Trump says PGA-LIV ‘merge’ would be a ‘great thing’ as talks between tours continue
Ahead of a LIV Golf event at his Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami, President Donald Trump is hosting members of the tour at the course.
PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan recently dubbed Trump the “facilitator” of the ongoing discussions between the two golf tours — but nearly two years since the bombshell announcement was made of a potential deal, there has yet to be one.
Trump gave his stance on what he hopes will happen on his way to South Florida.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“Ultimately, hopefully, the two tours are going to merge. That’ll be good. I’m involved in that, too,” Trump said. “But hopefully we’re going to get the two tours to merge. You have the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour. And I think having them merge would be a great thing.”
Trump called the LIV golfers — a roster that includes Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and others — “some of the best players in the world.”
Back in February, the PGA Tour credited Trump for “[getting] involved for the good of the game,” and it appears there has been movement since he got involved.
“Those talks are real. They’re substantial, and they’re being driven at the top levels of both organizations. Those talks have been significantly bolstered by President Trump’s willingness to serve as the facilitator,” Monahan said last month. “President Trump is a lifelong golf fan. He believes strongly in the game’s power and potential, and he has been exceedingly generous in his time and influence to help bring a deal together. He wants to see the game reunified. We want to see the game reunified, and his involvement has made the prospect of reunification very real.”
PHILLIES’ MATT STRAHM CALLS FOR PITCHERS TO USE PINE TAR AGAIN IN RESPONSE TO TORPEDO BAT CRAZE
Monahan added, “We believe there’s room to integrate important aspects of LIV Golf into the PGA Tour platform,” and said he could envision “a future” in which Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan can join the Tour’s board.
“We’re doing everything that we can to bring the two sides together. That said, we will not do so in a way that diminishes the strength of our platform or the very real momentum with our fans and our partners,” he said, adding that “hurdles remain” between the two sides.
Trump last month expressed optimism the two sides will get some type of deal done.
“They’re gonna have to get together,” he said. “They’ve had a lot of discussion back and forth. They both are meaning well, and a deal will ultimately happen. I think it will happen pretty quickly. It would be nice to see the best golfers play against each other.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“They are all great people, and they want to work it out,” Trump added. “So, if I can help work it out… I don’t get anything out of it. I can help them work it out. I just think golf — it’s very much an individual sport, and you want to see the best players playing against each other and not playing in two different locations.”
Trump’s courses have hosted several LIV events since its inception, last hosting a PGA event in the mid-2010s.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.