The Ryder Cup could become the next piece to move in the apparently never-ending game of elite golf’s three-dimensional chess. Multiple sources have confided during the Masters that PGA Tour Enterprises, a commercial body set up almost two years ago, is seriously considering an offer to take part ownership of the United States element of the Ryder Cup. That domain is controlled by the PGA of America, which also runs the US PGA Championship. Any such deal would cost PGA Tour Enterprises hundreds of millions of dollars.
PGA Tour designs on the Ryder Cup are nothing new. Indeed, it has been a longtime frustration of the PGA Tour that the five key elements in the sport – the four majors plus the biennial joust between Europe and the US – are run by other organisations. PGA Tour Enterprises now offers an avenue to do something about that.
The Strategic Sports Group (SSG), a US-based conglomerate of investors, ploughed $1.5bn into the new venture months after a framework deal was announced between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in the summer of 2023. The plan at that point was for PIF to match the investment; a notion that has been delayed or perhaps rendered impossible by the failure of various parties to agree terms. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF, was spotted in the clubhouse at Augusta National on Friday, but the unification of golf looks no closer.
The PGA Tour did not respond to requests for comment about potential Ryder Cup plans. A transaction is neither inevitable nor imminent. Any negotiation will be far from straightforward. The PGA of America has underlying responsibility for more than 30,000 professional players in the US. They recently appointed a new chief executive, Derek Sprague. His predecessor, Seth Waugh, was widely viewed as more aligned to the PGA Tour and corporate America. Sprague’s appointment suggested PGA professionals were looking to take back control of the organisation.
There is precedent for this sort of deal. The Ryder Cup scene in Europe, formerly Great Britain and Ireland, was originally the responsibility of the Professional Golfers’ Association. As the Ryder Cup grew exponentially, the European Tour effectively assumed control. That made sense partly on a practical level, with the Tour more experienced in handling elite players and their competitions.
It is likely the PGA Tour will make precisely the same case, decades on. Next month’s US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow will inevitably include executives being questioned on the future of the Ryder Cup.
The purchase of real estate is among the other options that have been looked at in respect of using the $1.5bn from SSG. Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour’s commissioner, was pressed at last month’s Players Championship on how that money could be spent. “We haven’t invested any of that capital but we’ve stood up an investment committee,” he said.
“We’re looking at opportunities and I would summarise those opportunities as investments we can make to enhance the PGA Tour for our fans, strengthen our tournaments. Then there are bigger opportunities that take time that we’re looking at.
“But the Tour has never been in this position. We’re fortunate to be in this position. It’s not just the capital, it’s the intellectual strength that we have that’s representing our organisation.”
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Monahan and his organisation now carry a general confidence it can see off the threat and difficulty posed by the Saudi-backed LIV Tour. LIV’s sceptics would have had their thoughts boosted by some of the names to miss this Masters cut; Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Sergio García, Cameron Smith and Phil Mickelson. Seven of an initial 12 LIV players survived for the closing 36 holes.
Tyrrell Hatton’s prominence at Augusta National is pertinent with this year’s Ryder Cup in mind. Hatton’s defection to LIV early last year affected his chances of making the team. “The majors this year are the only opportunities that I have to earn points,” he said. “One thing that I’m proud of for the last three Ryder Cups that I’ve been a part of is that I’ve qualified automatically and I’ve made it a bit harder for myself now.
“I would love to qualify without needing a pick. Hopefully, I can play really well in the majors this year. I’d love to be on that team again in Bethpage.”
The Masters form of Justin Rose also matters in the Ryder Cup context, but for a different reason. Rose would push himself strongly towards a Bethpage berth with a good finish here. Should the 44-year-old not be in the team for Europe’s defence, the likelihood is he will take on a vice-captaincy role with eyes towards potential captaincy at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.