Players were 'unwilling' to compete in more than 26 tournaments according to initial correspondence between PIF and Jimmy Dunne

This Tuesday (July 11), 276 pages of documents related to the PIF/PGA Tour deal were unsealed to begin the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations hearing. Several testimonies were heard, including that of Jimmy Dunne.

The amount of information brought to light is enormous, as it deals with the entire transit of the agreement, from the first contact, the negotiations, to the framework agreement, announced last June by the PIF and the PGA Tour.

One of the most striking pieces of information emerged from an exchange of correspondence between Dunne and PIF representatives: the PGA Tour players were reportedly interested in playing a schedule of no more than 26 tournaments each.

According to this correspondence, Rory McIlroy reportedly held a meeting with Yasir Al-Rumayyan in November 2022. There, the Northern Irishman is said to have given the figure of 26 tournaments to the Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia.

Below is an excerpt from the correspondence between the Saudi fund and Jimmy Dunne on this subject:

"Rory made it clear that in accepting the meeting he was speaking only for himself although he believes his views are broadly shared by Tiger and the other top players — he also emphasised he was seeking no personal financial gain, he was simply trying to unify the game."

"In our meeting Rory and His Excellency talked of the need for compromise to benefit all the game’s stakeholders be they players, fans, broadcasters, sponsors or charities. His Excellency [Al-Rumayyan] is especially conscious of the opportunities for innovation to ensure golf broadens its appeal to a younger and wider demographic, possibly involving team golf and female participants."

"There was agreement by both Rory and His Excellency that the leading players are unwilling to compete in more than 26 tournaments."

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What else came to light about the PIF/PGA Tour deal

Of the 276 pages related to the agreement between PIF and the PGA Tour, many details that were part of the negotiations were made public. Not all of them have been handled as part of the final agreement, but they are interesting nonetheless.

Such is the case of PIF's interest in players like Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. The Saudi fund's board insisted that both should own teams on the LIV Golf circuit and play in at least 10 tournaments on that calendar.

According to Golf Week, other proposals that were (or perhaps still are) on the table were the following:

• The creation of a “large-scale superstar LIV style team global event” with PGA, LIV, and LPGA players to take place in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, with teams to be drafted live in a televised event.
• Branding at least two of the PGA Tour’s “elevated events” under the flag of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and/or Aramco, its state-run oil company.
• Membership for Yasir Al-Rumayyan at two of the sport’s most prestigious institutions: Augusta National Golf Club and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

The agreement between the Saudi fund and the PGA Tour is being investigated by the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations due to, among other issues, allegations about the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia.