The top leader of the PGA Tour, Jay Monahan, was not able to provide many details today in his appearance before the media about the ongoing negotiations with the Saudi Public Investment Found (PIF), with the aim of reaching a broad and extremely complex unification agreement between the American (and European) circuit with LIV Golf. However, from his extensive press conference, some conclusions can be drawn that shed a little more light, or at least help to better understand the current scenario, according to what we commonly understand as reading between the lines. Therefore, what he has said is important, but also how he has said it, what balls he has cleared out and what other topics he has had less trouble addressing, even tangentially, all of this seasoned with the scarce leaks, more or less blurred, that have been given in recent weeks.
1. Although it may seem obvious, it is worth underlining: the PGA Tour’s commitment to reaching an agreement with the Saudi fund, with LIV Golf, is real. There is a real will to carry it out. It is worth underlining, we said, because it was rumoured that, once the entry of the SSG group into PGA Tour Enterprises was signed, interest in continuing negotiations with the Saudis would cool down.
2. More obviousness that may not be so much: the PIF is also still interested in entering PGA Tour Enterprises, even though it continues to feed its creature, LIV Golf, in the best way. An interesting nuance: the mutual interest in reaching an agreement hinges precisely on the SSG group, which sees the entry of more investment capital as very positive and has let the Saudis know. In this regard, it is worth noting the only real, concrete, hard and fast news that Monahan has given in his intervention: the trip to Arabia in January of a delegation that included Monahan and the rectors of SSG.
3. A point of great interest: no matter how much commitment there is from all parties to reach a unification agreement, LIV Golf has not to this day withdrawn the ‘threat’ of continuing to sign great players. It is a possibility that, in all likelihood, is still there, while negotiations do not reach a much more advanced point from where they are right now.
4. It is no secret that one of the issues that offers the most problems in negotiations is the return to the PGA Tour of LIV players who wish to do so. In fact, some PGA Tour players had made it clear that they did not want them to return. Well, Monahan undoubtedly builds bridges. And he encourages those PGA Tour players to be more flexible and to look at the issue in the long term.
5. On the other hand, it still seems quite clear that team golf would have its presence in the new world order. It would be necessary to see how much and how, but it would not disappear, at least initially.
6. It should not be ruled out in any way that, even reaching an agreement in the coming weeks, or months, the LIV Golf calendar would continue in parallel for several more seasons, although very likely somewhat reduced from the current fourteen weeks.
7. The option of a more global calendar, with several PGA Tour tests around the world, is more than an option. It is a reality that only needs to be given shape. Let’s start getting used to what could be in a short time the calendar of any world golf star, member of the PGA Tour: he would play the 4 Majors; between 6 and 8 of the current Signatures Events (which, let’s not forget, are rotating, although there are three fixed: Genesis, Arnold Palmer and Memorial); between 4 and 6 tournaments outside the United States, let’s call them, for example, International Signatures Events; the THE PLAYERS and the 3 tournaments of the Fedex Cup play offs. In total, a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 22. It fits.
8. The great revolution of the PGA Tour for fans is a much more complete television broadcast, with a field-level follow-up of all the big matches, at the consumer’s choice, as is already the case in the broadcast of LIV tournaments. This is one of the issues in which SSG has already taken the reins and that can have effects throughout this same season, even if it is as a test.
