Tiger Woods Gives Positive PIF Talks Update As Report Suggests Deal Is Close

While his comments suggested reports of a "draft deal" finally being agreed were a bit premature, Tiger Woods issued an upbeat bulletin on recent talks between the PGA Tour and Saudi PIF in New York.

Rory McIlroy was also in positive mood when he talked about the four-hour meeting in the Big Apple between players, senior Strategic Sports group members such as John Henry and PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

Woods backed up McIlroy's sentiments about the meeting, which was seen as a big step forward in the two parties coming to an agreement on how to move forward together with men's pro golf.

Renowned golf journalist Alan Shipnuck even went so far as to report that a “draft agreement was signed today between PGA Tour Enterprises and the PIF to finalize Saudi investment in the Tour." 

And while Woods' comments sounded more like that agreement was still some way off, he was positive about how the prolonged negotiations are going.

"It was productive," Woods said at the US Open. "And is there light at the end of tunnel? I think we’re closer to that point than we were pre-meeting. We discussed a lot of different endings and how we get there. 

"I think that both sides walked away from the meeting, we all felt very positive in that meeting. As I said, both sides were looking at different ways to get to the end game. 

"I think that both sides shared a deep passion for how we need to get there. And yes, there are going to be differences of opinion, but we all want the same thing."

It's been just over a year since the shock announcement of a merger between the PGA Tour and PIF, with many wondering what the vision of the professional men's game could look like. 

Previously, McIlroy has called the possibility of a world tour as a "dream scenario", stating that national Open Championships "definitely mean something else".

There's still plenty of details to be worked out - with not only the future of LIV Golf, but also how those players find their way back to the PGA Tour, and if they will have to pay some sort of fines to do so.

Talks had seemingly stalled, with Jimmy Dunne - who was the central figure in helping to negotiate the PGA Tour's framework agreement with the Saudi PIF last year - leaving his role in the build-up to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla, calling his former position "utterly superfluous."

Towards the end of that week, Mark Flaherty then followed Dunne out of the door at Sawgrass, although his departure did not include any pointed comments.

But this face-to-face meeting in New York involving PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Al-Rumayyan looks to have been a big step forward with both parties now seemingly starting to trust each other more and more as we finally look to see an end to the split that's torn golf apart.