Jordan Spieth confirms player involvement in next step of PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger

Jordan Spieth has revealed that he and his fellow PGA Tour Player Directors have been told to meet with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) over a pending deal with the LIV Golf backers.

The PGA Tour have been in negotiations with their Saudi rivals to reunite the world of professional golf since announcing a shock framework agreement last June. Nine months on, though, the American-based circuit are yet to finalise a deal with PIF, having missed their initial December 31 deadline.

Now it appears playing members of the PGA Tour are set to play a roll in helping get a deal over the line, with Spieth opening up on the progress of negotiations at this week’s Players Championship.

Initially, Golfweek reported that the Tour’s Player Directors were nearing a secret meeting with PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayaan, and this was confirmed by Spieth on Friday. “We are being encouraged to potentially meet with them at some point, yeah,” he said after missing the cut at TPC Sawgrass.

Keeping his cards close to his chest over the ins-and-outs of the proposed meeting, Spieth went on: “I’m not sure that I can say much more other than we’re being encouraged to potentially meet with them. But at the same time we probably feel like our membership should know timing and what could happen…

“We are being encouraged, obviously, which I think is probably a good thing that the entire board should if there’s going to be any potential for a negotiation.”