Policy Board Member Doesn’t ‘See Any Way’ LIV Deal Gets Done by Deadline

With the calendar flipping to November, we’re officially less than two months away from the Dec. 31 deadline for the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) to finalize their framework agreement that was reached on June 6.

Amid reports that the deal won’t get done on time, one PGA Tour veteran familiar with the inner workings of the organization sees no way that the parties will meet the end-of-the-year deadline.

“I don’t see any way [it happens by Dec. 31],” Davis Love III told Golfweek. “The only thing I do know is nothing is going to happen really fast.”

‘I don’t see any way’: Davis Love III says PGA Tour deal with Saudi Arabia’s PIF unlikely to hit deadline https://t.co/20oqwUc5wQ pic.twitter.com/d117mouz3y

— Golfweek (@golfweek) October 31, 2023

Love III is the longest-serving tenured member of the PGA Tour Policy Board, which will ultimately be the group that decides whether this deal goes through or not.

When asked what the key issues are holding things up, Love III hinted that a lack of negotiations and a shroud of secrecy on the Saudi side is making things difficult.

“It’s just like the lawsuit; we’re never going to go to trial if they don’t ever do discovery. Our staff and players did discovery. They refused,” Love III said.

He says while a potential deal is still being worked out, his group is focused on making sure the PGA Tour comes out stronger—regardless of whether the framework agreement becomes reality.

“We might have screwed up the last three years, but now how do we set up the PGA Tour for the future? Is there a different model? We’re independent contractors, maybe we’re not independent contractors? The lawsuits are dropped; now what do we want to do, what does (the PIF) want to do? Do they really want to keep blowing that much money on LIV? Probably not.”

Outside investors have been discussed as either a complement or an alternative to the money that the PIF would provide, but one such suitor—sports agency Endeavor—said that their offer was rejected by the PGA Tour last week.

Cover Image via X