There is something that we should all thank Rory McIlroy for, media and fans alike. No one in the world of golf speaks more clearly and provides more details about what is brewing between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund behind the scenes. Today he has done it again during his appearance with journalists ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
As we have been reporting for weeks, specifically since the Open de España, the agreement for the PIF (the Saudi fund) to become part of the shareholding of PGA Tour Enterprise is getting closer. In recent days, some figures of the possible investment have even been hinted at, although none have been officially confirmed. Be that as it may, this initial agreement for the Saudis to enter the new for-profit company formed by the PGA Tour, where the SSG investment fund is already present, seems imminent. McIlroy himself has hinted at this.
“As far as I know, Jay Monahan was in Saudi Arabia last week for the eighth edition of the Future Investment Initiative and held several meetings. I don’t think an agreement has been reached yet because I would have found out, but Jay plans to inform the PGA Tour’s transaction committee about what was discussed last week, and we are sure to learn more in the coming days,” explained the Northern Irish golfer.
It seems that the financial agreement is almost ready, but there are still some bureaucratic hurdles to overcome. In this regard, during his speech, the United States Department of Justice was mentioned again. McIlroy explained that a more flexible attitude from this body regarding the entry of Saudi money into a US company would make things easier. And, in this respect, he added: “what has happened in the last few hours in the United States may be helpful, it will help clarify things.”
Rory was obviously referring to the confirmed return of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States. His connections with the PIF and Saudi Arabia are very fluid and should facilitate the agreement reaching a successful conclusion and being finally announced. Be that as it may, Trump will not officially take office until January, so it seems we will have to wait to know all the details.
Beyond this matter, McIlroy made two interesting considerations about his golf and his future in this sport. Speaking of the immediate present, he explained that after the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, he locked himself in a swing studio for three weeks to analyse his movement and correct a couple of things. His goal is to be more consistent and have even more control over dispersion. He has even put numbers to it. “If I was making fades and draws of about seven or eight yards, the goal is for them to be three and thus have greater control,” he assures.
His way of doing it is to forget the practice range. “I like to do this kind of work from time to time. I don’t want to see the ball flight, so I lock myself in a studio and hit balls against a net or a fabric screen and with a television where I watch my movement. My only concern is to make the movement well, nothing else, and thus correct a few small details,” he explains.
Now it’s time to see those adjustments in competition. “That’s what these two weeks are also for. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the changes work under pressure,” he notes.
On the other hand, regarding the future, McIlroy made it clear that he wants to be known as the best golfer in European history. “It is undoubtedly one of my goals. I grew up watching Faldo, Langer, Woosnam, and I want to reach that status. That’s why I want to win many more Race to Dubai and continue playing and earning points in the Ryder Cup. Anything that helps me with that, I will do. I am excited, for example, about the possibility of surpassing Seve in victories in the European Tour’s order of merit (he will do so if he wins this year) and getting closer to Montgomerie,” he points out.
