Tiger Woods will be the only player on the five-person subcommittee that will negotiate with representatives of the Saudi Fund, while PGA management will attempt to reach an agreement with those who support the LIV Tour.
Woods was named to the PGA Board of Directors in August, making him the sixth player director and the only one whose term is not fixed.
The tour said Woods will be part of the “transaction subcommittee” that will manage negotiations with the Saudi Fund, which wants to become a minority investor in the PGA.
Other members of the subcommittee are PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan, Board Chairman Joe Gorder, John W. Henry of Fenway Sports Group, and Joe Ogilvie, a former golfer named director of contacts in March .
The subcommittee reports to the board of directors.
The announcement ended a tense day, which began when Rory McIlroy lost his title as favorite to be appointed to the board to replace Webb Simpson.
“I think there’s a group of people on the board that are uncomfortable with the idea of me returning to the group, for whatever reason,” McIlroy said on the sidelines of the Wells Fargo Championship. , in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Simpson had offered to resign, but only if McIlroy replaced him. When a player director resigns, the other golfers on the board must unanimously choose his successor. McIlroy resigned in November and Jordan Spieth replaced him.
The seven current player managers are Woods, Spieth, Simpson, Ogilvie, Patrick Cantlay, Adam Scott and Peter Malnati.
McIlroy had expressed interest in rejoining the group, believing he could help resolve the schism in golf that has led to the world’s best players being split on two different tours. McIlroy believes some form of unification would be the ultimate goal, but he offended some golfers when he suggested earlier this year that LIV Tour golfers could return to the PGA without penalty.
“Today’s decision has nothing to do with the importance of Rory’s vision or influence,” Monahan said in a statement. This is a question related to the membership process for a player to become a board member. »
The framework agreement between the PGA, the European Tour and the Saudi Fund was announced on June 6 and had a deadline for finalizing the agreement at the end of 2023. Negotiations continue, but with little progress .