European Tour CEO apologises after facing backlash for holding Saudi x PGA Tour merger talks on 9/11: "No intent to show any disrespect"

The European Tour, the PGA Tour, and the Saudi Arabian PIF recently came together in a surprise meetup to discuss the future of the the merger agreement between the three. However, the timing of the metting came as a surprise to some, being held on September 11th.

Victims and families of those affected by the 9/11 attacks were deeply offended the the date picked by the organization to hold the talks. In response, European Tour CEO Guy Kinnings has apologized for the mistake, saying that there was no intent to show any disrespect in the first place.

Speaking via the Irish Mirror, Kinnings said:

“There was no intent in the meeting to show any disrespect - I don’t think it was intentional at all. The intention was to do the right thing for the sport but if anyone felt upset by that, then of course I apologize to them because I only feel deepest sympathy to those people.”

Guy Kinnings said that he deeply sympathized with the victims and their families, and he himself watched the ceremony to pay his respects. Kinnings said that he was trying to do what was best for the game of golf.

"The point is that, unfortunately, we didn’t set the time frame and we didn’t set the agenda. We were called to a meeting which, I don’t think we spotted the dates, and we were trying to do the best thing for the game of golf. But there is a bigger picture for the families. I was there, I watched a number of the ceremonies, and all you feel is sympathy and empathy for the families."

The merger talks have however, not led to any progress so far.

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PGA Tour x LIV Golf merger hits massive roadblock after reports over player disputes

Earlier this month it was reported that players from the PGA Tour were demanding the all LIV Golfers give back the money they have earned from their mega contracts. This has come to become one of the major stumbling blocks when it comes to the merger moving forward.

According to a report published by Bloomberg, this includes Jon Rahm's $300 million contract which has become a sticking point for many. However, LIV Golf players have refused to accept the terms of the contract. Rory McIlroy spoke about the merger progress, and said via ASAP Sports:

"I'd say maybe half the players on LIV want the deal to get done; half probably don't. I'd say it's probably similar on the PGA TOUR. Because just like anything, everyone's looking out for themselves and their best interests. You know, it would benefit some people for a deal not to get done, but it would obviously benefit some people for a deal to get done."

It has been a year and a half since the surprise merger agreement between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian PIF was announced.