At the center of the talks between the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and the PGA Tour is Jay Monahan, who is coming under more and more pressure.
Hank Haney, the former coach of Tiger Woods, has criticized Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, for how the circuit has handled the current negotiations with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF).
Since Monahan made the shocking announcement in June of last year, the PGA Tour has been in talks with their Saudi competitors about a peace deal; however, as of right now, no deal has been finalized. Originally, a target of December 31 was set for deal finalization, but this deadline was missed.
Following the deadline, the Tour informed its participating members that talks with PIF were still ongoing and that their dispute with LIV Golf would likely be resolved by the proposed agreement.
However, in recent weeks, doubts have been raised about the agreement’s completion. A Golf Digest article from earlier this month stated that Monahan intended to “shut down” the LIV setup and that the two sides’ recent talks had “gone cold.”
Ex-coach of Woods Haney expressed his annoyance with Monahan and his involvement in the ongoing negotiations amid the most recent development. He tweeted, “They should probably consider doing the opposite of whatever [Monahan] wants.” The American circuit has chosen to form a partnership elsewhere, as it seems that the PGA Tour and PIF are delaying a deal.
The Tour announced its partnership with Strategic Sports Group (SSG) late last month. SSG had committed to investing a staggering £2.4 billion ($3 billion) in PGA Tour Enterprises. It remains to be seen if this has any bearing on the proposed alliance with the Saudi fund.
However, PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan praised the investment following the news, sending a comforting message to LIV members. Al-Rumayyan wrote in a letter, according to Golfweek. “The announcement made yesterday regarding the establishment of PGA Tour Enterprises is in line with PIF’s enduring desire to advance the sport.
“PIF is still debating and assessing the potential for a future investment that will advance golf as a whole. PIF is still dedicated to funding and assisting LIV and the team golf format, which has revitalized the sport and attracted a large number of new players worldwide.
“Golf is just now starting to reach its full potential. When LIV was founded, we had this vision, and it is now more relevant than ever. The sport has been completely changed by LIV, and we intend to keep the game’s tremendous momentum going forward while growing its fan base, platform, and global presence.”
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