Report: PIF Boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan Set To Attend Open At Royal Liverpool
LIV Golf chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is reportedly set to attend the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool
LIV Golf chairman and governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) Yasir Al-Rumayyan is set to attend the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
The chairman of Premier League side Newcastle United will be at Royal Liverpool on the Wirral in a sign of the impending coming together of the golfing factions.
The Telegraph's James Corrigan says Al-Rumayyan will be on site at Hoylake as LIV Golf member Cameron Smith defends the Claret Jug.
Al-Rumayyan and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan shook hands on a framework deal that will bring together all the golfing tours under one umbrella - although the details are still far from decided.
The US Justice Department and US Senate are looking into the deal, while players are still very much in the dark on both sides as confusion reigns as we look to the future of the men's professional game.
A big golf fan, a proposal has been made for Al-Rumayyan to get membership of both Augusta National and the R&A as part of the deal to join forces with the PGA Tour.
"HE Yasir Al-Rumayyan to become a Director of the International Golf Federation and to receive membership at Augusta and the R&A," one of the proposals stated.
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"As part of this, LIV is to review its senior management structure and Board composition."
And if Al-Rumayyan does attend Royal Liverpool he may well link-up with officials from both the DP World Tour and R&A to discuss at least some parts of how golf will look in the future.
Monahan is back at his desk at the PGA Tour after returning from illness, and has work to do to flesh out this framework deal and restore trust between him and the playing membership.
Players such as Jordan Spieth have spoken about being left in the dark with a lack of communication over the details.
Xander Schauffele said Monahan would have "a lot of tough questions to answer" when he returns with him among a number of players who had "a lot less" trust in the commissioner.
For his part, Al-Rumayyan also has big decisions to make over the future of LIV Golf among other major problems to iron out in order to get a deal done.
Mixing with golf's big-hitters at the Open Championship is just another move forward in Al-Rumayyan easing his way into the sport's top table.
Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
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