President Donald Trump reiterated his hope for a reunification of golf while aboard Air Force One on his way to Florida on Thursday.
Trump has taken a keen interest in trying to end the civil war between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, a rebel league funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, even hosting the two sides at the White House in February.
Talks to reunify the sport have gone on for more than a year and when a deal would be struck remained unknown.
“Ultimately, hopefully, the two tours are going to merge. That’ll be good. I’m involved in that too,” Trump told reporters while flying to attend a LIV Golf event. “But hopefully we’re going to get the two tours to merge. You have the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour. And I think having them merge would be a great thing.”
The president was scheduled to speak at a dinner that included LIV golfers ahead of the circuit’s first domestic event taking place at Trump National Doral Golf Club this upcoming weekend.
The LIV Golf event begins on Friday and runs through Thursday.
While Trump has expressed hope that the two sides can come to an agreement, The Guardian reported that the PGA Tour had turned down a $1.5 billion investment from the PIF last week that would have included two major concessions from The Tour.
One would have allowed the LIV Golf circuit to continue to operate and the other would have made PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan co-chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises, the for-profit arm created in 2023.
The investment would have matched the same dollar amount that Strategic Sports Group — a consortium of pro sports owners that included Mets owner Steve Cohen — had made.
The offer is said to have been the first contact that either side has had with the other since the February White House meeting.
