“He had the respect of many top players” – PGA Tour pro raises concern over Jimmy Dunne’s resignation from the policy board

PGA Tour golfer Michael S Kim reacted to Jimmy Dunne's resignation from his position on the Tour. Dunne, the architect behind the merger between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), dropped a bombshell by announcing his resignation from the PGA Tour Policy Board. He was one of the five independent board members on the Tour.

Jimmy Dunne's resignation came just a week after the Tour created a transaction Subcommittee to deal directly with PIF on their ongoing negotiation deal. Michael S Kim reshared a post about Dunne's resignation from his position on his X account, writing:

"Whoa….. he had the respect of many top players. Not sure what this means but it’s def something."

It is important to note that Jimmy Dunne initiated the deal with PIF in June 2023. As PIF had invested millions of dollars in LIV Golf, which led to a civil war within the golf industry, the PGA Tour decided to merge with them to grow the game. However, the deal has never been completed; it has only been postponed day after day. It was supposed to be finalized by the end of December 2023 but was again postponed.

Earlier this year, the PGA Tour Players Directors had a meeting with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan to discuss the deal, but it still has not been finalized. Moreover, amidst all this, the PGA Tour has also created a new seven-member transaction Subcommittee to have direct talks about the deal with PIF. However, this subcommittee did not include Jimmy Dunne.

Additionally, the PGA Tour also has a group of six player directors, which is more than the number of independent directors on the Board. In his resignation letter, Jimmy Dunne expressed his frustration about the same by writing (as quoted by SI):

"Since the players now outnumber the Independent Directors on the Board, and no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with the PIF, I feel like my vote and my role is utterly superfluous."

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Jimmy Dunne talks about PGA Tour's future in his resignation letter

Jimmy Dunne released an official letter announcing his retirement, in which he spoke about the future of the PGA Tour. He mentioned that the Tour should be crucial in making their decision and not letting "yesterday's differences interfere with today's decisions." He wrote (as quoted by SI):

"It is crucial for the Board to avoid letting yesterday’s differences interfere with today’s decisions, especially when they influence future opportunities for the Tour. Unifying professional golf is paramount to restoring fan interest and repairing wounds left from a fractured game. I have tried my best to move all minds in that direction"

The PGA Tour is still in talks with PIF about a potential deal. Moreover, they have also signed a deal with Sports Strategic Group (SSG) earlier this year.