Adam Scott All But Confirms That Talks Between PGA Tour, LIV Golf Have Gone Silent Since White House Meeting
Scott was in attendance for the meeting at the White House.
The last update regarding a potential coming together of the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sole funder of LIV Golf, came back in early February after representatives from both sides met with President Donald Trump at the White House.
Adam Scott, a member of the PGA Tour’s policy board, was among the few who were in attendance for that meeting at the White House five months ago, and he's essentially confirmed what everyone has been assuming: talks between both sides have gone quiet, and perhaps even completely silent.
The 45-year-old Scott was asked ahead of this week's Wyndham Championship to give a status update on negotiations, and specifically, what the next steps may be to unify golf again. His answer wasn't exactly promising.
"Yeah, obviously there's not much happening between -- I don't know if more White House visits are really necessary," Scott stated. "It was really quite an experience, I have to say. I haven't -- those conversations haven't advanced far from there."
The Aussie then went on to say that he believes those discussions and responsibilities will now fall on the desk of newly appointed PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp.
"With Brian stepping in, a lot of that's going to fall onto his desk now. I think that he needs some time to kind of really get up to speed and understand what's going on with that," Scott continued.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi PIF. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/LIV Golf/Getty Images)
While Scott's comments aren't remotely surprising, it is worth highlighting the fact that his hinting at a stalemate between the Tour and the Saudi PIF goes against what the Tour was saying about the situation shortly after the White House meeting took place.
The Tour published a statement following the meeting, specifically thanking President Trump for getting involved.
"We are grateful that his leadership has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for reunification of men’s professional golf," the statement read in part.
The PGA Tour's meeting with Saudi PIF meetings and President Trump doesn't appear to have moved the needle. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) (Photo by )
While the PGA Tour reps in the meeting may have walked out of the room that February day optimistic that a deal was closer, that clearly has not come to fruition, according to Scott's honest statement.
After the PGA Tour finalized a reported $3 billion deal with Strategic Sports Group in January 2024, which involves equity, it appears that a potential merger between the Tour and Saudi PIF would involve the Saudis buying a share of the equity in PGA Tour Enterprises from the Strategic Sports Group.
The Saudi PIF and its estimated value of $930 billion have the funds to do so, but something is not aligning from either side's perspective, or both.