PGA Tour boss sounds the alarm with answer to LIV Golf question
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan spoke to reporters about the North American circuit's deal with LIV Golf's backers before the Tour Championship.
PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan appeared to indicate little progress has been made to strike a deal with LIV Golf's Saudi financiers ahead of the season finale at East Lake.
Monahan, 54, met with reporters in Atlanta on Wednesday morning.
Top of the agenda was just how much headway has been made to consummate last June's framework agreement with the breakaway tour's backers.
Monahan said there is reason to be optimistic and discussions between Tour and PIF officials will continue.
That being said, the PGA Tour commissioner refused to issue a deadline before the two sides think about walking away.
"Ultimately, we are trying to bring the best players in the world back together," Monahan said.
He added: "We have the right people at the table with the right mindset.
"I see that in all of these conversations, and that's both sides.
"That creates optimism about the future and our ability to come together.
"But at the same time, these conversations are complex.
"They're going to take time. They have taken time, and they will continue to take time."
He continued: "As I sit here today, I think the most important thing for us and our obligations to our fans, our players and our partners is to focus on what we control, which we're doing, as I outlined, and to continue to carry this momentum forward.
"But I'm not going to negotiate details in public or disclose details or specifics. All I can say is that conversations continue, and they're productive."
The 6 June 2023 framework agreement contained a deadline of 31 December 2023 in the fineprint.
But that date passed without any meaninful update and it wasn't until March that the PGA Tour's player directors - including Tiger Woods - first met with LIV's chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the Bahamas.
Al-Rumayyan is also the governor of the PIF and the mastermind behind LIV.
There was chatter before the U.S. Open that the two sides have exchanged terms but that report was unsubstantiated.
Further complicating matters is how the Tour's private equity deal with Strategic Sports Group impacts the PIF's position.
Monahan said the Tour does not have a deadline this year with the PIF.
"I don't think we want to restrict ourselves in that way," he said.
"We want to achieve the best and right outcome at the right time," he said.
Monahan was also coy on the potential for some LIV players to rejoin the PGA Tour in the future.
Some LIV players' contracts are due to expire at the end of 2025.
So will they be allowed to play PGA Tour events?
Monahan let Tyler Dennis, the PGA Tour's senior vice president and chief of operations, handle the topic.
"So players that have never played on the Tour and have no outstanding connection to previous membership, there is a one-year waiting period between when you play in an unauthorized event and being able to return to the PGA Tour," Dennis said.
What if they have?
"Players who are members or are members of the Tour also have all of our tournament regulations and conduct policies applying to them," Dennis said.
"I'm not going to get into details about that, but there's an additional set of guidelines there to consider."
