Trump says PGA-LIV 'merge' would be a 'great thing' as talks between tours continue

Ahead of a LIV Golf lawsuit astatine his Trump National Doral Golf Club successful Miami, President Donald Trump is hosting members of the circuit astatine the course.

PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan precocious dubbed Trump the "facilitator" of the ongoing discussions betwixt the 2 play tours — but astir 2 years since the bombshell announcement was made of a imaginable deal, determination has yet to beryllium one.

Trump gave his stance connected what helium hopes volition hap connected his mode to South Florida.

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Former President Donald Trump plays a circular up of the LIV Golf Invitational bid tourney astatine Trump National Golf Club Bedminster successful Bedminster, New Jersey, connected Aug. 9, 2023. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

"Ultimately, hopefully, the 2 tours are going to merge. That’ll beryllium good. I’m progressive successful that, too," Trump said. "But hopefully we’re going to get the 2 tours to merge. You person the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour. And I deliberation having them merge would beryllium a large thing."

Trump called the LIV golfers — a roster that includes Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and others — "some of the champion players successful the world."

Back successful February, the PGA Tour credited Trump for "[getting] progressive for the bully of the game," and it appears determination has been question since helium got involved.

"Those talks are real. They’re substantial, and they’re being driven astatine the apical levels of some organizations. Those talks person been importantly bolstered by President Trump’s willingness to service arsenic the facilitator," Monahan said past month. "President Trump is simply a lifelong play fan. He believes powerfully successful the game’s powerfulness and potential, and helium has been exceedingly generous successful his clip and power to assistance bring a woody together. He wants to spot the crippled reunified. We privation to spot the crippled reunified, and his engagement has made the imaginable of reunification precise real."

Team Captain Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC interacts with erstwhile President Donald Trump connected the 4th spread during the pro-am anterior to the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster astatine Trump National Golf Club Bedminster successful Bedminster, New Jersey, connected July 28, 2022. (Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf via Getty Images)

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Monahan added, "We judge there’s country to integrate important aspects of LIV Golf into the PGA Tour platform," and said helium could envision "a future" successful which Public Investment Fund politician Yasir Al-Rumayyan tin articulation the Tour's board.

"We’re doing everything that we tin to bring the 2 sides together. That said, we volition not bash truthful successful a mode that diminishes the spot of our level oregon the precise existent momentum with our fans and our partners," helium said, adding that "hurdles remain" betwixt the 2 sides.

Trump past period expressed optimism the 2 sides volition get immoderate benignant of woody done.

"They’re gonna person to get together," helium said. "They’ve had a batch of treatment backmost and forth. They some are meaning well, and a woody volition yet happen. I deliberation it volition hap beauteous quickly. It would beryllium bully to spot the champion golfers play against each other."

Former President Donald Trump is seen adjacent the 16th tee during time 1 of the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster astatine Trump National Golf Club Bedminster successful Bedminster, New Jersey, connected July 29, 2022. (Mike Stobe/LIV Golf via Getty Images)

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"They are each large people, and they privation to enactment it out," Trump added. "So, if I tin assistance enactment it out… I don’t get thing retired of it. I tin assistance them enactment it out. I conscionable deliberation play — it’s precise overmuch an idiosyncratic sport, and you privation to spot the champion players playing against each different and not playing successful 2 antithetic locations."

Trump's courses person hosted respective LIV events since its inception, past hosting a PGA lawsuit successful the mid-2010s.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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