Rory McIlroy suggests deal between the PGA Tour, LIV Golf backers could be finalized by end of year

The Northern Irishman is scheduled to play with two of the most influential men in golf this week

Rory McIlroy is an even more popular man than usual this week at the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Teeing it up with his father, Gerry, at the annual DP World Tour pro-am that is played across Carnoustie, Kingsbarn Golf Links and the Old Course at St. Andrews, the McIlroys share tee times with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Yasir al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, the financial backer of LIV Golf.

"There's no better place than the home of golf to try and get everyone together and talking," McIlroy told BBC Northern Ireland. "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."

Following his first-round pairing with Louis Oosthuizen and Dunhill chief Johann Rupert, McIlroy will play alongside Billy Horschel and Monahan in the second round and then Dean Burmester and Al-Rumayyan in the third round. Monahan and Al-Rumayyan share a slot on the tee sheet themselves for Thursday's first round.

McIlroy believes the pairing can only be seen as a good sign as the PGA Tour and PIF continue negotiations to reunite the golf world. The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship represents, in a sense, what a united professional game could look like as 14 LIV Golf members are slated to play with DP World Tour members such as McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.

"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," McIlroy said. "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."

The PGA Tour and the PIF shared a framework agreement on June 6, 2023, with a goal of combining commercial operations under a new for-profit entity later dubbed PGA Tour Enterprises. The parties initially stated a deadline of Dec. 31, 2023, to finalize the agreement, but that window has long since expired without a completed deal.

Since then, PGA Tour Enterprises has struck a deal with Strategic Sports Group -- a consortium of investors and sports team owners led by Fenway Sports Group -- to invest up to $3 billion with PGA Tour members receiving equity in the newly-formed entity. 

This September, PGA Tour Enterprises and the PIF met in New York City over multiple days to advance discussions of a possible agreement. Previous discussions included a potential $1 billion investment in PGA Tour Enterprises, though hurdles between the parties remain.

"[Monahan and Al-Rumayyan] both want the same thing, too," McIlroy continued. "It's a matter of getting all the different constituents on board."