Nearly a year after the shocking “framework agreement’’ was announced between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, all of the parties have yet to formally meet together.
Kinnings, in a media session with a small group UK and Irish golf writers in London, discussed his hopes for an agreement and also made clear that the European Ryder Cup rules do not need to be changed for players such as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to be part of the team next year at Bethpage Black.
“But, until you get into the room with the right people with the right intent to try and find a solution, you are never going to work out a deal and, at the end of the day, this is what is needed right now as quickly as we can. We’ve all seen—even with a great Masters—that TV figures are down. If we listen to the fans, there’s something that needs to get fixed and I see it as a huge opportunity because, if you can unite and go global, that’s exactly what we are all about.
A plan has been unveiled for PGA Tour players to receive equity in the new PGA Tour Enterprises, a for-profit company. Kinnings said that the PIF’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, wants to be part of the group of investors.