During his annual press conference ahead of the 2024 Players Championship, Jay Monahan updated the media on the current state of discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
“As I’ve said on a number of occasions, you can’t negotiate a deal like this in public,” Monahan said at TPC Sawgrass on Tuesday morning. “I recently met with the governor of the PIF, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, and our negotiations are accelerating as we spend time together.”
“While we have several key issues that we still need to work through, we have a shared vision to quiet the noise and unlock golf’s worldwide potential,” he continued. “It’s going to take time, but I reiterate what I said at the Tour Championship in August. I see a positive outcome for the PGA Tour and the sport as a whole. Most importantly, I see a positive outcome for our great fans.”
Monahan said he went to Saudi Arabia in January with representatives from the Strategic Sports Group to meet with Al-Rumayyan and the PIF.
“That’s why we continue to have productive discussions. There’s a mutual respect there that I think is helpful towards ultimately getting a deal done,” Monahan added. “And I think it is that level of discussion that has helped accelerate the conversations.”
Monahan said he appreciated the questions on the subject of the PIF discussions but refrained from answering specifics about team golf or whether or not players who left for LIV Golf would be welcomed back to the Tour.