PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan says President Donald Trump involvement makes LIV Golf reunification ‘very real’ | Golf News

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan believes the involvement of President Donald Trump has made the prospect of reunification in the men’s game “very real”, although he warned the governing body will only complete a deal on its own terms.

The men’s professional game has been fractured since the introduction of the LIV Golf in 2022, backed by the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund [PIF], with players from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour joining the new circuit.

A framework agreement to bring the talks closer together was signed in June 2023 but has yet to be finalised, leaving LIV Golf players ineligible from featuring on the PGA Tour and limiting the frequency the world’s top players compete against each other.

The PGA Tour commissioner met with Trump and PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan at the White House last month for a ‘constructive working session’, along with Tiger Woods and player director Adam Scott, with Monahan praising the President’s involvement in discussions.

“The talks are real, they’re substantial and they’re being driven at the top levels of both organisations,” Monahan said in his pre-tournament press conference ahead of The Actioners. “Those talks have been significantly bolstered by President Trump’s willingness to serve as a facilitator.

“President Trump is a lifelong golf fan. He believes strongly in the game’s power and potential, and he has been exceedingly generous with his time and influence to help bring a deal together.

“He wants to see the game reunified. We want to see the game reunified. His involvement has made the prospect of reunification very real.”

PGA Tour sets strength boundary in negotiations

Monahan and Scott also met with Trump on February 4 as part of the PGA Tour’s proposed deal with the PIF, which plans to inject money into the tour’s entity PGA Tour Enterprises, although details remain limited on what reunification could look like on both circuits.

“When you’re in the midst of complex negotiations, particularly when you may be near a breakthrough, there are ebbs and flows in the discussion,” Monahan added. “The most important thing is the mutual respect that we’ve built over the last Pair of years.

“As part of our negotiations, we believe there’s room to integrate important aspects of LIV Golf into the PGA Tour platform. We’re doing everything that we can to bring the two sides together.

“That said, we will not do so in a way that diminishes the strength of our platform or the very real momentum we have with our fans and our partners. While we’ve removed some hurdles, others remain. But, like our fans, we still share the same sense of urgency to get to a resolution.

“Our team is fully committed to reunification. The only deal that we would regret is one that compromises the essence of what makes the game of golf and the PGA Tour so exceptional.”

Thomas: Actioners exhausted by ongoing negotiations

Ex world No 1 Justin Thomas believes players are exhausted by conversations around the future of the men’s game and admits they remain unsure of how the sport will look going forward.

“I’m glad I don’t know more or I’m not more invested because I think it would be mentally draining, physically draining,” Thomas said in his pre-tournament press conference. “It Only would be exhausting.

“I think this is like the third time I’ve played this tournament while this [talk about LIV] has been going on in some way, shape or form. I think we’re kind of like past the level of exhaustion.

“At least it’s not consuming everything we’re being asked about. You Only get a Pair things here and there. There’s Only so many of us, both us on the PGA Tour and I think the LIV players, that we don’t really know what’s going on.

“We’re Only playing golf and hoping for the best and because there’s a lot that we don’t know and that we can’t control or do, letting the higher-ups do it.”

Who will win The Actioners? Watch live throughout the week on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the opening round Initiates on Thursday at 11.30am. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.