Trump's involvement puts PGA Tour-LIV Golf in better spot for deal, tour head says

Trump’s involvement puts PGA Tour-LIV Golf in better spot for deal, tour head says

Posted by author March 4, 2025 Golf

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The president has been involved in talks between the tours to eventually merge.

Monahan acknowledged Trump’s influence as a former world leader and his passion for golf as contributing factors to the ongoing negotiations.
While a deal is not finalized, Monahan remains optimistic about the progress made in the discussions.
Trump, a vocal critic of the PGA Tour in the past, has shifted his stance and is actively working toward a resolution between the two golfing entities.

ORLANDO — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan praised Donald Trump for his involvement in talks between the tour and LIV Golf, saying Tuesday he does not believe they would be in a position to reunify without the president’s assistance.

“The dynamic he brings is he’s the leader of the free world and he has an active interest in reunifying the game,” Monahan said during an informal meeting with selected media two days before the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

“He’s in an incredibly strong position to do so and his willingness to do so obviously changes the dynamic. I don’t think we would have the cadence and we’d be in the position we’re in to get a deal done but for the president.”

Monahan and Adam Scott, chairman of the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council, traveled to the White House twice in February to meet with Trump to discuss ways for the tour and LIV Golf to reach a settlement. Tiger Woods and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the head of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which finances LIV Golf, were present at the most recent meeting.

“(I) was thankful for the president for his leadership, extremely thankful for his willingness to host us in the Oval Office, to help us continue with those conversations,” Monahan said Tuesday.

Still, Monahan stopped short of saying a deal is imminent.

“If you look at his commentary last week ultimately seeing a deal happening, Yasir Al-Rumayyan’s comments about the good meeting that we had, we’ll just continue to move forward in those conversations,” he said.

When Trump was elected in November, he said it would take him “the better part of 15 minutes” to get the two sides to unite once he got into the White House. Nearly two months and two face-to-face meetings later, negotiations that started 21 months ago continue.

Donald Trump loves to golf

Trump is an avid golfer and fan who continues to play even as the sitting president. He has spent several weekends since his inauguration playing at his Trump International Golf Club near West Palm Beach while staying at Mar-a-Lago, his home on Palm Beach.

“He’s someone that absolutely loves the game of golf, he cares about the game of golf,” Monahan said.

Trump’s allegiance recently has been with LIV, advocating for the league when it started in 2022. LIV has played several of its events at Trump properties, including Doral, which will host an LIV event for the fourth consecutive year in April.

Trump has heavily criticized the PGA Tour in recent years, calling the tour “disloyal” and urging its players to “take the money now” and join LIV.

He said the PGA Tour was “stupid,” and even called for “something to happen” to its leadership, meaning Monahan.

“The tour mishandled (LIV’s formation) so badly and the people at the top, something should happen with them, they mishandled it so badly,” he said during LIV’s first event at Doral in 2022.

Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.