"PGA Tour and LIV Chiefs Grouped Together, Rory McIlroy Joins Same Tee Time"
Two of professional golf's leading figures - as executives of the competing PGA Tour and LIV Golf League - will be grouped together on Thursday for the pro-am format of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.
PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan and his partner for the week, tour player Billy Horschel, will tee off at Carnoustie with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi Arabian Investment Fund (PIF), which finances LIV Golf, and LIV tour member Dean Burmester.
The DP World Tour event is being played on a rotation of Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and the Old Course, with the final round at the Old Course in St Andrews after the field is reduced to the top 60 pros (including ties) and the leading 20 teams.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that one of the PGA Tour's biggest names and stars, Rory McIlroy, is playing with his father Gerry. McIlroy had been one of the most vocal critics of LIV Golf since its launch in 2021, but has softened his stance as the two sides have been negotiating a framework agreement to merge forces.
The McIlroys will play with Monahan and Horschel on Friday, and Al-Rumayyan and Burmester on Saturday.
"It's a positive sign that Jay and Yasir are playing together on Thursday," said Rory McIlroy in an interview with BCC Northern Ireland during a practice round on Wednesday. "I believe it's a step in the right direction."
"Only time will tell if things will go in the direction I want them to, or in the direction that many people want them to," he continued. "We all understand that it won't be easy, and change is often resisted in golf due to its traditional nature. However, I believe that change is necessary to drive the game forward, and hopefully, we can reach that point."
Representatives from both tours reportedly met in New York on September 11th. As a member of the PGA Tour Enterprises transaction subcommittee, along with Tiger Woods and Adam Scott, who are negotiating with the PIF, McIlroy is optimistic that the talks will reach a conclusion "before the end of the year."
"It's a complex deal, but I think we will have more information by the end of the year," said McIlroy.
