Donald Trump is set to meet with Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his Middle East tour, with the U.S. President intending to discuss LIV Golf
Donald Trump’s agenda for his visit to the Middle East may include professional golf(Image: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump is poised to tell Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that any agreement between the PGA Tour and PIF will spell the end for LIV Golf.
Trump landed in the Middle East on Tuesday with plans to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. One key item on his agenda is LIV Golf, the contentious circuit that has emerged as a rival to the PGA Tour in recent years.
LIV Golf is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which has poured over $5 billion into the project. Despite this investment, the circuit remains relatively unpopular, struggling to attract viewers and sponsors — and Trump wants it to merge with the PGA Tour.
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Trump, an avid golf enthusiast, has been open about his wish to see the PGA Tour and LIV Golf unite in the future. The two tours have been in talks for over a year, with Trump even stepping in to speed up a deal.
After landing and meeting with officials in Riyadh, Trump is set to tell Bin Salman that any deal between the PGA Tour and PIF won’t include a long-term future for LIV Golf, according to Golfweek.
Trump reportedly enlisted the help of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods to reinforce his position. The record-breaking PGA Tour winner visited the White House to ensure Trump understood his stance.
Bryson DeChambeau is one of several defectors from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf(Image: Getty Images)
Last month, PIF made a $1.5 billion bid to the PGA Tour, but it was turned down for not meeting expectations. Trump has pledged to remain engaged in discussions to resolve the rift in top-tier golf.
After hearing about the declined proposal, Trump shared with journalists on Air Force One: “Ultimately, hopefully, the two tours are going to merge.
“That’ll be good. I’m involved in that too. But hopefully we’re going to get the two tours to merge.
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“You have the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour. And I think having them merge would be a great thing.”
In February, Trump hosted a meeting at the White House with Tiger Woods, fellow player-director Adam Scott, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF leader Yasir Al-Rumayyan.
The discussions, however, did not unfold as anticipated. Al-Rumayyan felt slighted and dismissed the PGA Tour’s offer.
Since then, Al-Rumayyan has apparently stepped back from any further negotiations, despite being allowed into the Masters.
How Bin Salman and the PIF will respond to renewed negotiations under Trump’s guidance remains uncertain.
