Rory McIlroy makes LIV Golf merger stance clear ahead of Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau match

Rory McIlroy has found himself at the centre of the fallout between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf in recent years, but is now keen to see the dispute finally come to an end

Rory McIlroy has once again revealed that he wants to see unification in men’s professional golf between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, and hopes his upcoming match alongside Scottie Scheffler against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau can help do that.

The sport has been left torn in two ever since the falling out between the two circuits in 2022. A year on from LIV’s first ever event that saw players banned from the PGA Tour for competing, it appeared the two rival sides had finally reached a truce.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced plans of a framework agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), which would finally bring an end to the dispute between the two rivals.

Over 15 months on from Monahan’s shock announcement though, the two sides still remain at the negotiation table, with a deal still yet to be signed off. Amid the wait, there has been growing frustrations from players and fans alike. This has seen some take matters into their own hands, after it was confirmed last week that McIlroy and Scheffler will take on Koepka and DeChambeau in a PGA Tour vs LIV spin-off later this year.

Ahead of his return to this week’s Irish Open, McIlroy was quizzed on the match-up, and further delved into the idea of seeing the sport coming back together. “I think for the players it is a way to capitalise everything that is going on,” he told ITV News at Royal County Down.

“In a way, hopefully it is a sign for things to come. I have been beating this drum for the last year that for golf to be as strong as it can be, we need all the best players competing against each other more often, and not just four times a year at the majors.

Rory McIlroy is at this week’s Irish Open

“If this match can sort of help along the way in trying to get people back together and to get the best to play against each other more often, then hopefully that is a good thing.” McIlroy had previously been one of LIV’s staunchest critics in the breakaway league’s early days, but has softened his stance since the turn of the year.

He initially called on the so-called ‘merger’ to take place last November, telling CNBC at the time: “I feel like we’ve got a fractured competitive landscape right now and I would prefer if everyone sort of got back into the same boat. I think that’s the best thing for golf.”

“I would hope when we go through this process, the PIF are the ones that are involved in the framework agreement. Obviously, there’s been other suitors that have been involved and offering their services and their help. But hopefully, when this is all said and done, I sincerely hope that the PIF are involved and we can bring the game of golf back together.”

Earlier this year, the four-time major winner doubled down on this stance, calling on those negotiating the deal to speed up the process in order to get the agreement ‘over and done with’.