PGA Tour player director Adam Scott has admitted that he felt that a recent meeting with Donald Trump over a proposed merger between the American circuit and LIV Golf was of "low importance" to the U.S. president.
The plans for the rival tours, alongside the DP World Tour, to unite as a "for profit entity" stunned the world of sport when they were first reveal in the summer of 2023. However, after this framework agreement was reached nearly two years ago, progress over a binding deal has reached an impasse.
However, in a major development in the ongoing saga, representatives from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns LIV, joined PGA Tour chiefs in meeting President Trump last month. Now, the aforementioned Scott has now revealed his thoughts on how talks played out on February 21.
Having been present at the White House, along with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, Tiger Woods and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, he revealed that he felt the meeting was of "low importance" to the Trump administration. Speaking prior to The Players Championship, Scott gave a unique perspective on the talks in question.
He said: "It was obvious to me, very quickly, when they were setting up for the Israeli delegation right after our meeting and putting the Israeli flag and the U.S. flag and getting that room ready that our conversation was pretty low in importance of what was happening that day,
"And really, the president had far more important things to focus on," the Tour's player director confessed, before divulging that he even implored the president to give his utmost to solving wider geopolitical issues. He added: "I encouraged him to go and do that well for everyone's sake after our meeting."
Meanwhile, Monahan gave an honest assessment of the status of the proposed merger as he acknowledged his desire for a tangible breakthrough to be made. Speaking before the Players Championship, he confirmed: "We're doing everything that we can to bring the two sides together."
"That said, we will not do so in a way that diminishes the strength of our platform or the very real momentum we have with our fans and our partners. So while we’ve removed some hurdles, others remain."
Expressing gratitude to Trump for his commitment to attempting to reach a resolution in terms of the proposal, Monahan said: "President Trump is a lifelong golf fan. He believes strongly in the game’s power and potential, and he has been exceedingly generous with his time and influence to help bring a deal together."
He added: "He wants to see the game reunified. We want to see the game reunified. His involvement has made the prospect of reunification very real."
The PGA Tour commissioner also admitted that he has sympathy for players who are eager for a deal to be struck, adding: "The players understand we have to control the things we can control. I sense our players are energised by the opportunities they have on the PGA Tour."
