Rory McIlroy says LIV-PGA unification is the ‘ONLY way forward for golf,’ with Northern Irishman set to help merger talks and return to Tour policy board
Rory McIlroy is hopeful he can help ‘unify’ golf and break the merger deadlock before his likely return to the political fray.
The world number 2 is in with a chance of a place on the PGA Tour’s policy board, five months after he left the same position out of annoyance amid the protracted talks between his circuit and the Saudi supporters of the LIV series.
Although McIlroy has not confirmed whether the move has been formally ratified yet, which will depend on a vote by the other members of the policy council this week, his involvement is seen as key to getting a deal over the line.
As these conversations have taken off in the past ten months since the shock announcement of a ‘framework agreement’, it has often been highlighted that both Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth have publicly stated that Saudi investment is not necessary.
These views contradict McIlroy’s view that having the Saudis on side is the only way forward, not least because it will prevent some of the poaching of leading players that has occurred over the past two years marked will counteract.
Rory McIlroy is in line for a place on the Tour’s policy council five months after his departure
McIlroy hits a tee shot on the sixth hole during the final round of the RBC Heritage in SC
McIlroy said Wednesday: “I think I can be helpful. I don’t think much progress has been made in the last eight months, and I was hopeful that there would be. I think I can help the process.
‘But only if people want to involve me, I think. When Webb (Simpson, who is believed to have resigned as one of the six player directors on the board so McIlroy could return) and I spoke, and he talked about possibly leaving the board, I said, ‘Look If it was something that other people wanted, I would like to sit in that seat.”
“That was the conversation we had. I feel like I can be helpful. I feel like I care a lot, and I have some pretty good experiences and good connections within the game and around the broader ecosystem and everything that’s going on. But ultimately it is not entirely up to me to simply return to the board. There is a process that must be followed. But I’m willing to do it if that’s what people want.”
Asked about the need for unification, McIlroy, who has a positive relationship with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the head of Saudi Public Investment, added: “I think this is the only way forward for the game of golf. We obviously realize that the game isn’t unified right now for a reason, and there are still some hard feelings and things that need to be addressed, but I think at this point, for the good of the game, we all have to put those feelings aside and we all move forward together.”
McIlroy’s comments come as the PGA Tour is desperately fighting to prevent more players from leaving for LIV. While the Northern Irishman denied claims earlier this month that he was in talks to join the exodus, a rumor persists over Viktor Hovland’s future.
McIlroy has a good relationship with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the chairman of LIV Golf
Jay Monahan is the commissioner of the PGA Tour, who is in discussions with LIV
The Tour’s countermeasures include long-term stock payments for their leading stars, which are expected to be ratified this week. Under these agreements, Tiger Woods would be eligible for $100 million and McIlroy $50 million in what would essentially be a loyalty bonus. When McIlroy was asked about those payments on Wednesday, he said only: “I think the one thing we’ve learned in golf over the last two years is that there’s never enough.”
McIlroy’s original decision to leave the policy council last November was widely greeted as a productive move for his golf career. However, he has disputed that the role unduly damaged his efforts to end a decade-long drought in the majors.
He said: ‘I would say I played some of my best golf when I was a PGA Tour board member, so I don’t think it really bothered me. It maybe just took me some time to pursue things or spend time on things that I wanted to do at home, and that I had to call two, three times a week and the whole thing started to take its toll because it took a toll on a lot players.
‘At the end of the day we are golfers. We don’t have to try to run a $15 billion company. We need to get out there and play golf and let the business people do the business.”