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- Monahan: There are a lot of things that we鈥檙e talking about, team golf being one of them, but I鈥檓 not at liberty to talk about the specifics
MIAMI: PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan said Tuesday talks with the 萝莉视频n backers of LIV Golf were 鈥渁ccelerating鈥� but was tight-lipped on how the proposed joint venture between the two bodies would work.
Speaking to reporters ahead of this week鈥檚 Players Championship, Monahan said negotiations with 萝莉视频鈥檚 Public Investment Fund (PIF) were progressing.
However, Monahan said several 鈥渒ey issues鈥� remained to be resolved and that hammering out a deal would 鈥渢ake time.鈥�
鈥淎s I鈥檝e said on a number of occasions, you can鈥檛 negotiate a deal like this in public, so I will be brief,鈥� Monahan said.
鈥淚 recently met with the governor of the PIF, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, and our negotiations are accelerating as we spend time together.
鈥淲hile we have several key issues that we still need to work through, we have a shared vision to quiet the noise and unlock golf鈥檚 worldwide potential.鈥�
The emergence of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf, which has lured top PGA Tour players with huge signing on fees and lucrative limited field tournaments, has split the golf world.
Monahan, however, shocked the sporting world last June by announcing that the PGA Tour had agreed a tie-up with LIV鈥檚 backers, the PIF, in a stunning U-turn that followed secret negotiations.
The precise detail of how the new venture between the PGA Tour and PIF will work remains shrouded in mystery. An initial December 2023 deadline to agree a deal came and went as negotiations continue.
Since then more players have left the PGA Tour to join LIV, most notably Spanish star Jon Rahm, the reigning Masters champion who opted to join the upstart circuit in December.
Monahan, who has faced criticism for his handling of the crisis, declined to comment on the question of whether players who left for LIV would be welcomed back to the PGA Tour.
鈥淲e鈥檝e made and continue to make real progress in our negotiations and our discussions with the PIF,鈥� Monahan said.
鈥淏ut it really is not in the best interest of the PGA Tour and our membership and for PIF for me to be talking about where we are with specific elements of our discussions.鈥�
Monahan added, however, that the eventual goal was to unify the sport so that all of the world鈥檚 best players were participating on one circuit.
鈥淎s a board and as an organization, we鈥檙e committed to trying to get to a place where there is unification,鈥� Monahan said.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who will attempt to defend his Players title this week, meanwhile, said he had no plans to join the exodus to LIV Golf.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to sit here and tell guys not to take hundreds of millions of dollars,鈥� Scheffler said. 鈥淚f that鈥檚 what they think is best for their life, then go do it ... But at the end of the day, this is where I want to be, and what they鈥檙e doing is not really a concern to me.鈥�
Monahan also declined to say whether the new joint PGA Tour-PIF venture would feature LIV鈥檚 team golf concept.
鈥淭here are a lot of things that we鈥檙e talking about, team golf being one of them, but I鈥檓 not at liberty to talk about the specifics,鈥� Monahan said. 鈥淚 just don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 helpful for what we鈥檙e trying to accomplish together.鈥�
Monahan urged rank-and-file PGA Tour members opposed to allowing LIV players back on to the circuit to be flexible, but acknowledged that any eventual agreement was unlikely to be universally popular.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in a negotiation like this and you鈥檙e in a time like this, it requires open-mindedness, it requires flexibility, and it requires a long-term view and a long-term vision,鈥� Monahan said.
鈥淏ut however we end up, I think that we鈥檙e not going to be able to satisfy everyone, and that goes for both sides.
鈥淏ut what we鈥檙e trying to do is to get to the best possible outcome again for the Tour and for the game, and I do think that that鈥檚 achievable.鈥�