In a surprising turn of events, the PGA Tour has provided reassurance to its playing members regarding the level of involvement by Saudi Arabia in their newly formed joint entity with LIV Golf. Earlier this month, the golfing world was left in shock when the Tour announced its agreement with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) to merge with its rival, LIV Golf. The announcement came after a year-long bitter feud between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

Under the new arrangement, the two rival entities will now operate under the same organization, along with the DP World Tour, with financial investment originating from Saudi Arabia. However, since the deal was unveiled, information about the proposed merger has been scarce. Nonetheless, ahead of this week’s Travelers Championship, an encouraging update has been provided to all parties associated with the American-based circuit.

According to reports from the Golf Channel, it appears that the PGA Tour holds a position of authority in the agreement, asserting leadership over the joint profit-based entity named NewCo, as well as the PGA Tour organization itself, surpassing the authority of PIF and LIV Golf.

To regain the trust of players who felt betrayed, the Tour intends to implement safeguards within the deal to restrict Saudi influence. The involvement of PIF had raised concerns among many, particularly considering the Tour commissioner’s previous criticisms of their association with LIV Golf throughout the past year.

The latest revelations suggest that Saudi Arabia’s involvement is not as substantial as initially believed. Initially, PIF made only a “minor investment” into the NewCo setup, and the Tour retains the option to reject any future Saudi investments that may arise. The Tour’s players are scheduled to receive further details about the matter during a meeting at the Travelers Championship on Tuesday.

On Monday, golfing legend Tom Watson voiced his doubts about the Saudi funding in an open letter addressed to Commissioner Jay Monahan. Watson raised pertinent questions, such as whether the PGA Tour has established guidelines and defined an acceptable percentage of PIF funding within the proposed partnership. These concerns were amplified by what he deemed to be hypocrisy in disregarding moral issues, which Tour leadership had publicly highlighted in the past.

Having already conducted one intense and heated player meeting following the agreement at the recent RBC Canadian Open, Commissioner Monahan will not be present at this meeting due to his temporary medical absence during last week’s US Open.