Rory McIlroy outlines ideal solution to PGA Tour and LIV feud

Rory McIlroy believes that progress is being made towards a potential solution to golf’s fractured calendar with senior PGA Tour players set to meet with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Negotiations continue between the PGA Tour and PIF over a possible investment more than two years on from the launch of the breakaway, Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

PGA player-director Patrick Cantlay said during the Players Championship that a meeting with PIF representatives would take place this week, with reports suggesting that this would include governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

Al-Rumayyan, who is also chair of Premier League club Newcastle, recently met with Jay Monahan, chairman of the PGA Tour, and negotiations continue over a possible partnership.

McIlroy, a prominent critic of LIV, is encouraged by the discussions and hopes that an investment may be moving nearer.

“There’s a really big disconnect between PIF and LIV,” said McIlroy. “The closer that we can get to Yasir, PIF and hopefully finalise that investment, that will be a really good thing.

“They’re a sovereign wealth fund. They want to park money for decades and not worry about it.

“They want to invest in smart and secure businesses, and the PGA Tour is definitely one of those, especially if they’re looking to invest in sport in some way.”

While no specifics have been outlined of what an agreement may look like, any step back towards a more unified golfing calendar would be positive after the angst and acrimony of the last few years.

McIlroy believes that LIV will continue for a little while longer, while the team format utilised by the series is likely to retain a place on the calendar even if a merger goes through.

“They’re big on team golf and they want to see team golf survive in some way in the calendar,” McIlroy said.

“I don’t think it has to necessarily look like LIV. In my mind, you should leave the individual golf and then you play your team golf on the sort of periphery of that.

“I don’t think this is an overnight solution. But if we can get the investment in, then at least we can start working towards a compromise where we’re not going to make everyone happy, but at least make everyone understand why we’re doing what we’re doing.”