After playing host to the major power brokers in golf in the Bahamas, Tiger Woods was "very engaged" in talks with Saudi Public Investment Fund boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan.
In the latest bid to find a way forward for men's professional golf, Woods and his five fellow player directors on the PGA Tour policy board sat down with Al-Rumayyan along with Jay Monahan and members of Strategic Sports Group.
Talks are said to have been "constructive" according to a memo from Monahan to PGA Tour players, with Sports Illustrated's Bob Harig saying Woods even played golf with Al-Rumayyan at Albany where he hosts his Hero World Challenge event.
And Webb Simpson, one of the six player directors, has praised Woods for being “super engaged along the way" during the entire sage.
"He’s a great leader and I really think he’s taken the position of our leader and we rely on him a lot," Simpson told Sports Illustrated.
Ahead of teeing it up at the Valspar Championship this week, Simpson said that meeting with Al-Rumayyan "was the next right thing to do".
"I don’t know what exactly it’s going to look like in a year or two or three or five," he added. "It felt like it was the next right thing.”
Simpson says that the friendly meeting was good to get to know Al-Rumayyan and hear his thoughts for the future of golf and how he plans to spend his vast PIF billions in the game.
“What I was interested in going there was to learn more about who he is and what he’s thinking,” Simpson said. “Learn about LIV more. What was your intention and hope there? How’s it going? All that kind of stuff. A meet and greet and learn.
Webb Simpson says meeting the PIF boss was the right thing to do
"I think he wanted to learn from us kind of what we think. We wanted to figure out what he thinks.”
No specifics were discussed, but Simpson, who says he was glad they held the meeting, says the PIF boss wants to be part of golf's future, which he sees as a global game.
“If definitely seems like he envisions a place in the game of golf. We didn’t get as far as what he wants and what does LIV want. He certainly seems engaged enough in the game already that he has desires to see the game grow globally, I think it’s fair to say. And he mentioned growing it in Saudi to try and do that.
"Glad we had a very friendly meeting. It was never tense. It was a long day but a good day.”
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