Who will be at the PGA Tour player directors meeting with the PIF?

The PGA Tour Players Directors are reportedly gearing up for what could be the most anticipated meeting of the year, as they are said to be convening with officials from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

Reportedly scheduled for Monday, March 18, the meeting is set to take place at a private residence in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Attendees are rumored to include all six PGA Tour Players Directors: Patrick Cantlay, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, Peter Malnati, and Webb Simpson, along with PIF's governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan and other PIF officials.

Five of the six Players' Directors had competed at last week's Players Championship. Tiger Woods was the only one to miss it, as he failed to meet the 5 pm registration deadline for the tournament.

Following the final round of The Players Championship on Sunday, March 17, Patrick Cantlay discussed the potential meeting with PIF in an interview with Sports Illustrated (SI). While he did not confirm attendance at the meeting, he mentioned it would likely be a meet-and-greet discussion.

Cantlay said:

"Well, I’ve gotta hear out what they have to say, and I will always do my best to represent the entire membership whenever I am in a meeting in that capacity. I think more information is always better.”

However, he did not reveal details and said:

“I'm not even sure that we're to that point yet. So, I don't want to get out ahead of myself. And say something that may go different.”

The major agenda for the meeting is expected to initiate further discussions of the negotiation deal between the PGA Tour and the PIF. Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced a shocking merger with PIF last June. However, the deal never came to fruition due to legal issues.

The American government has investigated the deal since its announcement. Rumors suggested that the framework agreement might be finalized by the end of December 2023, but it was postponed again. Reportedly, the negotiation deal could be finalized by the end of March 2024, and this meeting would shed more light on the matter.

However, Cantlay told SI that the meeting focused more on a meet-and-greet than the negotiation deal. Therefore, only time will tell if the agreement will be finalized by the end of this month or if it will be postponed to a later date.

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Will Rory McIlroy attend the meeting with PIF?

Rory McIlroy was one of the ardent supporters of the PGA Tour amidst its legal battle with LIV Golf, which PIF financially backs. However, in the last few months, he shocked the golf universe by making an unexpected U-turn and speaking in favor of LIV Golf. Unarguably, fans are curious to know if he would also be part of the reported meeting with PIF on Monday.

Nonetheless, Rory McIlroy will probably miss the meeting. He was one of the six PGA Tour Players Directors until last year. However, the Northern Irish golfer resigned from his position months later following the shocking announcement of the merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

Jordan Spieth replaced him on the Players Directors and will probably attend the meeting.