Donald Trump and Jay Monahan reportedly played golf amid ongoing PGA Tour-PIF merger talks

Donald Trump played a round with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Donald Trump and Jay Monahan reportedly played golf amid ongoing PGA Tour-PIF merger talks

Donald Trump (L) and Jay Monahan (R) [image via Imago]

President-elect Donald Trump seems to have had a busy week with sporting events. Trump attended UFC 309 alongside Elon Musk. However, before that, he was reported to have played a round of golf with Jay Monahan.

This meeting with the PGA Tour Commissioner comes at a time when the tour finds itself engaged in merger talks with PIF. Prior to his election victory, Trump had dropped a bold claim regarding this merger deal.

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In a podcast appearance, the 78-year-old claimed that he could resolve the $1.3 billion merger deal within 15 minutes if he became the President again. Following his victory in the 2024 elections, many in the golf community including Rory McIlroy backed him to ‘clear the path‘ for this deal.

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As per reports from The Washington Post, Trump played a round of golf with Monahan at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. It was Trump who initiated this meeting as per the report. A PGA Tour spokesperson later confirmed this development and claimed that Monahan was “honored” to accept his invitation.

President-elect Trump has always been a champion of the game of golf, and Commissioner Monahan was honored to accept his invitation to play at Trump International. The President-elect and the Commissioner share a love for the game and the Commissioner enjoyed their time together.

A PGA Tour spokesperson said as per The Washington Post

It is still unclear what actual discussion took place between him and Monahan during this round of golf. Trump was later seen meeting the Public Investment Fund (PIF) governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

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Donald Trump spotted sitting with Yasir Al-Rumayyan at UFC 309

At the UFC 309 in the Madison Square Garden, Donald Trump was spotted sitting alongside Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the head of the PIF body. This meeting took place a couple of days after he played a round of golf with Jay Monahan.

Donald Trump and Yasir Al-Rumayyan
Donald Trump (L) and Yasir Al-Rumayyan (R) [Image via Imago]

These meetings of Trump with the top bosses of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf could play a huge part in the future of golf. The influence of the 45th President of the United States on the Department of Justice (DOJ) could open the path to finalize the deal.

The PGA Tour and PIF announced a shocking merger deal in June 2023. Since then, the top bosses have continued to hold talks with each other. They are trying to reach a final agreement that could unite the game of golf.

The DOJ has been a major obstacle to this deal. In 2023, they forced the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to remove the non-solicitation clause that prevented either side from poaching players. The upcoming Trump administration is reported to be more favorable to this merger.

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When will this deal eventually go through, nobody knows. It is though likely that with Trump in charge, the deal could be wrapped up sooner than originally thought.