Tiger Woods is set to be the sole PGA Tour player involved in upcoming crunch talks with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Woods was appointed to the Tour’s policy board in August following the shock announcement of a framework agreement with LIV Golf’s backers.
The 15-time Major champion was among the player directors who met PIF governer Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the Bahamas in December but negotiations over a finalised deal to re-united golf’s rival factions have continued to stall.
In the latest development, as reported by The Associated Press, Woods has now been selected as the only player director to join a new five-man “transaction subcommittee” that will proceed with negotiations as both sides look to strike a deal.
The four other members include Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, board chairman Joe Gorder, Fenway Sports Group’s John W Henry and director liaison Joe Ogilvie. While the five-man team will lead day-to-day talks, any finalised deal will be returned to the full policy board for a vote.
Henry’s presence on the subcommittee is through his role as head of American sports consortium Strategic Sports Group (SSG) which agreed a $3bn investment deal with the Tour in January.
There is, however, no DP World Tour representation on the policy board or subcommittee, despite the former European Tour likely to be directly affected by any future deal with the PIF.
The latest news comes hot off the heels of the surprise revelation that Rory McIlroy will not return to the policy board.
McIlroy had been lined up to replace Webb Simpson and return to help drive negotiations forward but his potential comeback was met with unease from several policy board members.
While the Northern Irishman refused to divulge names, reports have suggested that Woods was one of those who voted against his re-inclusion.
“There was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason,” McIlroy said at this week’s Wells Fargo Championship.
“I think it just got pretty complicated and pretty messy and I think with the way it happened, I think it opened up some old wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before.”
