Despite all the policy board drama, Jordan Spieth is more ‘optimistic' than ever about the future of golf, based on the status of negotiations between PGA Tour leadership and LIV Golf's backer, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).

“I think the narrative that things are in a bad place and are moving slowly and, you know, some of the things that are asked to me or said are untrue,” Spieth said Wednesday ahead of the PGA Tour's Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, TX.

“I know that it's false, actually. Things are actually moving positively from both sides. I think ultimately we'll end up in a place where professional golf is maybe the best that it's ever been. I think both sides believe that.”

Last year, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan shocked the golf world — including PGA Tour and LIV Golf League players — by announcing a framework agreement. Since then, little tangible progress has been made.

In the meantime, Jon Rahm further diluted the sport by joining LIV for hundreds of millions. The PGA Tour received a multi-billion investment to launch a for-profit branch, PGA Tour Enterprises.

In the wake of Monahan and Jimmy Dunne's shadow negotiating with PIF, the balance of power behind-the-scenes has titled more towards the golfers. Spieth, Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson, Adam Scott, and Peter Malnati represent the players on the PGA Tour policy board.

In recent weeks, Simpson requested to step down and give his place back to Rory McIlroy — whose close with Al-Rumayyan — for the next phase of talks. However, McIlroy's return was rejected, with reports and McIlroy indicating that the cohort of Spieth, Woods, and Cantlay disagree with his vision (Monahan and Adam Scott chalked it up to logistical processes).

McIlroy supports a unified, global sport largely financed by PIF, while Tiger/Spieth/Cantlay would reportedly prefer to keep the Saudis and LIV at bay.

Instead, the PGA Tour created a Transaction Subcommittee specifically tasked with PIF dealings, and named McIlroy and Tiger as its player reps.

In the past week, Mark Flaherty and Dunne — who was instrumental in the PIF deal — stepped down from the policy board, citing frustration over a lack of “meaningful progress.”

“I think although there's always frustrations I think in deal making — and I'm not a part of the deal making,” Spieth said Wednesday. “From what I do know, it's cordial, there's open dialogue, and it's moving along at the pace that it's moving along. And anything else that's said about it is just, I just know to be false. So I'm very optimistic I think is what I would say out of all of it. I think that's starting to resonate amongst players as they're able to get more and more information on the matter and it will continue to get more and more information over the coming months.”

June 6 will mark the one-year anniversary of the framework agreement. Hurrah!