Liverpool owner John W Henry won over Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in PGA Tour meeting

John W Henry has plenty of involvement in the world of sports. Of course, he is the principal owner of Liverpool, but he also counts the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Penguins among his vast portfolio.

The latest move he has made in the world of sports has seen Henry venture into golf. Earlier this year, a portfolio led by Fenway Sports Group (FSG) struck a $3 billion deal with the PGA Tour. It saw them take on a minority share in a new PGA company, which allows professional golfers to hold ownership stakes in a bid to address the chaos caused by the launch of LIV Golf and subsequent civil war engulfing the sport.

The shake-up saw the creation of a new board on the PGA Tour, featuring Henry as one of four representatives from the Strategic Sports Group (SSG). They are joined by various players, including Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth.

Details have now emerged via the Financial Times regarding the early stages of the new partnership, which came at a time when professional golf has been extremely fractured. On November 9, with the deal still in the works, Henry and his fellow SSG investors were invited to Tiger Woods' offices in Jupiter, Florida.

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It's claimed that Woods was joined at the meeting by fellow players including Rory McIlory and Patrick Cantlay, with several other players tuned in via Zoom and Henry joined by wife Linda, fellow FSG executives Tom Werner and Sam Kennedy, plus Arthur Blank and Andy Cohen.

While it was a meeting not guaranteed to have success, it's been claimed that Henry was able to win over the players, which included powerful duo Woods and McIlroy. It's reported he was keen to hear out the concerns of players, many of whom had turned down huge offers from LIV Golf to stay with the PGA Tour prior to the two parties agreeing a framework agreement to merge.

“John probably repeated 10 times, ‘We want to be aligned with the players’,” one person who was present told the Financial Times. It's claimed he won them over and left a good impression with golfers, allowing Henry and co. to polish up their proposal.

When the restructure was formally announced in March, Liverpool owner Henry said in a statemet: "Our role on the Enterprises Board will focus on hearing Player Director ideas and working alongside them to ensure the sport's commercial growth occurs in a way that creates the best possible product for fans.

"All of us at Strategic Sports Group see a bright future for the PGA TOUR and the constitution of the Enterprises Board is an important first step in realizing that future."