Patrick Cantlay confirms Monday meeting between PGA Tour players and PIF

Player director says he’ll be doing ‘a lot more listening than talking’ in Ponte Vedra Beach get-together

Patrick Cantlay in action during The Players Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Florida. Picture: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

Patrick Cantlay, one of the player directors on the PGA Tour’s policy board, has confirmed that a meeting is taking place on Monday with Public Investment Fund chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

The possibility of such a meeting was first reported by Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch on Friday, when Jordan Spieth, another of the US circuit’s player directors, said it would “probably be a good thing”.

“Yes, there’s a plan to have a meeting tomorrow,” confirmed Cantlay, speaking after completing his final round in the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Florida.

It is believed the meeting will take place at a private residence in Ponte Vedra Beach, where the PGA Tour has its headquarters, with the likelihood that all seven of the player directors, including Tiger Woods, will be in attendance. Asked who else is scheduled to be there, Cantlay declined to comment on the basis that he was “not entirely positive”.

“I imagine I’ll do a lot more listening than talking. I’m excited to hear what I will learn and I’ll have a lot more information after,” he said in reply to being asked what he’d been looking for from the meeting with LIV Golf backer Al-Rumayyan.

What kind of information? “Well, I’ve got to hear out what they have to say and I will always do my best to represent the entire membership whenever I am in a meeting in that capacity,” added the eight-time PGA Tour winner.

Did he welcome the opportunity? “Of course, yeah. More information is always better,” he said. “I doubt we’ll get into anything substantive in the first meeting, just more of a meet and greet.

“My role is always to represent the entire membership to the best of my ability. If there’s a deal that could be struck that’s in the best interest of the entire membership, I’m all for it. And, if there’s not, there’s not.”

If PIF doesn’t end up being involved, what does the future of the sport look like at elite level? “I’d imagine that if it weren’t to happen we’d go on in a similar paradigm we are going on right now,” opined Cantlay.