‘Heal quickly’ – Tiger Woods makes PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger prediction amid Donald Trump involvement

Tiger Woods believes that the rift between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf could ‘heal quickly’ with President Donald Trump’s involvement.

Trump met with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott earlier this month in a bid to resolve the rift between the PGA, the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV Golf.

Talks have taken place over a merger between the organisations, but no deal has yet been agreed.

Trump will be able to influence the priorities of the DOJ and has a close relationship with Saudi Arabia and LIV Golf, with several of their being staged at Trump-owned courses.

That has led Woods to predict that the President’s input could lead to a positive outcome.

Speaking on CBS during the final round of the Genesis Invitational, Woods said: “I think we’re in a very positive place right now.

“We had a meeting with the President.

“Unfortunately, I had some other circumstances that came up, but Jay and Adam, they did great during the meeting and we have another subsequent meeting coming up

“I think that things are going to heal quickly. We’re going to get this game going in the right direction.

” It’s been heading in the wrong direction for a number of years.

“The fans want all the top players playing together and we’re going to make that happen.”

Asked by Jim Nantz if that could be this year, or ‘very soon this year’, Woods replied: “Yes and yes.”

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Unlike the PGA Tour, LIV has a unique league structure involving 13 teams.

Players from across those teams play in eight individual stroke play tournaments throughout each season.

The lowest scoring player and lowest combined team score then claims victory at each event.

Meanwhile, a four-round match play knockout Team Championship is then held at the end of the season.

Woods’ claims followed Rory McIlroy‘s suggestions that the president could be influential.

Speaking ahead of the Genesis Invitational on Wednesday, he told reporters: “The President, he can do a lot of things.

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“He has direct access to Yasir (Al-Rumayyan, governor of the PIF)’s boss (Mohammed bin Salman). Not many people have that.

“Not many people can say, ‘I want you to get this deal done and by the way, I’m speaking to your boss, I’m going to tell him the same thing’.

“He (Trump) can be influential. I saw it when I was playing with Sheikh Hamdan of Abu Dhabi (on) the day (Trump) got elected in November.

“I don’t think people appreciate how much respect he has (in the Middle East).

“Whenever he says something, they listen and I think that’s a big thing.”

McIlroy added: “I learnt that he’s not a fan of the LIV format.

“I said, ‘But you’ve hosted loads of their events’. And he was like, ‘Yeah, but it doesn’t mean that I like it’, so I think he’s on the Tour’s side.”