PGA Tour Policy Board Member Gives Details on Meeting with PIF’s Al-Rumayyan

The Bahamas is not a typical stop down Interstates 95 and 4 from The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, to the Valspar Championship outside of Tampa, but that’s a detour several PGA Tour players made on Monday.

It was a stop at Tiger Woods’ residence in Albany as the player directors on the PGA Tour policy board met with Yassir Al-Rumayyan, the head of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). The PIF is the financial backer of LIV Golf and is negotiating to join PGA Tour Enterprises.

Webb Simpson, one of those policy board members and also playing in the Valspar as Innisbrook, gave some details about the meeting that were otherwise kept under wraps.

Simpson said:

“What I was interested in going there was to learn more about who he is and what he’s thinking. Learn about LIV more. What was your intention and hope there? How’s it going? All that kind of stuff. A meet and greet and learn. I think he wanted to learn from us kind of what we think. We wanted to figure out what he thinks. We didn’t get as far as what he wants and what does LIV want. He certainly seems engaged enough in the game already that he has desires to see the game grow globally, I think it’s fair to say. And he mentioned growing it in Saudi to try and do that.”

Simpson said that Woods has taken on the role of leader among the player directors and has been very engaged in the talks.

Webb Simpson says Tiger Woods was “very engaged” in the Bahamas meeting with Saudi PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan as he revealed more details of the talks https://t.co/W5UY3k9QsJ

— Golf Monthly (@GolfMonthly) March 21, 2024

Simpson added:

“Outside of our meeting, he’s been super engaged along the way. He’s a great leader and I really think he’s taken the position of our leader and we rely on him a lot.”

Peter Malnati also attended the meeting and summed up this thoughts before beginning play at the Valspar:

“I still certainly think a path forward for professional golf makes more sense with [Al-Rumayyan] on our side than him as an antagonist.”

Cover Image via Fox News