European tour CEO expresses positive movement in tour negotiations with Saudis

MONTREAL (AP) — It's one thing for Rory McIlroy to get a sense of optimism about the PGA Tour's negotiations with the Saudi investors of LIV Golf about a potential investment. McIlroy is part of a negotiating committee, but he hasn't been involved in recent meetings.

It was another thing to hear from someone in the room during the New York meetings two weeks ago — Guy Kinnings, the CEO of the European tour.

The DP World Tour, as it is known commercially, was part of the original framework agreement announced June 6, 2023, that led to the creation of PGA Tour Enterprises. The agreement was not signed by its end-of-year deadline, and negotiations continue. The PGA Tour since then has signed on Strategic Sports Group with a $1.5 billion investment.

"I left those meetings seeing firsthand there in the room with all the right organizations, the right parties, with the right mindset, a sense of positivity from all parties involved, to try and find a solution, which would be good for the game,” Kinnings told reporters at the BMW PGA Championship last week outside London.

“Long way to go,” he said. “A lot of detail, complicated stuff to be done.”

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan also has been light on details, mainly sticking to the plan not to make public any of the negotiations.

But the words “detail” and “complicated” are not to be taken lightly.

McIlroy cut straight to the point last week with three other words — Department of Justice. Any agreement would face Justice Department scrutiny, and there's still the matter of what LIV Golf looks like going forward. It already has announced four tournaments for 2025 in Saudi Arabia, Australia, Thailand and Singapore.

“I think to me it seems like the people that are really making the decisions are all rowing in the same direction, which is a really good thing,” McIlroy said. “And even if they are all rowing in the same direction, it still doesn’t mean that a deal may get done because it’s just a very complicated set of circumstances.

"But yeah, from what I hear, there’s optimism there, and that’s good to see.”

Lydia's future

Lydia Ko won the season opener on the LPGA Tour, leaving her one point away from the LPGA Hall of Fame. Ko has said she would think about retiring sooner rather than later, and there was speculation that this might be the year.

And then came a dream summer. She won the Olympic gold medal, which got her into the Hall of Fame. And then she added the third leg of the Grand Slam by winning the Women's British Open at St. Andrews. Ko won against last week outside Cincinnati.

Now the career Grand Slam is on her mind. The LPGA sweep of the majors is tricky business because the tour added The Evian Championship — previously a regular event — to the other four majors. The LPGA still considers a slam to be four, leaving Ko in need of winning either a U.S. Women's Open or the Women's PGA.

She won the Evian in 2015 and the ANA Inspiration in 2016.

“I struggled a lot during the middle of the season, and I was in a place where, 'OK, am I really going to be in the Hall of Fame?' and all of those doubts,” she said. "I had a fairytale of those past couple months and now I feel like if I set my mind to it, maybe I can do it.

“I think it’s always been the goal of mine to do the career Grand Slam. I thought that would be so out there,” she said. “I feel like I’ve already been part of this fairytale, so why not?”

Erin Hills

Erin Hills, the Wisconsin course where Brooks Koepka won his first major, is back on the USGA landscape in a big way. It will host the U.S. Women’s Open next year and has a big slate of USGA amateur events over the next 15 years.

The USGA announced Tuesday that Erin Hills will have the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball in 2027 and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in 2030. After that, it will have the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2033, followed by the U.S. Amateur in 2035 and the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2039.

Erin Hills will be the 14th course to host the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur.

There was no mention of another U.S. Open, however.

The USGA took its premier championship to new courses in a span of three years, with Jordan Spieth winning the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay and Koepka winning the Open in 2017 at Erin Hills. Chambers Bay was criticized for losing the grass on its greens (a problem since fixed), while Erin Hills was subjected to extreme low scoring. Seven players finished at 10-under par or lower.

Chambers Bay is scheduled for the 2027 U.S. Junior Amateur and the 2033 U.S. Amateur.

Pat and the hat

Patrick Cantlay was in full uniform when he arrived for the Presidents Cup, including the hat.

Cantlay was at the center of attention at the Ryder Cup last year when he chose not to wear a hat, not unusual considering he didn't wear one at Whistling Straits in 2021 or when he played on the Walker Cup team in 2011. Cantlay said the brand wasn't a good fit.

It gained attention, however, with a spurious report that it was out of protest for not being paid. Cantlay said that couldn't be further from the truth.

Apparently it's a good fit this week.

“We finally had one that had that odd of a shape that it would actually fit,” U.S. captain Jim Furyk said with a laugh. "I think a lot of it’s our vendors. He wore a hat two years ago in Charlotte. We had the same vendors on the PGA Tour, and he seems to be comfortable.

“If my guys are comfortable in hats, they can wear hats. If they’re not comfortable in hats, it doesn’t matter.”

The Briem rises

Helen Briem is on the rise, which is saying something for a 19-year-old German who stands out at 6-foot-3.

Briem, who won the R&A Girls Championship and played in the Junior Ryder Cup last year, won three straight weeks on the Ladies European Tour Access Series. That followed two starts on the Ladies European Tour, a tie for 11th in the German Masters and runner-up in the Dormy Open Helsingborg.

That took her to No. 1 in the women's world amateur ranking. She then turned pro and won La Sella Open in her first LET start as a professional.

“My goal is to gain a foothold on the big stage of world golf, to be part of the Solheim Cup at some point and to represent Germany at the Olympic Games,” Briem said.

Divots

Brooke Matthews is the fifth player on the Epson Tour who has mathematically clinched her spot in the top 15 who get LPGA Tour cards next year. The Epson Tour season ends next week in California. ... Vietnam will be hosting its first big championship when Hoiana Shores holds the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific next March. Past winners of the event include two-time U.S. Women's Open champion Yuka Saso and former world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul. ... The three Canadians on the International team are a combined 0-8-0 in the Presidents Cup. Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith went 0-4 in 2022. Mackenzie Hughes is making his debut this week at Royal Montreal.

Stat of the week

Talor Gooch, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith failed to win an individual title in the LIV Golf League this year. They all won multiple times in 2023.

Final word

“My goal was never to be a celebrity or famous or anything like that. My goal was always to be a golfer on the PGA Tour. I like coming out here and competing, and I like going home and living a normal life.” — Scottie Scheffler

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