Rory McIlroy provides damning stance of LIV Golf and PGA Tour stars over merger

A report earlier this week claimed that PGA Tour players were demanding that LIV Golf members handed the money they had earned from the Saudi league back in order to reach a peace deal

Rory McIlroy provided an update on negotiations

Rory McIlroy has revealed there are still hurdles that the PGA Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia need to navigate in order to reach a peace deal – and added half the players of each organisation don’t even want the deal to happen.

The PGA Tour have been in negotiation with the backers of LIV Golf over reuniting the sport back together for well over a year, but are yet to finalise any sort of deal. McIlroy – who has previously found himself at the centre of the politics before stepping away – was quizzed on the reasoning behind the wait at this week’s BMW PGA Championship.

The 35-year-old admitted that the surveillance of the United States’ Department of Justice and disagreements between players were playing a part in the lengthy proceedings at the negotiation table.

“Department of Justice. Maybe different interests from the players’ side,” McIlroy responded when asked on the reasoning behind the wait. “I’d say maybe half the players on LIV want the deal to get done; half probably don’t. I’d say it’s probably similar on the PGA Tour.

“Just like anything, everyone’s looking out for themselves and their best interests. You know, it would benefit some people for a deal not to get done, but it would obviously benefit some people for a deal to get done. Yeah, I think there’s different opinions amongst the players about what should happen.

“I think when you have a members’ run organisation, it complicates things a little bit, especially when should of those players are having to make decisions on the business side of things. So those are the two. I think the tours want it to happen.

Rory McIlroy is at the BMW PGA Championship this week

“The investors certainly want it to happen because they can see the benefit for themselves. But right now, it’s DOJ and differing opinions of the players.” McIlroy’s claims come just a day after it was reported by Bloomberg, that one key roadblock in the talks was PGA Tour players demanding that money earned by their LIV counterparts was handed back to the Saudi league.

A whole host of big names made the switch and signed mega-money contracts to do so, no more so than the league’s 2024 individual champion, Jon Rahm, whose deal that was penned at the end of 2023 was worth a reported £450 million. PGA Tour representatives met with PIF in New York last week, with reports that progress had been made.

Providing an update at last month’s Tour Championship, Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said: “You look at where we are right now, we’re in regular dialogue, we have the right people at the table with the right mindset. I see that in all these conversations on both sides, that creates optimism about the future and our ability to come together.

“At the same time, these conversations are complex, they’re going to take time,” he conceded. “They have taken time and they will continue to take time. When I sit here today, I think the most important thing is our obligation to fans, players and partners is to focus on what we control.

“Which we’re doing as I outlined and continue to carry this momentum forward. I’m not going to negotiate details in public or disclose details or specifics, but all I can say is that conversations continue and they’re productive.”