PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott said they met earlier this week with President Trump in a push for an investment deal with competing Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Monahan and Scott stated they met with Trump on Tuesday in a meeting that “has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for reunification of men’s professional golf.”
“We know golf fans are eagerly anticipating a resolution to negotiations with the Public Investment Fund and want to thank President Trump for his interest and long-time support of the game of golf,” the PGA Tour said in a statement from Monahan, Scott and Tiger Woods.
It is unclear if Woods was at the meeting with Trump.
“We asked the President to get involved for the good of the game, the good of the country, and for all the countries involved,” the trio said in a statement that was published on Thursday. “We are grateful that his leadership has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for reunification of men’s professional golf.”
In early June 2023, the PGA Tour agreed to merge with Saudi-backed LIV Golf, forming one large golfing organization. The Department of Justice (DOJ) then launched a probe into the merger less than a month later. It marked the second investigation by the DOJ into the PGA Tour. The deal was not finalized.
Trump, an avid golfer himself, said during the 2024 presidential election that he could close the deal between the two sides in 15 minutes. Just days after winning the election in November, the president invited Monahan to golf with him at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., a request the PGA Tour accepted.
The PGA Tour struck a deal with Strategic Sports Group in January last year for an investment of more than $1.5 billion in equity in PGA TOUR Enterprises, a for-profit arm.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment about the meeting.
