PGA Tour reportedly REJECTS $1.5 billion investment offer from PIF

The PGA Tour last week turned down a huge $1.5 billion investment offer from the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia.

PGA Tour reportedly REJECTS $1.5 billion investment offer from PIF

Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan (Image via Imago)

The latest development from the PGA Tour-Public Investment Fund (PIF) merger deal sees the former snub a huge offer from the latter. As per reports, the tour last week reportedly rejected a massive $1.5 billion investment offer from the PIF of Saudi Arabia.

The two parties announced a merger deal in June 2023. Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, along with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, sent shockwaves across the golfing community by announcing a merger deal that would bring the two of them together.

This year the two of them have had some more talks to see this deal go through. The tour on their side turned to US President Donald Trump for some help. Since his intervention, the PGA Tour and the PIF held meeting at the White House.

However, the last meeting between the two is reported to have not gone well as many had planned. Despite that, Trump expressed confidence in the deal getting through soon.

As per reports from Ewan Murray of The Guardian, the PIF sent a $1.5 billion investment offer last week on two terms. One would be the assurance that LIV Golf would continue, and the other would be making Yasir Al-Rumayyan the co-chairman. Neither of these conditions were deemed acceptable by the tour.

The PGA Tour wants to reunify the game and have all the golfers play under one tour. However, the LIV Golf wants to continue their product and want assurance that once this deal goes through, they will still have a future of their own.

Donald Trump reacts to the PGA Tour rejecting $1.5 billion offer from LIV Golf

The ongoing talks regarding the PGA Tour and PIF merger have seen US President Donald Trump get involved in talks as well. The 78-year-old, who is an avid fan of golf, previously claimed that he could get the deal done in 15 minutes if he intervened. Despite hearing that the $1.5 billion offer was rejected, Trump is confident that the deal will go through.

Donald Trump
Donald Trump (Image via Imago)

He made these comments while speaking to the reporters on Air Force One. Before leaving for Miami to attend the LIV Golf Miami event at his Trump Doral Course. During this, he expressed that the merger will be a “great thing” for golf.

Ultimately, hopefully, the two tours are going to merge. That’ll be good. I’m involved in that too. But hopefully we’re going to get the two tours to merge. You have the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour. And I think having them merge would be a great thing.

Donald Trump told the reporters on Air Force One

Trump was later seen arriving at the golf course. After leaving the chopper, he would get into a golf cart and be driven to a hotel at the edge of the property. While riding in the cart, he would wave his hand to some supporters.

LIV Golf gets ripped by 6-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo before the 2025 Masters Tournament

6-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo ripped into the LIV Golf before the Masters Tournament. As the league got ready for the LIV Golf Miami event, they got blasted by the former World No.1 in a scathing rant.

Sir Nick Faldo
Sir Nick Faldo (Image via Imago)

While speaking with talkSPORT, the 3-time Masters Champion took aim at the PIF-funded tour and called it a “business model“.

LIV is a business model, the one and only business model in the world where money’s going out the window and little is coming in. Good luck to them, go and do your own thing.

Sir Nick Faldo said

This is not the first time the Englishman had taken a swipe at LIV Golf. Before the 2023 Masters Tournament, he slammed the league and his former rival, Greg Norman, who at that time was the CEO of the 54-hole circuit.

The Masters Tournament this year will be played from April 10 to 13. This will be the 89th edition of the event.

Speaking of LIV Golf, a total of 12 members from the league will travel to Augusta National Golf Club after the Miami event to participate in the first major of the year. So far, only two golfers, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, have won the majors after leaving the tour and joining them.