US President Donald Trump’s involvement in professional golf’s peace talks has ramped up further, with Tiger Woods among those afforded an audience with the US president at the White House on Thursday afternoon.
Woods joined PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, fellow board member Adam Scott and representatives of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in a meeting hosted by Trump amid increasing hopes the fractured sport can unite over the coming months.
Key sticking points were expected to surround the precise role for PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan in golf’s new world and where the Saudi-established LIV Tour sits on the sport’s schedule.
Photo: Reuters
Trump introduced Woods at the White House after the meeting in a reception marking Black History Month, saying they had “interesting discussions” about the future of the game.
LIV’s formation in 2022 created divisions in elite golf that are yet to heal. Players such as Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau swapped the PGA Tour for LIV with no apparent hope of return. If Trump can accelerate a deal — and he believes he can — a pathway would be established for those golfers to play in PGA Tour events once again.
Equally intriguing is where the PGA Tour, LIV and the DP World Tour all sit in what ideally would be a global golf schedule. The PGA Tour declined to comment on the White House meeting when approached on Thursday, but Monahan later confirmed the “constructive working session” with Trump and Al-Rumayyan.
“Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, we have initiated a discussion about the reunification of golf,” Monahan said in a statement.
“We are committed to moving as quickly as possible and will share additional details as appropriate,” he said.
“We share a passion for the game and the importance of reunification. Most importantly, we all want the best players in the world playing together more often and are committed to doing all we can to deliver that outcome for our fans,” he said.
Trump holds a significant role not only because of his love for golf, but because of the influence he can exert on the US Department of Justice, which under former US president Joe Biden was seen as a potential stumbling block to the PGA Tour and Saudis forming an alliance.
In practical terms, the PIF would seek to invest in PGA Tour Enterprises, a body created in June 2023 when a framework agreement for peace in golf was surprisingly announced. Broader matters of intrigue involve potential increased involvement by Saudi Arabia in US sports franchises.
Scott and Monahan also attended the White House earlier this month.
Woods has recently spoken positively about golf’s future.
“Things are going to heal quickly,” he told CBS during the final round of the Genesis Invitational on Sunday last week “We’re going to get this game going in the right direction”
Rory McIlroy had earlier revealed he played golf with Trump early last month.
“The President, he can do a lot of things,” McIlroy said on Wednesday. “He has direct access to Yasir’s boss [Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman]. Not many people have that.”
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
In-form teenager Mirra Andreeva on Thursday crashed out of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, after going down in straight sets to fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the last 16. World No. 7 Andreeva, who already has two titles under her belt this season, lost 6-3, 6-2 against the 22nd-ranked Alexandrova in just over an hour. The 17-year-old Andreeva had defeated her elder sister Erika in the previous round on Wednesday, but Alexandrova quickly took control as she claimed her fourth win over a top-10 player this season. The 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in February became the youngest winner of a WTA
RSS