Tiger and McIlroy are on a newly created subcommittee tasked with negotiating with PIF. The player directors, Monahan, and SSG reps met with Al-Rumayyan in the Bahamas in March.
“I think the fans are probably as tired as we are of the talk of not being about the game of golf and about not being about the players,” Tiger added. “It’s about what LIV is doing, what we’re doing, players coming back, players leaving. The fans just want to see us play together. How we get there is to be determined.”
Top players such as three-time PGA champion Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, and Joaquinn Niemann have jumped to the more international LIV. The disruptive tour has yet to gain traction in the United States with fans.
Tiger will be vying for his 16th major trophy this week at Valhalla — the site of his first PGA Championship victory in 2000. Tiger last teed it up at the Masters in April. He made a record 24th straight cut at Augusta but finished last after the weekend.
Tiger will tee off at 8:04 a.m. Thursday. He’ll play with Scott and Keegan Bradley.
