Tiger Woods ‘held PGA-LIV talks at his Bahamas home on Monday’ – and ‘played golf with Yasir Al-Rumayyan’, the man behind the Saudi rebel tour

Tiger Woods hosted a meeting between the player directors of the PGA Tour Policy Board and the head of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

According to attendees, the meeting served as a ‘meet and greet and learn’ to better understand the PIF’s intentions for potential future investments in PGA Tour Enterprises.

Webb Simpson, who is playing this week in the Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Course in Florida, said Woods “was very involved” and “outside of our meeting, he was super involved along the way.”

“He’s a great leader and I really think he’s taken the position of our leader and we rely on him a lot.”

Simpson also says that meeting with Al-Rumayyan “was the next right thing to do.” I don’t know exactly what it will look like in two, three or five years. It felt like this was the next right thing.”

Not only did Woods play host to the other players and Al-Rumayyan, but the PIF governor and multiple major champion even made it to the links at the Albany course where the Hero World Challenge is played.

In addition to Woods and Simpson, player directors Peter Malnati, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay were present during the Tour. In addition, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, board liaison Joe Ogilvie and several members of the Strategic Sports Group were present.

While no concrete details have emerged from the meeting, it appears neither side is closer to an agreement on a merger or financing.

“What I found interesting about going there was finding out more about who he is and what he thinks,” Simpson said. ‘Learn more about LIV. What was your intention and hope there? How are you? All that kind of stuff.

‘A meet and greet and learning. I think he wanted to learn from us what we think. We wanted to know what he thinks.’

Simpson added: “It definitely seems like he has a place in golf in mind. We haven’t gotten as far as what he wants and what LIV wants.

“He certainly seems committed enough to the game already that he has a desire to see the game grow globally, I think it’s fair to say. And he said he wanted to grow it in Saudi Arabia to try to do that.”

Malnati did not go into details about the meeting from his perspective, but did admit that talking to Al-Rumayyan felt like they were “talking to a golf nut” and that “a path forward for professional golf makes more sense if he is on our club sits. then cast him as an antagonist.’

Malnati’s view is shared by some members of the Tour, including Simpson, who said he hopes there are more opportunities for LIV Golf players and PGA Tour players to hit the links together outside of the majors.

“Ultimately, I want us all to play together more than just the majors. It doesn’t have to just be the PGA Tour. That’s why we all love sports. Best teams in the Super Bowl. Best Teams in NBA Finals.

‘I think it will take a while before we get there. I didn’t leave with a much clearer understanding of what the future holds. But I definitely walked away thinking I was glad we did that.

‘Glad we met him. Glad we had a very friendly meeting. It was never tense. It was a long day, but a good day.”

Monahan and Al-Rumayyan appeared together on CNBC last June and announced an agreement to unify the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the Saudi PIF.

The PGA Tour commissioner did say negotiations have been “accelerated,” but no details emerged about where the two sides stand on certain issues.

As for Woods, the 48-year-old announced he would compete in this year’s edition of The Masters after withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational due to illness.