Tiger Woods Flies Into The Bahamas For PGA Tour Talks With Saudi PIF
Tiger Woods’ plane has arrived in the Bahamas ahead of a meeting between PGA Tour player directors and the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
There was a lot of excitement at The Players Championship, both on the course and off.
After the final round, Patrick Cantlay revealed that a meeting had been scheduled between PGA Tour Policy Board members and the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Tiger Woods, who has won 15 Major titles, is one of the player directors of the Policy Board and it seems that he has traveled to the Bahamas to participate in the meeting.
According to X account radaratlas2, Woods’ plane has arrived in capital Nassau along with one registered to the PIF. Meanwhile, the plane of one of the members of the Strategic Sports Group that is investing in the PGA Tour, John Henry, has now taken off for the Bahamas along with another owned by the PGA Tour.
Per Sports Illustrated, the meeting will take place at Albany, where Woods hosts the annual Hero World Challenge.
There had been talk of the meeting for several days before player director Cantlay confirmed it had been set for Monday. After Golfweek first reported that a meeting between players and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan was likely, another player director, Jordan Spieth, said on Friday: “We are being encouraged to potentially meet with them at some point, yeah.”
That was followed by another player on the Policy Board, Adam Scott, urging the talks, telling AP’s Doug Ferguson: “If PIF thinks it’s beneficial that we meet… as far as getting on with business, yeah, let’s get on with it. I would like to resolve this no matter what the outcome is. And we can all move on.”
After Cantlay’s final round at The Players Championship, he told Sports Illustrated, saying: “Well, I’ve gotta hear out what they have to say, and I will always do my best to represent the entire membership whenever I am in a meeting in that capacity.”
That was followed by another player on the Policy Board, Adam Scott, urging the talks, telling AP’s Doug Ferguson: “If PIF thinks it’s beneficial that we meet… as far as getting on with business, yeah, let’s get on with it. I would like to resolve this no matter what the outcome is. And we can all move on.”
After Cantlay’s final round at The Players Championship, he told Sports Illustrated, saying: “Well, I’ve gotta hear out what they have to say, and I will always do my best to represent the entire membership whenever I am in a meeting in that capacity.”
Rory McIlroy, a former member of the Policy Board, continues to have a significant impact on the PGA Tour. Despite no longer being on the board, he expressed satisfaction upon hearing about the upcoming meeting. McIlroy shared his belief that the meeting was long overdue and expressed hope that it would lead to productive discussions and bring them closer to a resolution.
McIlroy emphasized the significance of Woods being present, asserting that as a player director and board member, his involvement is essential.
“The meeting was announced shortly after PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan revealed that talks between his organization and the PIF were progressing rapidly.
Monahan stated that there are still some important matters that need to be resolved, but both parties are committed to reducing distractions and maximizing golf’s global opportunities.”
“It will require some time, but I stand by my previous statement made in August at the Tour Championship. I believe there will be a favorable result for both the PGA Tour and the sport overall.”
