Trump again says he wants to see PGA Tour, LIV Golf merged

DORAL, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump arrived at his Doral resort Thursday for a LIV Golf event, shortly after reiterating to reporters aboard Air Force One that he wants to see the two men's professional tours united.

The president has spoken out on the subject before, and Trump has been involved in some of the talks that may eventually unify the PGA Tour and Saudi-funded LIV. Those talks have gone on for at least a year and how — or if — a deal can be struck is unclear.

“Ultimately, hopefully, the two tours are going to merge. That’ll be good. I’m involved in that too,” Trump told reporters on the flight to Miami. “But hopefully we’re going to get the two tours to merge. You have the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour. And I think having them merge would be a great thing.”

Trump called the LIV golfers — a roster that includes Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and others — “some of the best players in the world.”

Trump was driven to the edge of the hotel property late Thursday afternoon, shortly after he arrived, in a golf cart by his son Eric Trump, who played in the LIV Miami pro-am at Doral earlier Thursday alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others. Trump waved to a few dozen supporters who were nearby and briskly walked into a nearby building.

Trump was scheduled to deliver a speech at a dinner with LIV players and others Thursday night and was expected to be on-site for a few hours before departing for his primary Florida residence in West Palm Beach.

The LIV tournament at Trump's Doral property starts Friday and concludes Sunday. Trump, an avid golfer, is expected to play at one of his other properties in Jupiter, Florida at some point this weekend.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf