R&A CEO Martin Slumbers not ruling out Saudi investment - ESPN

HOYLAKE, England — With the purse for The Open more than doubling over the past decade, R&A CEO Martin Slumbers on Wednesday wouldn't rule out taking money from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment to help fund escalating costs.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference ahead of this week's Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Slumbers said the R&A wasn't interested in having a presenting sponsor for The Open but will continue to talk to various potential sponsors.

«We have a number of large corporate partners that help us make this thing happen,» Slumbers said. «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.»

On June 6, the PGA Tour announced that it was forming an alliance with the DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund, which has spent more than $2 billion financing the LIV Golf League over the past two seasons. At a Senate subcommittee hearing last week, PGA Tour chief operating officer Ron Price testified that the PIF was prepared to invest more than $1 billion into a new for-profit entity that will be controlled by the PGA Tour.

The Telegraph of London reported Tuesday that Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, will attend The Open this week as a guest of one of the tournament's biggest sponsors.

In 2021, the PIF purchased 80% of the Premier League club Newcastle United. The Saudi oil and gas company Aramco is a global sponsor of F1 racing, the LPGA Tour, the Dubai-based International Cricket Council and the Indian Premier League. Last month, ATP Tour chair Andrea Gaudenzi said he had «positive» discussions with PIF officials