Schauffele takes Players Championship lead but progress slow on Saudi talks

• Schauffele's 65 takes him one ahead of Wyndham Clark
• Unified LIV and PGA Tour schedules may not arrive until 2026

The urgency of PGA Tour golfers to sit around a table with Yasir alRumayyan is no coincidence. Golf industry leaders, many of whom have been present at this week's Players Championship, privately believe it could already be 2026 until any unification of the sport delivers a schedule that combines LIV and the traditional tours.

Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, is keen to explain his vision for golf's future to player directors of the PGATour. Those include Tiger Woods, widely understood to be a Saudi sceptic. Until now - and quite incredibly, given the kingdom's relentless march into the sport via the rebel LIV circuit - there has been no such discussion.