Rory McIlroy, one of the heavyweights of the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, has welcomed the positive signals emerging this week at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where important figures from the American circuit, the European circuit, and the Saudi investment fund will have the opportunity to talk and play together in a tournament with a wide representation of LIV Golf players.
“There is no better place than the cradle of golf to bring everyone together and talk,” said the Northern Irishman to the BBC about a tournament designed by Johann Rupert, a promoter of the DP World Tour, where players like Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka will be competing with the stars of the European circuit at Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, and St Andrews.
Jay Monahan, commissioner of the PGA Tour, will not only be at the tournament but will also play as one of the amateurs, sharing a match on Thursday with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, head of the public investment fund of Saudi Arabia. Monahan will then play with McIlroy at Kingsbarns on Friday before McIlroy and Al-Rumayyan go out together on Saturday at St Andrews.
“It’s great news and a good sign that Jay and Yasir are playing together on Thursday. Obviously, there are also a large number of LIV players participating in this event. I think what Johann Rupert, the man running this event, is trying to do is bring the golf world back together a bit,” explained Rory.
“If we need to be forced together in some way, he is trying to do it, but I think it will be good. I think it’s a step in the right direction. Time will tell if things go in the direction I want or that many people want,” insisted the Northern Irish golfer in the interview.
Monahan and Al-Rumayyan attended a meeting held last month in New York to try to move towards a resolution in the talks between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and the PIF, as well as Tiger Woods in his role as player director on the PGA Tour board. In addition to Monahan and Al-Rumayyan, the CEO of the DP World Tour, Guy Kinnings, is also attending this week’s tournament, which Rupert, an influential figure and great golf enthusiast, is clearly using to try to move things forward.
“There have been some good steps along the way, and I think this is another one,” added McIlroy. “It’s about getting all parties to agree. Sponsors want the same thing; I think everyone wants golf to be united again and for the best players to play together, as well as trying to make it a bit more global,” he detailed.
“I think there are a lot of people on board with this, and it’s just a matter of trying to work through, I suppose, the various complicated issues that need to be addressed to achieve it. I think we all understand that it’s not easy, and, you know, most changes in golf are resisted because it’s a very traditional sport. But I think at this moment, change is necessary to try to push the game forward, and I hope we can get to that point,” explained McIlroy.
Rory hopes it will be soon: “Certainly before the end of the year. It may be too slow for people who follow golf. But I think in the business world, deals of this magnitude take time. We’re talking about billions of dollars changing hands, different jurisdictions in the Middle East, the United States, and Europe. It’s a pretty complicated deal, but I think we’ll know more by the end of the year. We’re in October, so three months to get something done and start 2025 with enthusiasm and move forward together.”
