Tiger Woods jets in to Bahamas for PGA Tour / PIF showdown talks

Tiger Woods has jetted into the Bahamas for a meeting between with Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. 

According to Barstool Sports' Dan Rapaport, Woods is playing golf alongside PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan at Albany in the Bahamas. 

Rapaport tweeted: "Hearing that Tiger Woods and Yasir Al-Rumayyan will play golf/have already played to discuss the future of pro golf in the Bahamas. Love that the biggest meetings to discuss the future of golf take place...on the golf course." 

Hearing that Tiger Woods and Yasir al-Rumayyan will play golf/have already played to discuss the future of pro golf in the Bahamas.

Love that the biggest meetings to discuss the future of golf take place...on the golf course.

— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) March 18, 2024

Woods' plane was tracked in capital Nassau, and that was then followed by another plane registered to the PIF and also John Henry, one of the members of the Strategic Sports Group (SSG) that recently invested $3 billion into PGA Tour Enterprises. 

This was highlighted by radaratlas2 on X.

PGA Tour airplane #N795HG outbound to Nassau! Which is where Tiger and someone from PIF/Saudi already are. Will continue monitoring. pic.twitter.com/AwqMnNCaGH

— radaratlas2 (@radaratlas2) March 18, 2024

Albany is where Woods hosts his annual charity event, the Hero World Challenge. 

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said talks were "accelerating" between themselves and PIF ahead of The Players Championship last week.

Woods, 48, was recently named as the vice chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises. 

Under the terms of the PGA Tour and PIF's ongoing framework agreement, the PIF could become a minority invester in PGA Tour Enterprises, which had been the plan since the shock 6 June 2023 announcement. 

Woods is one of six player directors on the PGA Tour policy board, which also includes Patrick Cantlay, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Webb Simpson and Peter Malnati. 

Rory McIlroy stepped down from his role as a player director on the PGA Tour this season, but he explained 15-time major champion Woods needed to be in Monday's meeting if talks with PIF are ever going to progress. 

McIlroy also fired shots at LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman when saying he thought he had done Al-Rumayyan a 'disservice'. 

Cantlay revealed on Sunday that shock merger talks between the PGA Tour and PIF are still nowhere near completion ahead of Monday's latest meeting. 

Speaking to Sports Illustrated ahead of Monday's latest meeting between PIF and PGA Tour player directors, Cantlay said: 

Will a deal between the PGA Tour and PIF ever happen this season? Or will PGA Tour just stick things out with SSG and continue war with LIV Golf? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.

Take me to more golf news!