Playing at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland this week, McIlroy, who served on the PGA Tour policy board when the intent to merge was announced, offered a timeframe as to when the parties could finally put an end to this era of split tours in professional golf.
“I think we’ll know a lot more by year’s end. We’re in October so hopefully [there’s] three months to get something done.”
If any golfer would have first-hand knowledge of the goings-on regarding the potential merger, it would be McIlroy, and not just because of his standing as one of the biggest names in the golf world. At the Dunhill Links Championship, the four-time major winner is paired with his father, Gerry, in the pro-am event. But the McIlroys will also share tee times with the principal figures from both sides of the aisle.
On Friday, Rory and Gerry teed off with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and his partner, Billy Horschel. Then on Saturday, the McIlroys share a tee time with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which finances and owns LIV Golf. Completing that foursome will be LIV golfer Dean Burmester.
Meanwhile, the two heads of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf—Monahan and Al-Rumayyan—spent lots of time together on Thursday, as the two were half of a foursome that played Round One together. McIlroy noted how these opportune groupings may accelerate the process of the deal finally getting done.
“There’s no better place than the home of golf to try and get everyone together and talking,” McIlroy said on Wednesday. “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.”
The June 2023 agreement to merge the tours had a stated deadline of Dec. 31, 2023, to finalize a deal. Obviously, that has since passed but the sides have remained in communication while continuing their respective day-to-day operations and 2024 seasons. The PGA Tour season held its playoffs and crowned Scottie Scheffler as tour champion on Sep. 1, while the LIV Tour had its season-ending championship three weeks later. Jon Rahm was both the points leader and money list leader, while Ripper GC, captained by Cameron Smith and composed entirely of Australians, won the LIV team championship.
That leaves the DP World Tour as the lone major golf tour still in-season and allows for this confluence of golfers from the three major tours. McIlroy’s hope for something getting done by year’s end would align with the European Tour’s schedule. The DP World Tour Championship will conclude on Nov. 17, allowing for six weeks over the remainder of the year to get the deal done before the 2025 PGA Tour season starts with The Sentry on Jan. 2.
To date, the PGA Tour has barred LIV golfers from competing in its events. That includes the tour’s flagship tournament in the Players Championship, all three FedEx Cup playoff events, as well as the signature tournaments that carry $20 million prize pools such as the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament. However, LIV golfers who are qualified are allowed to compete in the four majors.
The Dunhill Links Championship offers a glimpse of what a post-merger golf world could look like on a regular basis, outside of the four majors each year. The tournament features players from the PGA Tour, European Tour and LIV Golf playing together and even grouped together. There are 14 LIV members playing with golfers who compete on the European Tour—with many also holding PGA Tour membership—including Burmester and McIlroy.
