Liverpool owner John Henry 'in regular dialogue' with Saudi Arabia PIF and 'starting to talk about future'
Fenway Sports Group (FSG) remain in 'regular dialogue' with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) a deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf is still to be made.
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Hide AdLiverpool owners FSG expanded their portfolio earlier this year when spearheading a consortium named Strategic Sports Group (SSG) to invest in the PGA. The firm did so along with several franchise owners including the Atlanta Falcons’ Arthur Blank and the Boston Celtics' Wyc Grousbeck.
SSG have injected up to $3 billion to launch PGA Tour Enterprises. The decision arrived against the backdrop of a split in golf, with the Saudi PIF prising major winners including Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson to play in LIV.
A framework to combine commercial operations between the PGA, LIV and the DP World Tour was announced in June 2023, with a deadline for a deal on 31 December set - nine months later, talks are still ongoing.
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Hide AdIt was reported by the Sports Business Journal earlier this year that FSG principal owner John Henry - along with PGA chief executive Jay Monaghan - held talks with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan at the start of the year.
Henry is in a transactional subcommittee that is negotiating with PIF along with PGA Tour Enterprises chairman Joe Gorder, golf legend Tiger Woods and 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott.
And Monaghan says that negotiations remain ongoing. Speaking before the Tour Championship that took place at the end of August, he said: “I would say that the priority, it’s been enhanced. It’s stronger. That’s a direct result of dialogue and conversation and really starting to talk about the future, future product vision and where we can take our sport.
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Hide Ad“I think when you get into productive conversations, that enhances the likelihood of positive outcomes and that enhances the spirit of those very conversations. I think that’s where things stand.
"When you look at where we are right now, we’re in regular dialogue. We have the right people at the table with the right mindset. I see that in all of these conversations, and that’s both sides. That creates optimism about the future and our ability to come together. But at the same time, these conversations are complex. They’re going to take time. They have taken time, and they will continue to take time.”
FSG boast assets that include Liverpool, MLB outfit the Boston Red Sox and NHL team the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Boston-based firm also hold a stake in NASCAR’s RKF Racing and purchased a franchise in the Technology Golf League that has been created by Woods and Rory McIlroy that is set to start in the new year.
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