Donald Trump opens up on LIV Golf PIF funding drama

President Donald Trump weighed in on the ongoing drama surrounding LIV Golf after the Saudi Public Funding Fund pulled its funding of the insurgent golf league.

The president informed reporters contained in the Oval Workplace on Thursday that he wish to see all of the big-name gamers of the game in a single league and that taking part in towards one another can be good for golf.

“I do consider that all the golfers must be taking part in towards one another. They had been viewing one thing as a monopoly, but it surely’s swaying away. It must be the alternative of a monopoly,” Trump stated. “I wish to see Rory [McIlroy] taking part in Bryson DeChambeau. I wish to see huge Jon Rahm taking part in Scottie, who’s so nice. Scottie Scheffler is nice.

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office while making an "ok" hand gesture, surrounded by four other men. — President Donald Trump speaks within the Oval Workplace of the White Home, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Washington. AP

“They’ve nice gamers on LIV, but it surely’s virtually like folks wish to see that. That’s why the Masters was so good, since you noticed everyone collectively.”

The president, a golf fanatic who had hosted leaders from the PGA Tour and then-LIV Golf chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan on the White Home final 12 months, predicted that LIV Golfers can be welcomed again to the PGA Tour “as a result of they’re nice.”

“There’s one thing good about all the gamers taking part in collectively. Now they’ll all be accepted by the tour, there’s no query, as a result of they’re nice,” Trump stated. “The tour desires to have the perfect gamers. You may’t have the perfect participant that they’re boycotting now.

“They could do one thing, you recognize, just a little bit, however they’ll all be again on tour, and it’ll be nice.”

An in depth view of a flag with LIV Golf emblem is seen in the course of the pro-am previous to the LIV Golf Invitational – Portland at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Membership on June 29, 2022 in North Plains, Oregon. by way of Getty Pictures

LIV introduced formally on Thursday that it could be searching for long-term monetary companions in an effort to hold issues going past 2026. The state of affairs raised the prospects of gamers making an attempt to return to the PGA Tour.

A report from Golf Digest on Wednesday urged that a number of LIV Golf gamers had already had their reps contact base with the PGA Tour a couple of potential return.

The report didn’t title particular golfers.

The pathway again is also extremely difficult, with the PGA Tour probably including hurdles to any return after quite a lot of golfers defected to LIV in 2022.