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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Author
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Tiger Woods mentioned progress has been made within the PGA Tour’s negotiations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund, however there’s a “lengthy option to go nonetheless” in bringing the fractured sport again collectively.
Woods’ feedback got here a day after impartial director Jimmy Dunne resigned from the PGA Tour’s coverage board and mentioned talks with the PIF had slowed down. They arrive lower than per week after Rory McIlroy instructed reporters that different participant administrators weren’t comfy with him returning to the coverage board.
PIF funds the rival LIV Golf League, which has poached a number of prime golfers from the PGA Tour over the previous two-plus years, together with former main champions Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and others.
“Properly, I believe we’re engaged on negotiations with PIF,” Woods mentioned Tuesday at Valhalla Golf Membership, the positioning of this week’s PGA Championship. “It is ongoing, it is fluid. It adjustments day-to-day. Has there been progress? Sure, however it’s an ongoing negotiation, so quite a lot of work forward for all of us with this course of. And so we’re making steps and it might not be big steps, however we’re making steps.”
Woods was added to the influential coverage board for the primary time on Aug. 1 after a bunch of the PGA Tour’s largest stars despatched a letter to commissioner Jay Monahan demanding extra transparency from the tour.
Woods is one in every of six participant administrators on the board, together with Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, Peter Malnati and Webb Simpson.
There have been 5 impartial administrators on the board, together with Dunne. Together with Monahan and coverage board chairman Ed Herlihy, Dunne helped negotiate the PGA Tour’s beautiful framework settlement with the PIF, which was introduced on June 6.
The framework settlement expired on Dec. 31, however the sides have been working to achieve a deal. Woods and different participant administrators, together with Monahan, met with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan within the Bahamas on March 18.
Dunne, a Wall Avenue dealmaker, wrote in his resignation letter Monday that “no significant progress has been made in direction of a transaction with PIF” and that “my vote and my position is completely superfluous” as a result of a small group of individuals had been making choices. Dunne mentioned he hadn’t been concerned in talks with the Saudis since June.
Woods and McIlroy are a part of a transaction committee that may proceed negotiations with the Saudis.
“Properly, the PGA Tour is for the gamers and by the gamers,” Woods mentioned. “So, we’ve an affect and there is roles for the participant administrators, and there is roles for the independents. We’re making an attempt to make the PGA Tour the most effective it may be, day-in and day-out. That is one of many the reason why we’ve arguments and we’ve disagreements, however we need to do what’s finest for everybody in golf and the tour. With out these sorts of conflicts, the progress isn’t going to be there, so it has been good.”
Woods, a 15-time main champion, acknowledged that golf followers are most likely bored with listening to in regards to the battle for gamers and cash between the circuits.
“I believe the followers are most likely as drained as we’re of the speak of not being in regards to the sport of golf and about not being in regards to the gamers,” Woods mentioned. “It is about what LIV is doing, what we’re doing, gamers coming again, gamers leaving. The followers simply need to see us play collectively. How we get there may be to be decided.”
Max Homa described the continued discussions about golf’s civil struggle “very troubling.”
“I do not like the place it is going,” Homa mentioned. “It is bought to be exhausting to be an informal golf fan at this cut-off date. I do not know why you’ll need to hear in regards to the enterprise facet of this sport.
“I hope at some point we are able to simply get again to entertaining folks, enjoying golf, and seeing who shoots the bottom rating and never speaking about what our participant advisory council goes to do. The followers of golf shouldn’t know who’s on the board.”
