Rory McIlroy has welcomed the presence of the key figures in golf’s civil war in this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and expects news on a deal “definitely before the year’s end”.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is partnering Billy Horschel in the pro-am event and will be in the same group as Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – which bankrolls LIV Golf – in Thursday’s first round at Carnoustie.
Monahan will then play with McIlroy at Kingsbarns on Friday before McIlroy and Al-Rumayyan will be out together on Saturday at St Andrews.
The PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF signed a framework agreement in June 2023 but McIlroy said last month he believes scrutiny from the US department of justice and a 50-50 split between players on both sides pose the biggest obstacles to a deal being secured.
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Speaking during a practice round at St Andrews on Wednesday, McIlroy told BBC Northern Ireland: “You know, there’s no better place than the home of golf to get everyone together and talking.
“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.”
Asked when that point might be, McIlroy added: “Definitely before the year’s end.
“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 know, 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.”
Horschel, who defeated McIlroy in a play-off to win a second BMW PGA Championship title a fortnight ago, previously accused players who initially joined LIV of being “hypocrites and liars” and urged them to stay away from the established tours.
But although the world number 17 admits he still holds “a few grudges”, he feels the state of the game necessitates a change in attitude.
Reminded of his comments in advance of the 2022 Scottish Open, Horschel said: “I could never imagine at that point that the divide that we’ve created in the game of golf would create such a disinterest in the fans.
“And that’s really who has sort of been hurt by all this. I do believe some coming together and some semblance of healing to the game and showing what the game is going to be going forward is what we need for everyone involved, but especially for the fans.
“Time allows things to dissipate. Personally I still hold a few grudges, I’m not going to lie. But I understand that for things to get better and heal, you have to get past that and move beyond that.”
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship lowdown
Purse: €4.34m ($4.8m) – €740,000 ($856,139 for the winner)
Where: Fife, Scotland
The course: The Dunhill Links is played across three of the best links courses on the east coast of Scotland – Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and the Old Course at St Andrews. Both Carnoustie and St Andrews are on the Open Championship rota, while Kingsbarns is noted for its beautiful scenery should the low autumn sun glisten along the sea. The challenge is notably different at this time of year with cooler temperatures and less firm fairways. The weather forecast is pleasant for this time of year, however, with a gentle breeze three of the four days, so expect low scores. The Old Course is the only links used for Sunday’s final round.
The field: There are 14 LIV golfers in the field, which contributes to making it one of the strongest DP World Tour fields of the year. Tournament sponsor, South African billionaire Johann Rupert, has made it his mission to help unify the game and invited the likes of Brooks Koepka and Talor Gooch. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton take up their existing DP World Tour cards without fear of retribution for now and could earn significant Ryder Cup qualification points with a victory. Rahm and McIlroy top the betting after recent second places in DP World Tour events, while Tommy Fleetwood and BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel will be favoured given their good form.
Quote-Unquote: “This was the first professional event I played and obviously I was the amateur playing with the pro and he [my father] caddied for me. It’s just little things like that that make this week more special” – home favourite Robert MacIntyre on playing the Dunhill Links this week with his father Dougie.
Irish in the field: McIlroy is playing with Louis Oosthuizen at 9.11am off the 10th tee at Carnoustie, three other Irish players are also at Carnoustie on Thursday - Pádraig Harrington with Alex Noren at 10.17am off the 10th, Alex Maguire with David Boriboonsub at the same time as Harrington off the 1st tee, while Shane Lowry is playing with MacIntyre at 11.12am off the 10th. Tom McKibbin also tees off at 11.12am on Thursday, with Sebastian Soderberg at St Andrews.
Amateurs in the field: Rory is playing with his father Gerry as per tradition, alongside Oosthuizen and Rupert. Actors Bill Murray, Andy Garcia, Michael Douglas are playing, as well as sportspeople like Gareth Bale, Ruud Gullit and Kevin Pietersen, but perhaps most interestingly is the pairing of the PGA Tour’s commissioner Jay Monahan is playing with Saudi PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan at a time where progress on the merger between the LIV and PGA Tours has stalled. Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick is playing with his mother Sue and is again hoping to rediscover his best form.
Betting: Rahm, McIlroy 6-1, Fleetwood, Hatton 10-1, Lowry 16-1.
On TV: Live on Sky Sports Golf from 12pm.
