Rory McIlroy has been involved with the PGA Tour’s relationship with LIV Golf and PIF at many different points. For a while, he was the frontman in the fight against LIV, even saying he hoped it would dissolve. He was also on the Tour Policy Board for a while before stepping down. McIlroy also offered to come back to the Policy Board to see the merger through.
He’s not actively involved now, but he knows the fact that Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan are in the same group for Thursday’s opening round at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is huge for the progress of the deal.
He said of their pairing via Golf Digest:
“It’ll be good. It’s certainly a step in the right direction. Time will tell if things go the way I want them to, or if they go the way a lot of people want them to go. But there have been a few good steps along the way and this is one of them. It’s a matter of trying to get all the different constituents involved.”
The Irishman believes sponsors want this as well, adding:
“Everyone just wants to see the game come back together and have all the top players playing together. All to make it a bit more global as well. A lot of people are on board with that.”
McIlroy recently adopted a more globalist stance for the future of golf, and he now believes a merger is a good way to get to that stage. He doesn’t know when the merger will take hold, but he believes things are moving in the right direction.
Rory McIlroy praises Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Jay Monahan pairing this week
Rory McIlroy, with his father Gerry, will play alongside Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Dean Burmester in the third round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. During the first round, Jay Monahan and Billy Horschel are paired with Al-Rumayyan and Louis Oosthuizen.
Rory McIlroy believes now is the time for progress (Source: Getty)
McIlroy believes this is a perfect setting for these parties to come together and find a path forward. Via Golf Digest, he said:
“There’s no better place than the Home of Golf to get everyone together and talking. I think it’s a great thing and a good sign that Jay and Yasir are playing together. Obviously, we have quite a big contingent here from LIV playing in the event. What [tournament chairman] Johann Rupert is trying to do is bring the world of golf back together a bit, or force us all together. Whatever, he’s trying to do that.”
There are 14 total LIV Golfers, including Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, and Brooks Koepka, in the field for this weekend alongside the PGA Tour and DP World Tour stars.
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Edited by Luke Koshi
