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The great schism between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has persisted longer than many expected. The self-imposed deadline to get a deal done has come and gone. But now that President-Elect Trump has won his way back into the White House, that might be about to change.
President Trump played a round of golf with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to the Washington Post.
A spokesman for the PGA Tour confirmed the outing.
“President-Elect Trump has always been a champion of the game of golf, and Commissioner Monahan was honored to accept his invitation to play at Trump International. The President-Elect and the Commissioner share a love for the game, and the Commissioner enjoyed their time together.”
Following the round of golf, Trump attended UFC 309 when Jon Jones knocked out Stipe Miocic in the main event. The 78-year-old soon-to-be President sat between Elon Musk and the Governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (benefactor of LIV Golf).
Details are scant on the context of conversations at either location. However, it seems obvious that Trump is looking to help bridge the PGA Tour and LIV Golf divide. Trump has long since been a fan of the sport and spends a good deal of time playing. After all, during his first Presidency, Trump spent 307 days on the golf course across his four years in office.
Additionally, courses owned by Trump have hosted five LIV Golf events since the inception of the rival league.
Trump expressed his optimism about helping get a deal done before the election.
“I would say it would take me the better part of 15 minutes to get that deal done,” Trump said this month during an appearance on the “Let’s Go!” podcast with Jim Gray and Bill Belichick. “I’m really going to work on other things, to be honest with you. I think we have much bigger problems than that. But I do think we should have one tour, and they should have the best players in that tour.”
Some of the world's best golfers have peeled off from the PGA Tour. Most notably, Jon Rahm left for LIV Golf last year. Players and fans alike want to see an end to the division within the sport. Maybe that just might happen with some force.
