PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan (left) is paired with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan (right) this week.
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Negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which owns LIV Golf, continue to struggle, but an eye-catching pairing at this week’s DP World Tour event may be an indication that a final deal between the warring parties is close. .
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship will go down this week in Scotland, where the pros will compete against family members and celebrities at the same time on all the historic courses: The St. Andrews’ Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.
Rory McIlroy used to play every year with his father, Gerry. But the leading figures for both sides in the PGA Tour-PIF rivalry are also in play this week.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will host it along with American Billy Horschel. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PIF governor, is also playing the event, along with LIV Golf pro Dean Burmester.
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Whether by accident or design, Horschel and Burmester are paired together in Thursday’s opening round, starting at 4 a.m. ET (9 a.m. local time). That means my pro-am partners, Monahan and Al-Rumayyan, will also be playing against each other on Day 1.
In Friday’s second round, Horschel and McIlroy will be paired together, giving the four-time major winner time to strategize with Monahan.
The doubles surprise continues on Saturday, when McIlroy will play Burmester and Rumayyan.
In addition, in all three of those rounds, the two teams will play in consecutive pairs, which may give them more time to negotiate while waiting together.
Although no details of the final agreement between the Tour and the PIF have been published, negotiations appear to be heating up.
At the Tour Championship in August, Monahan acknowledged that, saying, “We’re at the table and working closely with the Public Investment Fund. We are always optimistic about that outcome. But at the same time, we’re moving forward with speed and focusing on what we can control, because that’s what we owe to our fans.”
The parties reportedly held secret talks in New York City in September.
McIlroy, a former critic of LIV Golf, admitted he regretted his involvement in the dispute in May, and expressed a desire to see a final agreement between the two sides.
“My whole thing is I’m disappointed in what’s been done to it – not in the game of golf, the game of golf will be fine – but professional men’s golf and the kind of disparity we have at the moment,” McIlroy said earlier. of the RBC Canadian Open. “Hopefully we’re on the road to fixing that and getting back together, but, yeah, I mean, hindsight is always 20/20, but looking back I wish I hadn’t gone as deep as I did. .”
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