by President Trump invited PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, Tiger Woods, and Adam Scott to the White House on Thursday. The discussion focused on the reunification of men’s golf and the proposed deal between the Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls the Tour’s rival, LIV Golf. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, chairman of both the PIF and LIV, was reportedly in attendance.
News of the 12 p.m. ET meeting began to circulate in the morning. Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard reported a “deal in principle” could be announced by the end of the day, and that a LIV player had told him that the PGA Tour could welcome back players as early as the Players Championship next month, which runs the same week as LIV Golf’s event in Singapore.
Assuming it started on time, the White House meeting lasted more than three hours. President Trump previously said he could get a deal done in 15 minutes, so I wonder what else they talked about for the other two-plus hours. When it was over, the president hosted a Black History Month event in the East Room. Wearing his Medal of Freedom, Woods stood on the stage next to Trump. Scott and Monahan were in the room as well, off the stage to the side. There were chants of “Tiger!” and “Four more years!” President Trump referred to Monahan as the “commissioner of golf” and the “head of the PGA,” and that “interesting discussions” were had. Monahan reportedly looked uncomfortable at one point when the crowd booed the CEO of Pfizer, who was also in attendance.
All of this made for another day in the world of professional golf that was both ridiculously absurd and not the least bit surprising at the same time.
Was the sole reason for this meeting to discuss the reunification of the men’s professional game, or did President Trump pull off one hell of a PR campaign to have Woods beside him with his Medal of Freedom (awarded by Trump) for a viral moment at an event? The answer is probably C, All of the Above. Tiger brought his medal for a reason, but Monahan and Scott were at the White House two weeks ago to meet with the President. Woods would’ve been there, as well, had it not been for his mother’s passing. Trump, who recently told Rory McIlroy that he doesn’t like LIV’s format, loves golf and would wear the title of “Man Who Reunited Golf” like a badge of honor.
There’s still no deal, but the Tour released the following statement on behalf of Monahan, Woods, and Scott on Thursday night:
“We have just concluded a constructive working session at the White House with President Trump and H.E. Yasir Al-Rumayyan. Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, we have initiated a discussion about the reunification of golf. We are committed to moving as quickly as possible and will share additional details as appropriate.”
“We share a passion for the game and the importance of reunification. Most importantly, we all want the best players in the world playing together more often and are committed to doing all we can to deliver that outcome for our fans.”
Once again fans were left with news of another meeting without any real updates on progress. All sizzle, still no steak. In a recent interview with Golfweek, former CEO of the PGA of America Seth Waugh said “I’m surprised it’s taken as long as it has. It’s complicated, but I’ve done a lot of complicated things that haven’t taken this long.”
The PGA Tour’s next policy board meeting is scheduled for two weeks from now at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Maybe we’ll actually get news there. Until then, the wait continues.
Searching and Connecting
By Will Knights
To put it kindly, the last 10 months of play have not been good to Max Homa. The six-time PGA Tour winner last recorded a top-10 finish in May 2024 and has finished in the top 50 in just one of five starts to begin 2025. For someone who was a top-10 player in Data Golf and peaked at No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking not that long ago, Homa’s recent stretch has been disappointing on multiple levels.
Despite his poor play, Homa has been in the news early and often in the new year. He appeared next to Tiger Woods in the second match of TGL, and he made waves with new equipment and apparel sponsorships. More recently, he made waves by speaking very openly about his on-course struggles. He spoke about the weeks when he’s felt in control of his game but played poorly, recent breakthroughs he had with his swing feels, and the manner in which he is approaching every day of preparation. Frankly, it was the type of honest press conference that we’ve come to expect from Homa yet, given his recent play, was colored with a sense of motivation.
At this point in his career, Max is widely regarded as one of the most well-spoken players on the PGA Tour. But what struck me most about his recent comments was how he presented his thoughts. His tone is understated, melancholy but purposefully so, expressing the fact that he isn’t in his best state. More importantly, his eyes were lost in thought. At the same time that he was expressing his lack of recent success, he’s clearly thinking about how badly he wants to get better and get out of the hole in which he finds himself.
Very few players are truly genuine when it comes to talking about the dark times as a professional golfer. While it hasn’t always been easy, Homa has always been consistent in talking about his mental state throughout this career. That kind of attitude can be found in other golfers, notably world No. 1 and today’s gold-standard golfer Scottie Scheffler, but the comments don’t quite hit home quite the same when they’re someone who is consistently winning. Sports fans who spend their days spread across all walks of life often find themselves somewhere between struggling and trying to maintain a status quo. We like to idolize and look up to the champions of the sporting world, but it really is the athletes who aren’t at the top who are the most relatable. In this way, Max has struck a chord with golf fans. He’s endeared himself to a group of people who see their struggles and attempts to get better in him.
It seems unlikely that Homa’s game is gone forever. Sometimes things just don’t go your way. But what I and many other golf fans find fascinating about Max is his ability to remain focused and continue to be himself through it all. And while this isn’t what he’s setting out to do when talking to the media, his words continue to hit home for a lot of people at home. Authenticity goes a long way in this world.
This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
