Rory McIlroy is competing alongside family members, billionaires, prominent figures from LIV, and influential decision-makers in the golf industry at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in Scotland.
One of Rory McIlroy’s companions during the Alfred Dunhill Championship has significantly profited from the LIV Golf tour.
The annual pro-am tournament commenced today (Thursday), featuring McIlroy alongside his father Gerry, South African billionaire Johann Rupert, and 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen. Oosthuizen left the PGA Tour to join LIV when the controversial series was established in 2022. This decision has proven to be financially rewarding for the South African, who has earned $21.7 million (£16.5 million) from only 34 events.
He ranks 14th on the total LIV money list, which is led by Talor Gooch, earning $56.4 million (£43 million), followed by Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, and Jon Rahm in the top five spots. In previous times, it could have been uncomfortable for McIlroy to play with a LIV star because of his stance against the Saudi-backed tour.
McIlroy used to be one of LIV’s strongest opponents, claiming he “despised” it and would quit if it was the sole golf tour remaining globally. Nevertheless, the four-time major champion has since changed his stance on LIV and is now optimistic about a potential merger between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour being reached by the end of the year.
McIlroy thinks that having important individuals involved in discussions at the Alfred Dunhill event will facilitate progress. During the first round at Carnoustie, Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, played in the same group as Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who is the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and supports LIV financially. Monahan is scheduled to team up with McIlroy at Kingsbarns on Friday, followed by McIlroy and Al-Rumayyan playing together at St Andrews on Saturday.
In June 2023, the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and the PIF agreed to a framework deal. However, McIlroy recently stated that hurdles to reaching a deal include scrutiny from the US Department of Justice and a 50-50 split between players on each side. During a practice round at St Andrews on Wednesday, McIlroy informed BBC Northern Ireland that there is no superior location than the home of golf to gather and converse.
It’s fantastic that Jay and Yasir will be playing together on Thursday, a positive indicator. I believe it is a move in the right direction. It remains to be seen if things will go as I or many others hope they will.
I believe we all recognize that change in golf is usually met with resistance due to the sport’s deep-rooted traditions. However, I believe change is necessary at this moment in order to push the game forward and reach a point of progress.
When questioned about the timing of that moment, McIlroy replied: “Certainly before the end of the year.” Perhaps the pace is considered too leisurely by fans of golf. However, I believe that large deals in the business industry require a significant amount of time. You are discussing large sums of money being exchanged, various regions in the Middle East, US, and Europe.
The deal is quite complex, but hopefully we will have a better understanding by the end of the year. We are currently in the month of October, meaning there are three months left to accomplish our goals and begin 2025 with excitement, working together towards progress.
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