PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan reportedly flies to Saudi Arabia for golf merger talks with Yasir Al-Rumayyan

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is expected to meet PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan and speak upon the ongoing golf merger.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan reportedly flies to Saudi Arabia for golf merger talks with Yasir Al-Rumayyan

Jay Monahan (L) and Yasir Al-Rumayyan (R)[Image via Imago/Sporting News]

Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour Commissioner is reported to be on the move. The golf top boss is said to have flown to the Middle East country of Saudi Arabia.

As per reports from Sports Business Journal, the 53-year-old has traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet with Public Investment Fund (PIF) governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan to talk about the golf merger.

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This is expected to be the first face-to-face meeting of the two executives since the merger announcement in June 2023. During the announcement, Monahan and Al-Rumayyan appeared together and would later break down the surprise deal.

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Following this meet, the two were reported to be in touch with each other through phone calls and emails. Monahan would also release some memos and update the players regarding the merger.

The purpose of this travel of Monahan is expected to speed up the negotiation process between the two entities. This move also comes after the deadline to reach a conclusive agreement was extended.

Keith Pelly claims golf merger deal will be done by April 2024

As the golfing world anxiously waits for update regarding the golf merger, departing DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelly has claimed that the deal between the two entities will be done by April 2024.

Keith Pelley
Keith Pelley (Image via Sports Illustrated)

At the Dubai Invitational this past week, Pelly announced that he would leaving his position and return to his home country of Canada to become CEO of the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. He though informed that we would be staying on as the top official of the DP World Tour for the next three months as the deal could be done by then.

We hope to come to a conclusion, and moving that forward is something that is going to be my primary focus over the next three months. I’m definitely staying until April, and I’ve told the PGA Tour and I’ve told representatives from PIF that that is my priority. I still believe it.
Keith Pelly on PGA-PIF merger talks.

It now remains to be seen when exactly this deal could be wrapped up. In the past few months, golf legend Tiger Woods has also increased his efforts to help out the PGA Tour and Jay Monahan to reach to a conclusion regarding this soon.

When the deal eventually goes through, Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan are expected to be the leaders of this new umbrella entity. This does raises questions regarding the future of LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman. The Aussie though is not bothered by it and seems to be busy in preparing for the third season of the breakaway tour.

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