Breakthrough? Tiger Says PGA Tour and LIV Golf Are Eyeing ‘End Game’

Tiger Woods is a busy man. This week, he’s in Pinehurst, N.C., getting ready to compete in his 23rd U.S. Open. On Tuesday night, he’ll also receive the Bob Jones Award—the highest honor given out by the United States Golf Association to recognize sportsmanship and respect for the game. And over the weekend, Woods was part of an hours-long meeting in New York City with representatives from LIV Golf’s financial backers at the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, including governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

“It was productive,” Woods said Tuesday during his pre-tournament press conference. “And is there light at the end of [the] tunnel? I think we’re closer to that point than we were pre-meeting.” On Saturday morning, the PGA Tour released a statement confirming the meeting, saying that “more progress was made” and the Tour remains “committed to these negotiations.”

“Both sides were looking at different ways to get to the end game,” Woods said. “Both sides shared a deep passion for how we need to get there. And yes, there are going to be differences of opinion, but we all want the same thing.”

Return on Investment?

Rory McIlroy, who is also part of the PGA Tour’s transaction subcommittee negotiating with the PIF, gave his reaction to the meeting Saturday at The Memorial Tournament. “They’re a sovereign wealth fund,” he said. “They invest in companies and in different things and they want a return on their investment. … It doesn’t seem like they’re getting that at the minute within golf.”

Last Thursday marked one year since the PGA Tour and the PIF announced a shocking framework agreement to unify men’s professional golf. Still without a deal, the future of golf and ongoing divide between PGA Tour and LIV Golf players remains murky.