Rory McIlroy shares two hurdles the PGA Tour and Liv Golf must overcome to reach an agreement between the leagues

Rory McIlroy may not have been at the face-to-face meetings between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in New York last week, but he still has more knowledge than most about the potential deal slowly progressing between the Tour and LIV Golf’s financial backers. McIlroy, 35, a member of PGA Tour Enterprises’ transactions subcommittee, offered a glimpse into what could be holding up talks between the two sides.

“The Justice Department. There’s probably different interests on the players’ side. I would say — it’s pretty similar,” McIlroy explained ahead of the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour. “I would say probably half the players on LIV want the deal done; maybe half don’t. I would say it’s probably the same on the PGA Tour. Because like anything, everybody is thinking about themselves and their best interests. You know, some people would benefit from no deal, but some people would benefit from a deal.”

“Yeah, I think there are different opinions among the players about what should happen, and I think when you have a member-run organization, it makes things a little bit complicated — especially when some of those players have to make decisions on the business side. So, those are the two. I think the tours want it to happen. The investors certainly want it to happen because they can see the benefits for themselves. But right now, it’s the DOJ and the players having different opinions.”

McIlroy, a former member of the PGA Tour Policy Board, resigned from his position last year, and was eventually replaced by Jordan Spieth. Last spring, when Webb Simpson intended to resign, McIlroy tried to regain his place on the board; however, he was blocked by the existing members. Instead, McIlroy was given a position on the Transactions Subcommittee, on which Tiger Woods and Adam Scott also serve.

Rumors have swirled about which players approve of a deal with a rival circuit and which players are against the agreement. After PGA Tour Enterprises received $1.5 billion (up to $3 billion) from Strategic Sports Group last winter, Spieth said he no longer needed an investment from the PIF. He later clarified his comments, saying he wanted a deal that made sense for all parties.

McIlroy, on the other hand, is ready to rejoin the sport after a back-and-forth on the matter in the opening round of LIV Golf. The four-time major champion has urged, “We have this opportunity to get it done [a deal] Done.”

“If things don’t work out with the PGA Tour … I think it would probably take the European Tour back to like the ’80s and ’90s, when there were two really strong tours,” McIlroy said. “But it keeps the sport divided, and I don’t like that. You know, I really want the sport to come back together. That would be ‘Plan B.’ That would be an option for maybe the best solution.

“And look, selfishly as a European, it would be wonderful to get this investment and use that money properly for this tour. But it still keeps the sport divided, which I just can’t fully accept, and I would love to see everything and everyone come back together.”

While the players may not have the same intentions, the biggest problem when it comes to a potential deal is the US government. A week after the initial framework agreement between the parties was made public, the Justice Department announced it would investigate the deal to determine whether it violates antitrust law.

“We were competing against LIV; I felt great about the changes we made and the position we were in,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in June 2023. “But taking the competitor off the board, having them exist as a partner, not an owner, and for us to be able to control the direction going forward puts us in a productive position for the sport.”

As a result of the DOJ investigation, the PGA Tour and PIF removed a non-solicitation clause in the framework agreement, which later opened the way for two-time major champion Jon Rahm to transition from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf. Bloomberg reported this week that Rahm’s $300 million contract with LIV Golf is another point of contention in the discussions.

Rahm won LIV golf’s individual season-long race with a victory in Chicago last week. At the same time, McIlroy competed in the Irish Open in his home country while the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup fall season began in Napa, California, further illustrating the existing divide in the men’s game.