トランプ大統領がウッズらと会談　ＰＧＡとＬＩＶ統合へ大きな一歩

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米国のドナルド・トランプ大統領は２０日、男子ゴルフのタイガー・ウッズ（米国）をはじめ、全米プロゴルフ協会（ＰＧＡ）とＬＩＶゴルフリーグの各責任者らと会談した。この動きは、ゴルフ界の統合に向けた大きな一歩となる可能性がある。（写真はドナルド・トランプ米大統領）
　ホワイトハウスで行われたこの日の会合には、トランプ氏やＰＧＡのジェイ・モナハン・コミッショナーのほか、米ツアー政策委員会の選手理事を務めるウッズとアダム・スコット（オーストラリア）、そしてＬＩＶゴルフを後援するサウジアラビアの政府系基金パブリック・インベストメント・ファンド（ＰＩＦ）のヤセル・ルマイヤン総裁が出席した。
　トランプ氏は詳細は明かさず、「興味深い議論があった」と述べた。
　メジャー通算１５勝を誇るウッズは、トランプ氏とともに黒人歴史月間のレセプションに登場。集まった人々から「タイガー、タイガー」と連呼を受けながら短いスピーチを行い、「あなたとここにいられて光栄です、大統領。そして皆さんといることも栄誉だ」と語った。
　これに先立ちウッズは１６日、ゴルフ界の統合に関して楽観的な見方を示し、「間もなく修復する思う。この競技を正しい方向に進めていく」とし、「もう何年も間違った方向に進んでいたが、ファンはトッププレーヤーのわれわれ全員が一緒にプレーすることを望んでおり、それを実現するつもりだ」と話していた。
　ＬＩＶゴルフが２０２２年の創設時に米ツアーから多くの有名選手を引き抜くと、同ツアーはＬＩＶゴルフ組を大会から除外して対抗。双方のトップ選手が直接対戦するのは、現在メジャー大会のみとなっている。
　２０２３年には米ツアーとＬＩＶ側が事業統合に向けた枠組みを発表したものの、最終合意の期限から１年２か月が経過しても完全合意には至っておらず、ゴルフ界は分裂したままとなっている。
　統合が成立すれば、ＰＩＦが米ツアーの営利団体「ＰＧＡツアーエンタープライズ」に１５億ドル（約２２５０億円）を投資すると見られているが、この動きが米国の法律に違反する可能性があると米司法省の関係者が懸念を示している。
　トランプ氏はそうした障害を緩和できるとみられるが、それはＬＩＶ組を米ツアーに復帰させることや、米ツアーにとどまった多くの選手たちが重要と考えている何らかの罰則など、緊要の課題を残すことになる。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/02/21-17:00）

President Donald Trump met with Tiger Woods and leaders of the rival PGA and LIV golf tours on Thursday in what could be a major step toward reunifying the sport.
The White House gathering included Trump, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, Woods and his fellow tour policy board director Adam Scott and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), the financial backers of LIV Golf.
We had some interesting discussions, Trump said, without revealing details of the talks.
Woods, a 15-time major winner, appeared with Trump at a Black History Month reception, a crowd chanting Tiger, Tiger and Woods speaking briefly.
It's an honor to be here with you, Mr. President, and an honor to be here with all of you, Woods told the crowd.
The meeting comes after Woods spoke optimistically of a deal to unify world golf on Sunday.
I think things are going to heal quickly, Woods said. We're going to get this game going in the right direction.
It has been heading in the wrong direction for a number of years and the fans want all of us -- all the top players -- playing together and we're going to make that happen.
LIV lured away several top names from the PGA Tour in making its 2022 debut, the PGA responding by banning LIV players from its events. Top PGA and LIV players compete against each other now only at major tournaments.
A month after the first active LIV player won a major, Brooks Koepka at the 2023 PGA Championship, Monahan and Al-Rumayyan unveiled a framework agreement for a PIF investment into the PGA Tour.
But 14 months after a deadline for a final deal, which much be approved by the policy board including Woods and 2013 Masters champion Scott, the agreement remains unfinished and the tours remain divided, with LIV hosting a Masters tuneup event at Trump's Doral course in April.
Any reunification deal would likely see the PIF invest $1.5 billion into PGA Tour Enterprises, a for-profit company operated by the tour, but US Justice Department officials had been concerned such a move might violate US laws.
Trump could ease such roadblocks but that would leave the pressing question of reinstating LIV players for PGA Tour events and any possible punishment, a matter many players who said no to big-money LIV offers consider important.
Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, however, has told fellow PGA Tour players to get over it for the good of golf.
Everyone has just got to get over it and we all have to say OK, this is the starting point and we move forward, McIlroy said last week.
- 'General enthusiasm' -
Thursday's meeting was the second this month at the White House on the matter, with Monahan and Scott also visiting on February 4.
We asked the President to get involved for the good of the game, the good of the country and for all the countries involved, the PGA Tour said in a statement after the first meeting. We're grateful that his leadership has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for reunification of men's professional golf.
Monahan said last week the first Trump meeting made him more confident and enthusiastic a good deal would be concluded.
Everything is moving forward with pace, Monahan said. When you look at all the parties involved, there's a general enthusiasm for getting this done.
Something could have happened earlier but it might not have been right. I feel a lot stronger and a lot more confident that ultimately we're getting this right.