Jordan Spieth has opened up on the proposed peace dea l between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, claiming the current climate of men's professional golf is 'unsustainable'.
Having announced a framework agreement last June, the PGA Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) have been in negotiations to bring an to the fallout that has plagued the sport for the past two years. With talks ongoing, it revealed last week that the two sides met in New York, with ESPN reporting that Tiger Woods was present in the discussions.
One man who knows exactly what it is like to deal with the PGA Tour's off-course goings on is former player director Spieth, who served on the Tour's Player Advisory Council during the LIV dispute.
Having taken a step back from off-course duties, the former Masters champion has had his say in the latest goings on between the PGA Tour and the Saudi fund. He told Golfweek: "The best players at the top levels have significantly benefited from this scenario that’s probably unsustainable.
"And hopefully, that’s currently being worked out. It’s just between the two sides, two tours, the government being involved." Having previously played his part, Spieth revealed to fans and players alike that such negotiations take a considerable amount of time, 15 months on from the initial framework agreement announcement.
"You know, it’s not as easy as hey, ‘everybody, let’s just get together and figure this out in an hour'," he added. "I’ve been very involved in all that, and I can assure you that as annoying as it probably seems from the outside it’s just it’s not anyone’s fault. It’s just the process of what needs to happen. It’s just going to take a little time."
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The length of the negotiations is what has frustrated many within the game, after the PGA Tour and PIF had previously set a target of December 31, 2023, to sign off a deal, a deadline that was of course missed some time ago. Speaking at last month's Tour Championship, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan provided a rare insight into the discussions.
"You look at where we are right now, we're in regular dialogue, we have the right people at the table with the right mindset," he commented at East Lake. "I see that in all these conversations on both sides, that creates optimism about the future and our ability to come together.
"At the same time, these conversations are complex, they're going to take time," he added. "They have taken time and they will continue to take time. When I sit here today, I think the most important thing is our obligation to fans, players, and partners is to focus on what we control, which we're doing as I outlined, and continue to carry this momentum forward.
"I'm not going to negotiate details in public or disclose details or specifics, but all I can say is that conversations continue and they're productive.” On Tuesday it was reported by Bloomberg that progress had been made at the negotiation table, however, PGA Tour players calling on LIV stars to hand back the millions they had earned from the Saudi setup was causing a block in the road.
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