Rory McIlroy Suggests That a Deal to Unify Golf Could Come By Year's End

Some of golf's top power brokers are at this week's Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, including PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and LIV Golf backer Yasir Al-Rumayyan playing in the same group.

Rory McIlroy's pro-am partners at the Dunhill Links Championship include PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and LIV Golf chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan. / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

As he is set to play with several of the key players in the ongoing negotiations to bring peace to men’s professional golf, Rory McIlroy is hopeful a deal might be reached by the end of the year.

McIlroy is set to play with South African billionaire Johann Rupert on Thursday, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan on Friday and Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan on Saturday as part of the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

Speaking to BBC Northern Ireland on Wednesday after a practice round with his pro-am partner and father, Gerry, at the Old Course at St. Andrews, McIlroy noted that having several of the principals in the same place was a welcome occurrence in the overall quest to get an agreement.

“There’s no better place than the home of golf to try and get everyone together and talking,” McIlroy said. “I think it’s a great thing and good sign that Jay and Yasir are going to play together. And obviously you’ve got quite a big contingent over from LIV that are playing in this event.”

LIV Golf has 14 players represented in the pro-am field including Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Talor Gooch and Patrick Reed.

The format sees the field rotate among Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and the Old Course before a cut is made prior to the final round at the Old Course.

Matt Fitzpatrick is the defending champion of the DP World Tour event.

McIlroy, 35, who is coming off consecutive runner-up finishes on the DP World Tour, has been a key player in the unification process after initially scoffing at LIV Golf. Although he left the PGA Tour policy board last year, he is now a member of a transaction committee charged with dealing directly with the PIF, which funds LIV Golf and is looking to invest in PGA Tour Enterprises.

He will play at Carnoustie on Thursday alongside Rupert, who has called for peace in the game. Rupert is playing with LIV golfer Louis Oosthuizen.

“I think what Johann Rupert, the man who runs this event, is trying to do is just bring the golf world back together a little bit,” McIlroy told the BBC. “If we need to be forced together in some way, he’s trying to do that. I think it will be good. It’s certainly a step in the right direction.”

McIlroy, who has also won three times this year worldwide and was second at the U.S. Open, said that change “for the most part in golf is resisted because it's such a traditional sport. But I think at this point in time, change is needed to drive the game forward and hopefully we can get to that point.”

Asked for a timeline, McIlroy said he hoped “before year’s end” although he cautioned that it is “a pretty complicated deal.”

“Maybe it’s going too slow for the people that follow golf. In the business world, deals of this size take time. You are talking about billions of dollars changing hands, different jurisdictions.

“I think we’ll know a lot more by year’s end. We’re in October so hopefully (there is) three months to get something done.”