PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan confirms intensifying talks with PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan for golf’s growth - "It's going to take time"

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan confirmed that he is still in deep talks with Yasir Al-Rumayyan over a PIF-PGA Tour merger. This was agreed to almost a year ago, and they have since had to jump through numerous hurdles and have not yet solidified everything. A resolution is anticipated "soon", but Monahan cautioned the public that it would take some time.

Monahan said via Yahoo! Sports:

"As I’ve said on a number of occasions, you can’t negotiate a deal like this in public. I recently met with the governor of the PIF, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, and our negotiations are accelerating as we spend time together.”

He continued, saying that the two parties have several key issues they have to work through but that they share a "vision to quiet the noise and unlock golf's worldwide potential":

“While we have several key issues that we still need to work through, we have a shared vision to quiet the noise and unlock golf’s worldwide potential. It’s going to take time, but I reiterate what I said at the Tour Championship in August. I see a positive outcome for the PGA Tour and the sport as a whole. Most importantly, I see a positive outcome for our great fans.”

Monahan also mentioned that he went to Saudi Arabia in January with representatives from the Strategic Sports Group, who invested $3 billion into the PGA Tour, to meet with PIF.

He said:

“That’s why we continue to have productive discussions. There’s a mutual respect there that I think is helpful towards ultimately getting a deal done. And I think it is that level of discussion that has helped accelerate the conversations.”

The commissioner said he appreciated the questions around the biggest story in golf, but that he wasn't going to provide specifics. He especially did not say anything in response to a theoretical path back for LIV Golf members.

Monahan also acknowledged fans who are tired of the conflict and who just want to see the world's best players compete against each other. This is a sentiment shared by Rory McIlroy and others, and it's something the two tours have taken into consideration.

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PGA Tour, LIV Golf aiming for a global sport

For a long time, golf has largely been USA-centric. There are international tours and tournaments, but it's focused on America. LIV Golf, to their credit, has done work to expand globally.

Jay Monahan is aiming for a more global sport

They began this venture by going to worldwide locations that the PGA Tour hadn't. They play in Hong Kong, Australia, Saudi Arabia and many worldwide locations that otherwise wouldn't get this level of competition.

They have also partnered with the Asian Tour to help continue growing the game globally. As they got more prominent, the PGA Tour reckoned with this and determined that the sport could and should be global.

Rory McIlroy has spoken on the global possibilities for golf, including a Champions League sort of tournament. This global focus now appears to be a shared sentiment between both Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan. As a result, it very well could be a key basis of whatever agreement the two sides eventually come to.