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President-Elect Donald Trump played a round of golf on Nov. 15 at his course in West Palm Beach with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, a day before sitting with Saudi Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan at a UFC event in New York, leading to speculation that Trump is working behind the scenes to resolve the nearly three-year-long fracture in professional golf between the Tour and the LIV Golf League.
The Washington Post first reported that Trump and Monahan played at the Trump International Golf Club, a fact the Tour confirmed in a statement to the Post — and that the round of golf was at Trump’s invitation.
“President-Elect Trump has always been a champion of the game of golf and Commissioner Monahan was honored to accept his invitation to play at Trump International,” the statement said. “The President-Elect and the Commissioner share a love for the game and the Commissioner enjoyed their time together.”
Trump and billionaire supporter Elon Musk watched the UFC fights with Al-Rumayyan, whose PIF has financed LIV Golf, the breakaway professional tour that has pulled stars such as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and Sergio Garcia away from the PGA Tour with lucrative guaranteed money and purses.
Those players and other former PGA Tour members reman under suspension.
The Tour announced 11 months ago that it was discussing a partnership with the Saudi PIF to unite professional golf again but little movement has been made. A merger has been discussed since June 6, 2023, but anti-trust issues have been among the reasons the two parties are still apart.
Rory McIlroy expressed optimism
On Nov. 7, Rory McIlroy, one of the PGA Tour stars who has resisted the LIV riches, said the election of Trump might spur movement on a unification of the two Tours.
“Given today’s news with what’s happened in America, I think that clears the way a little bit,” McIlroy told reporters at the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. “So we’ll see.
“He might be able to (get a deal done),” said McIlroy, the four-time major winner. “He’s got Elon Musk, who I think is the smartest man in the world, beside him. We might be able to do something if we can get Musk involved, too.
“Yeah, I think from the outside looking in, it’s probably a little less complicated than it actually is,” McIlroy continued. “But obviously Trump has a great relationship with Saudi Arabia. He’s got a great relationship with golf. He’s a lover of golf. So, maybe. Who knows?”
Trump said he’d get a deal done in ’15 minutes’
The President-Elect, whose golf courses in Miami, New Jersey and Virginia have hosted six LIV Golf events, has gone on the record as saying he could quickly broker an agreement with the stalled parties.
Trump told the Sirius XM podcast “Let’s Go!” he believes it would take him “the better part of 15 minutes.”
“I’m really going to work on other things, to be honest with you,” Trump said on the podcast.”I think we have much bigger problems than that. But I do think we should have one tour, and they should have the best players in the world.”
Trump’s facility at Doral was the host of a PGA Tour event but that was yanked after his remarks about Mexican immigrants during the 2016 Presidential campaign resulted in the withdrawal of title sponsor Cadillac.
The PGA Championship was scheduled to be played at Trump Bed minister in New Jersey but the PGA of America pulled that event after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump has been highly critical of the PGA Tour and actively supported LIV Golf. In 2022 he called the Tour “stupid” for its battle against LIV golf.
LIV Golf’s U.S. offices are in West Palm Beach, near Trump’s course and his residence, Mar-a-Largo.
This story was updated to clarify a headline.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: President-Elect Donald Trump has met with PGA Tour, Saudi PIF parties
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