MIAMI – Reuniting the world’s top golfers is a priority, PGA Tour policymaker Peter Malnati said on March 16, but some players have issues with Saudi backing and how defectors would return.

Malnati, who spoke after his third round at the Players Championship, is among six player-directors on the PGA Tour’s policy board being urged to meet on March 18 with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, according to multiple reports.

The meeting with the backers of the upstart LIV Golf league, which has lured reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm and other big names away from the PGA Tour, is planned at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, a day after the Players Championship ends.

“It would be even better if we had Jon Rahm here. I’ll just say it. It would be an even better win,” Malnati said.

“That’s something that we as a membership and leaders of the membership, we need to figure that out.

“How do we make this happen for people to come back and do it in a way that has some semblance of fairness... that can at least somewhat pass the sniff test and get us to a place where we have all of the best players in the world?

“Something needs to happen for our sport.”

The policy board, which must approve any final deal on the PGA-PIF merger framework unveiled in June 2023, also include player-directors Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth and Webb Simpson of the United States plus Australian Adam Scott.

“I don’t know the details,” Malnati added of the meeting.

“The next step is to have Yasir meet with players of the PGA Tour. That’s essential because... this is a members’ organisation. We should have input in the direction it goes.”

But the American also said the players are not even sure what they want when it comes to resistance to Saudi backing over human rights issues, a concern used to help keep members from jumping to LIV in past years.

“That’s obviously something we’ve got to understand better as a membership,” he said.

“Like, what is our stance? The announcement of June 6, I felt massive resistance to that personally.

“As I’ve learnt more, I understand better and I’m very open-minded to learning what involvement they (the Saudis) want, what they want out of this and how they think they can help.

“But, yeah, on the surface, there are players who have resistance to that relationship, for sure. So that’s why I do think it’s important that maybe our next step is to meet at some point.”

Another issue is the penalties for players who left for LIV and want to return to a unified series.

“That might be the thing that’s most top of mind for people,” Malnati said.

“I think Rory (McIlroy) has been pretty outspoken that he wants to see the best players playing on the PGA Tour.

“So we’re going to have to net out somewhere in the middle. They’re coming back to the PGA Tour as guys (who) are going to have to earn their way back here.”

One way would be a ban on equity in the PGA Tour Enterprises for-profit entity created earlier in 2024.

“If we do find a pathway for guys to come back, there will certainly be safeguards in place to protect the members of the Tour who stayed here,” Malnati said.

All these issues aside, Xander Schauffele made seven birdies in a bogey-free third round to seize a one-stroke lead over reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark at the Players Championship.

Reigning Olympic champion Schauffele fired a seven-under 65 to stand on 17-under 199 at the event at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Malnati is in a tie for 24th after a 66, 10 shots off the pace.
AFP, REUTERS