Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the reported £600bn+ Saudi sovereign wealth fund, met R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers at Royal Liverpool during the final round of the 151st Open Championship.
According to a report in the The Telegraph, key associate Amanda Staveley was also present, although it’s not yet clear what was being discussed in a private box as the world’s best players battled it out for the Claret Jug.
Al-Rumayyan was seen on site at Hoylake and The Telegraph reports that The R&A has confirmed that the meeting did take place, although it did not give any further details.
Ahead of the 151st Open Championship, former banker Slumbers was asked if there was a possibility of the Saudi Private Investment Fund (PIF) that bankrolls LIV Golf to partnering The Open in the future.
“I’m very open, we are and continue to talk to various potential sponsors,” he said. “We have a number of large corporate partners that help us make this thing happen.”
It’s the first time during golf’s civil war that Al-Rumayyan has been welcomed at a Major Championship, although what the discussions involved is not clear.
Slumbers begun the press conference at the start of Open week by distancing The R&A from the proposed agreement by the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the PIF, saying, “To be clear, we're not party to the agreement”, but welcomed the possibility of putting an end to the general disruption in the men’s professional game.
Given his comments that The R&A remained open to discussions, it’s perhaps no surprise the meeting with Al-Rumayyan and Staveley, the British businesswoman who had a key role in the Saudi-Arabia consortium buyout of Newcastle United, took place.
One topic that may have been on the agenda was qualification status for the LIV rebels. LIV Golf is lobbying for official world ranking recognition – Slumbers sits on the board deciding its fate – and for the Majors to grant exemptions for the money list.
A lot has changed in the world of men’s professional golf since the last Open at the Home of Golf. A year ago, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman was not invited to the Champions’ Dinner at St Andrews, where Slumbers criticised the breakaway circuit as not being in the “best interest of the sport” and “entirely driven by money”.
Slumber’s latest comments, however, suggest that The R&A’s stance may be softening.
He added: “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. We will be considering within all the parameters that we look at all the options that we have.”
Golf Monthly has contacted The R&A for comment.
