What LIV boss did in first peace meeting SHOCKED (!) high-ranking PGA Tour execs

LIV Golf mastermind Yasir Al-Rumayyan reportedly left two high-ranking PGA Tour executives in shock after their first meeting, according to a report.

Ben Smith

07 Jul 2023

What LIV boss did in first peace meeting SHOCKED (!) high-ranking PGA Tour execs — What LIV boss did in first peace meeting SHOCKED (!) high-ranking PGA Tour…

LIV Golf mastermind Yasir Al-Rumayyan promised to drop the litigation no matter the result of his first meeting with high-ranking PGA Tour execs, according to a report.

According to the Athletic, the 53-year-old Saudi businessman first met with PGA Tour policy board members Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy in April.

The three met in London, first without PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan, to test the waters.

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Their first meeting was a result of the aforementioned Dunne reaching out to Al-Rumayyan over WhatsApp.

"Yasir, my name is Jimmy Dunne. I'm a member of the tour policy board. I'd like the opportunity for a call and hopefully a visit," wrote Dunne to Al-Rumayyan.

During that first meeting it is said that what Al-Rumayyan did stunned both Dunne and Herlihy.

Reported the Athletic's Brendan Quinn:

"The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, he said, intended to drop all litigation against the PGA Tour, regardless of how the meeting proceeded.

"Dunne, a member of the PGA Tour’s policy board, and Herlihy, the chairman of the board, stared back at al-Rumayyan.

'I think they were stunned by it,' said an individual with knowledge of the PIF’s side of the meeting. 'I mean, they were shocked. [Al-Rumayyan] just put that on the table in exchange for nothing.

"That alone may have been worth the trip for Dunne and Herlihy. 'A massive win,' the individual said. 'They could've said that was enough.'"

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After that meeting Monahan was brought in. He first met with Al-Rumayyan in Venice, Italy.

Al-Rumayyan was attending the wedding of Lawrence Stroll's daughter (the Formula 1 racing billionaire).

Per the report, Monahan laid out 'six key principles' on the PGA Tour operating as a 'not-for-profit, with for-profit streams'.

After negotiations, the deal was finally agreed at the San Francisco Four Seasons. That was where the five-page 'framework agreement' was hashed out.

Despite the surprise deal, there are doubts over whether or not it will actually go ahead.

| Phil Mickelson's playing partner during the LIV Golf London pro-am might cause Tiger Woods to raise his eyebrows. pic.twitter.com/pLxnCCW45S
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) July 6, 2023

There are major concerns going forward with the PGA Tour's status as a 501(c)(6) tax exempt organisation.

Elsewhere, the U.S. Department of Justice was already investigating the tour over alleged anticompetitive conduct. The scope of that investigation was also widened to include Augusta National, the USGA and PGA of America.

Per the Wall Street Journal, the Justice Department also plans to review the PGA Tour's plan to merge with LIV to determine if it violates antitrust law.

There is also the matter of the U.S. Senate's investigation. Next week, Dunne and PGA Tour chief operating officer Ron Price will appear before lawmakers to answer questions about the agreement.

Al-Rumayyan and Greg Norman declined to appear, citing scheduling conflicts.

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