Reports: PIF governor secretly met with R&A CEO at final round of British Open
R&A CEO Martin Slumbers said he is open to accepting money from Saudi Arabia’s PIF in the future
Just days after he said he was open to accepting money from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, R&A CEO Martin Slumbers held a secret meeting with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan last week.
Slumbers and Al-Rumayyan met during the final round of the British Open on Sunday at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, according to The Telegraph and Golfweek. Al-Rumayyan and his associate, Amanda Staveley, were brought to the course quietly with the help of an R&A sponsor, per the report.
It’s unclear what was discussed at that meeting, though it was reportedly more “symbolic than substantive.”
The PIF has invested heavily in sports across the world in recent years, which has led to plenty of criticism and allegations of “sportswashing.” The fund and Al-Rumayyan are behind LIV Golf, and they have reportedly invested more than $2 billion to try and get the league off the ground. The PIF also owns 80% of Newcastle United in the Premier League, and it is a primary sponsor for Formula 1, the LPGA Tour and more. Saudi Arabia is making a major push in its domestic soccer league, too. It’s brought in Cristiano Ronaldo on a massive deal, and a club is reportedly prepared to offer French star Kylian Mbappé a deal worth $776 million.
The PGA Tour and DP World Tour announced a plan last month to form a partnership with LIV Golf and the PIF, which ended a long and contentious battle within the sport. The tentative plan — which is far from complete and is under multiple investigations — is to form a new golf entity in which the PIF is a primary sponsor. Al-Rumayyan is expected to be the chairman of the board.
The R&A, like the USGA in the United States, is one of the main governing bodies in golf. It runs independently of the DP World Tour in Europe, just like the USGA is separate from the PGA Tour and the PGA of America. USGA CEO Mike Whan said at the U.S. Open last month that he wasn’t aware of the PIF trying to invest or team up with his organization.
That may not be the case with the R&A. Slumbers said ahead of the British Open that, after watching Saudi Arabia’s push to get into sports in recent years, there wasn’t much he could do to stop them. And with how the sport is rapidly growing — the R&A offered a record $16.5 million purse at the British Open, which was the lowest among the four major championships — Slumbers said his main goal is to make sure they are “financially sustainable over the long term.”
"We have a number of large corporate partners that help us make this thing happen," Slumbers said. "I think the world has changed in the last year. It's not just golf. You're seeing it in football. You're seeing it in F1. You're seeing it in cricket. I'm sure tennis won't be that far behind.
“The world of sport has changed dramatically in the last 12 months, and it is not feasible for the R&A or golf to just ignore what is a societal change on a global basis," he added. "We will be considering within all the parameters that we look at all the options that we have."
