LIV Golf may be here to stay after all.
PGA Tour’s control of LIV Golf’s future in question after Saudi governor’s meeting with rival tour
The Saudi’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan met with LIV Golf leadership and appears to have showed his surprising cards toward the future of LIV.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
According to a Sports Illustrated report, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), has indicated to players that LIV will continue into the future.
“[LIV] is my f—ing baby,” Rumayyan reportedly said during a recent discussion with players.
The recent framework agreement between the PGA Tour and PIF indicated that the tour would control how professional golf operates going forward. A clause within the deal states that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan will help decide LIV Golf’s future.
Despite this, Al-Rummayyan indicated to team captains this week that LIV is here to stay, per Sports Illustrated.
“Yasir Al-Rumayyan reportedly assured LIV team captains yesterday that the league is here to stay, despite a framework agreement with the PGA TOUR containing a clause that says commissioner Jay Monahan will have discretion to decide its future. (Via Sports Illustrated),” NUCLRGOLF tweeted Friday.
This meeting took place in Spain, as LIV Golf is playing at the Valderrama Golf Club along Spain’s southern coast.
Dubbed the ‘Augusta National of Europe,’ Valderamma hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup and numerous DP World Tour events.
It is one of the best layouts in the world, and perhaps the most prestigious course LIV has hosted an event at to date.
Interestingly, Greg Norman and Al-Rumayyan appeared next to each other in a golf cart this week at Valderrama. They had a brief conversation with Bryson DeChambeau too.
DeChambeau, the Crushers GC team captain, has publicly said that “he feels bad” for players who did not leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.
Of course, the PIF paid numerous players hundreds of millions to defect to LIV, hoping to gain notoriety within the professional golfing world.
Who knows what will happen going forward, but right now, key stakeholders are sending mixed messages about the future of professional golf.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
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