Tiger Woods would have stayed there after the crisis PGA Tour meeting to play golf with LIV President Yasir Al-Rumayyan.
Woods48 years old, and several personalities from the world of golf met on Monday in the Bahamas to speak with the powerful Saudi businessman.
It was the first time PGA Tour player managers met with the 54-year-old after two years of unprecedented disruption in the men’s game.
Meeting details have been preserved well kept secret but PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan said the discussions were “constructive”.
“During the session, Yasir had the opportunity to introduce himself to our player managers,” Monahan told PGA Tour members in a memo.
“And talk about his vision, his priorities and his motivations for investing in professional golf.”
It is hoped that the meeting could pave the way for the PGA Tour to finally reach an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s PIF and end hostilities in the match.
According to Barstool Sports, Woods played a few holes with Al-Rumayyan in Albany on March 20, 24 hours after the meeting attendees left the property.
Woods’ luxury yacht, Privacy, was still docked in the Albany Resort Marina Tuesday morning.
User X radaratlas2, who tracks planes, also said the plane associated with the aforementioned Monahan was gone.
Related:
What is the importance of the meeting?
The meeting is of momentous importance given Woods’ previous hostilities towards LIV Golf.
Woods has previously been extremely critical of LIV players, accusing “rebel” golfers of turning their backs on the Tour that created them.
When the framework agreement of June 6, 2023 was announced, his silence spoke volumes.
Woods was believed to be furious that a deal of this magnitude had been made without his knowledge.
This prompted the 15-time major champion to join the political council and, in doing so, take a dim view of Monahan’s actions.
“We were very frustrated with what happened,” Woods said.
In early February, it appeared that Woods’ position regarding Saudi investment in the PGA Tour had changed somewhat.
Although he claimed that may not be necessary after the Tour received a $1.5 billion cash injection from Strategic Sports Group.
“Ultimately, we would like PIF to be a part of our tour and our product,” Woods said.
“Financially it’s not the case at the moment, and the sums they were put on the table with and what we initially agreed in the framework agreement, they’re all the same numbers.
“Anything beyond that will obviously be beyond that. We’re in a position right now where we hope to be able to improve our product in the short and long term.”
Woods also confirmed that the PGA Tour was looking at “all the different models” to return to the PGA Tour for LIV players.
Will a deal happen?
It is of course still much too early to tell.
According to Peter Malnati, the PGA Tour’s director of players, there is still “massive resistance” to Saudi involvement.
“On the surface, I think there are players who have resistance to that relationship, for sure,” he said.
“That’s why I think it’s important that our next step is to maybe meet at some point.”
Patrick Cantlay said he was traveling to the Bahamas with an open mind. “It’s more of a meet and greet,” he said.
So what would happen if there was no deal?
“I imagine if this didn’t happen, we would be living in a similar paradigm to the one we have now,” Cantlay warned.
A person who desperately needs to reach an agreement is Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy met Al-Rumayyan in December 2022 and later claimed to have asked PGA Tour officials to reach out.
That said, he remains blinded by the June 6 announcement.
He nevertheless believes that an agreement with the PIF is the only way to repair a fractured sport.
After the Players Championship, McIlroy said: “I spent time with Yasir and his — the people who represented him in LIV, I think, didn’t do him any favors, so (Greg) Norman and these guys.
“I see both entities, and I think there’s a big, I actually think there’s a really big disconnect between PIF and LIV.
“I think you have PIF here and LIV are kind of here doing their own thing.
“So the closer we can get to Yasir, the PIF and hopefully finalize this investment, I think it will be a very good thing.”
Read next:
