President Donald Trump put himself in the midst of two quarrel factions that have been at war for three years.
It is a world conflict that started in 2022Forcing long -standing allies to turn against each other. Loyalty have been testedThe betrayals have been exposed and relationships formerly favorable have collapsed under the weight of this massive power struggle.
What started as an aggressive territorial assault quickly turned into a large -scale war with the two parties by digging, refusing to compromise, spending countless sums of money and resources and launching incessant attacks against each other.
No, I’m not talking on the war between Russia and Ukraine; I’m talking about the quarrel between the PGA Tour and the Golf Liv.
Obviously, a golf dispute is meaningless and pale compared to a real war, but Trump has now put himself in the middle of the two. Although one is a geopolitical conflict with the world consequences and the other is a conference battle on money and power, the two have created deep divisions and key characters forced to choose sides, leaving a trace of animosity which will not be easy to erase.
With a professional golf course at a crossroads, Trump intervened again, hoping to negotiate an agreement that could unify the sport and put an end to a rivalry that fractured the game. Trump would have triggered discussions and organized two white house meetings in recent weeks with Jay Monahan, commissioner at the PGA Tour, Jay MonahanDirector of PGA Tour players, Adam Scott and Yasir al-Rumayyan, president of Liv Golf who heads the public investment fund of Saudi Arabia.
“He is someone who absolutely cares about the golf game,” said Monahan about Trump at a meeting with journalists at Bay Hill before Arnold Palmer Invitational on Thursday. “He is the leader of the free world, and he has an active interest in bringing together the game. He is in an incredibly strong position to do so and his will to do it obviously the dynamics. »»
“” We do our best to bring the game together, “added Monahan.” Seventy percent of our fans tell us that they would like to see the game together. It is an essential foundation to explain why we spend time and energy trying to accomplish it. It was a very productive visit (with Trump). I think you were all around him to find out how much he is passionate about the golf game. Sitting and talking about how we realize what he has publicly declared as a goal, which is the golf game operating under a single tour with all the best players playing during this tour, was an excellent opportunity.
The same goes for the recent meeting with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House and we saw how it turned out.
Hoping that Trump and Vice-President JD Vance do not invite Monahan to the White House, where they reprimand him and then row on the side of the Saudis.
We are kidding, of course, but there is no doubt that Trump has a comfortable relationship with Saudi Arabia and perhaps it could help negotiate an agreement between Liv and the PGA Tour. Golf courts belonging to Trump have hosted several VIV events in the past three years and the Saudi public investment fund has invested $ 2 billion in a investment capital fund founded by Jared Kushner – Trump’s son -in -law and a former White House advisor.
Like Russia in negotiations with Ukraine, there seems to be a school of thought that the Golf of Saudi Liv only wants to conclude an agreement with the PGA Tour in its own conditions.
As the star of the PGA Tour said, Rory McILroy before triggered by Arnold Palmer Invitational on Thursday: “Listen, I think there are two in Tango. So if one party is arranged and ready and the other is not, it makes things difficult. “”
McILroy, who was once the most vocal critic of the PGA Tour de Liv, has struck a more conciliatory agreement in the past two years. In fact, he told journalists to the Arnie earlier this week: “I think that the story around the golf course would host an agreement in terms of simple reception of all the best players together. I think it would be the ideal scenario, but I don’t think the PGA Tour needs An agreement. “”
I do not agree. I think the PGA Tour and Liv absolutely need this affair. The PGA Tour cannot continue to lose brand players against LIV, and Liv cannot continue to pour billions of dollars into a mainly unrelevant golf league.
If Trump – or someone else – can settle this quarrel, then more power. But, let’s be honest, it will not be as easy as to shake hands on a golf game in Mar-A-Lago. The obstacles to the conclusion of a peace agreement are always monumental.
Will Liv will abandon his team format and his hunting rifle begin that the traditionalists of the PGA Tour hate?
Will the two tours find a way to create a joint financial model, taking advantage of Liv’s investment power while maintaining the tradition, structure and stature of the PGA Tour?
Will the PGA Tour drop the suspensions and allow VIV defectors to return without penalties?
In the end, the long -term success of professional golf course depends on answering these questions and resolving this schism.
President Trump media now the battle between the PGA Tour and the golf liv, we may soon see an epilogue at “the art of the agreement”.
Golf fans can only hope that this updated chapter ends with a Birdie, not a Bogey.
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