A new deal for a mega golf merger between the PGA and DP World Tours and the breakaway LIV Golf League will be done by the end of the year, insists Rory McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman was a staunch critic of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund-backed LIV Golf League but has since rolled back his criticism after plans emerged for a deal between the controversial circuit and the two established tours.
This week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland could be a catalyst for fresh impetus in the stalling merger talks, with key figures set to play alongside each other in the pro-am event.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, partnering BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel, will play in a group with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.
Horschel previously called PGA Tour members who quit to join LIV “hypocrites and liars”. The tour has since seen the addition of the likes of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.
Monahan will play with McIlroy tomorrow before the Northern Irishman goes around St Andrews with Al-Rumayyan on Saturday.
McIlroy: Done by 2025
“Definitely before the year’s end,” four-time major winner McIlroy said when asked when a deal would finally be completed.
“Maybe it is going too slow for the people who follow golf. But I think in the business world deals of this size take time. You are talking about billions of dollars changing hands, different jurisdictions in the Middle East, US and Europe.
“It’s a pretty complicated deal, but I think we’ll know more by the year’s end hopefully. We are in October, so three months to get something done and start 2025 with enthusiasm and all move forward together.”
In June 2023 LIV Golf and the PGA and DP World Tours announced their intention to pool their interests with a “framework agreement”. While a conclusion remains elusive, the American tour took $3bn of investment in January from Strategic Sports Group, a US-based conglomerate headed by Liverpool FC owners Fenway Sports Group.
Step in the right direction
Talks have continued but the rift in golf has remained, though it was announced last month that US players from LIV Golf, such as Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, would be eligible to participate in next year’s Ryder Cup, if selected, and the PGA Championship.
“You know, there’s no better place than the home of golf to get everyone together and talking,” McIlroy told BBC Northern Ireland.
“It’s a great thing and a good sign that Jay and Yasir are playing together on Thursday. I think it is a step in the right direction. Time will tell if things go in the direction I want them to or a lot of people want them to.
“I think we all understand it is not easy and, you know, change for the most part in golf is resisted because it is such a traditional sport.
“But I think at this point in time I think change is needed to sort of try and drive the game forward and hopefully we can get to that point.”
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