• Loading stock data...
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

Will PGA Tour-PIF Deal Get Done? Some Players Say: Don’t Bother

  • Spieth, Simpson among those to question need for Saudi pact after SSG investment.
  • Fenway Sports Group-led infusion brings both cash, intellectual capital.
Jordan Spieth
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

On the heels of the PGA Tour’s landmark investment deal with Fenway Sports Group-led Strategic Sports Group, pegged at up to $3 billion, a pressing and immediate question is now rippling through the golf world: Does the Tour now even need to finish a much-discussed agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund?

The SSG pact was structured to allow for co-investment from the PIF, and the PGA Tour said there has been “progress in its ongoing negotiations” with the LIV Golf backer, adding that “both parties are working toward an ultimate agreement.” But some players believe such continued effort is no longer necessary.

“I don’t think that’s needed,” said Jordan Spieth (above) of the potential PIF investment. “The idea is that we have a strategic partner that allows the PGA Tour to go forward the way that it’s operating right now without anything else.”

Spieth, the world’s No. 14 men’s player, is now part of the PGA Tour’s player policy board following a resignation by Rory McIlroy in November. 

Among the reasons for the player reticence toward completing the PIF deal: 

  • The SSG agreement provides not only a significant cash infusion, but the intellectual capital of more than 200 years of combined pro sports team leadership. 
  • Nearly 200 PGA Tour players are already set to become equity participants in the newly formed, for-profit commercial entity PGA Tour Enterprises.
  • Distrust and hurt feelings remain among some PGA Tour players toward their LIV Golf counterparts, with Christiaan Bezuidenhout telling ESPN, “I wouldn’t want to see any of the LIV guys come back.”
  • There is no clarity yet on what role PIF would play in the operation of the PGA Tour or PGA Tour Enterprises, or if the investment would survive U.S. government regulatory approval processes.

“That has not been the ultimate priority,” said Webb Simpson, another player policy board member, of a potential PIF deal.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Coco Gauff at New York Liberty

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.
Leo Messi
exclusive

MLS Commissioner Don Garber Defends Messi Suspension

Messi was punished for skipping the MLS All-Star Game.

Commanders Seal Stadium Deal As D.C. Approves $1.1B in Funding

The NFL team’s return to its prior home receives key political support.
Feb 20, 2011; Calgary, AB, Canada; Canadian hockey fans wave a flag and display a banner before the Heritage Classic between the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames at McMahon Stadium. The Flames beat the Canadiens 4-0

Where Does Hockey Go After the Hockey Canada Verdict?

After the sexual assault trial, hockey is split over the path forward.

Featured Today

Las Vegas sign

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.
Apr 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) before game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.

Rockets Get $20 Million in Wiggle Room From New VanVleet Deal

VanVleet first signed with the Rockets in 2023.
April 20, 2025

Max Verstappen Linked to $300M Aston Martin Deal Ahead of Miami GP

Aston Martin is currently seventh in the constructors championship.
June 24, 2025

Timberwolves’ 4-Year Ownership Saga Ends As A-Rod, Lore Take Over

The unanimous approval brought a clean end to a long-disputed transaction.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
March 27, 2025

Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions Gets PE Boost

The Hall of Famer’s company gains another prominent backer.
March 20, 2025

High School Sports Power Signs Eight-Figure Rights Deal in First

The deal pays roughly $1 million annually, FOS has learned.
March 20, 2025

Maxx Crosby’s Agent: Edge Rushers Set to Dominate NFL’s Non-QB Market

Maxx Crosby just signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension.
March 4, 2025

Eagles Make Saquon Barkley NFL’s Highest-Paid Running Back Ever

Barkley is coming off a historic 2024 season with the Eagles.