Rory McIlroy believes professional male golf must ditch at least some of its cherished “traditions” if a peace deal is to be reached with the Saudis to send the sport into a new prosperous age.
McIlroy is playing in the Dunhill Links – the glorified pro-am in Fife and Angus that starts on Thursday – and as Telegraph Sport revealed earlier this week, so too are PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Public Investment Fund that bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf series.
The pair are actually in the same fourball at Carnoustie for the first round, an unfathomable scenario when LIV was formed three years ago and one which many in the game believe could be a symbolic moment in this sporting civil war, with the negotiations seemingly still at deadlock.
And with DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings also in attendance, this will be the first time the trio will be on public display in the same week and at the same venue since the saga erupted.
McIlroy, who is playing with father Gerry in the $5million event, welcomed the gathering of the three heads and believes it is a positive step. Yet while the world No 3 is optimistic enough to be certain that good news will arrive before Christmas, he also believes that golf must change some of what it holds dear and move with the times to ensure it remains successful.
“You know, there’s no better place than the home of golf to get everyone together and talking,” McIlroy told BBC Northern Ireland following his practice round at the Old Course in St Andrews, which is a host course along with Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.
“It’s a great thing and a good sign that Jay and Yasir are both here and playing together. It is a step in the right direction. Time will tell if things go in the direction I and a lot of people want them to. We all understand it is not easy and, you know, change for the most part in golf is resisted because it is such a traditional sport. But at this point, change is needed to drive the game forward and hopefully we can get to that point.”
When asked when news of a deal might be announced, he replied: “Definitely before the year’s end. Maybe it is going too slow for the people who follow golf. But I think in the business world deals of this size take time. You know, you are talking about billions of dollars changing hands, different jurisdictions in the Middle East, US and Europe.”
McIlroy’s confidence is at odds with other insiders who cannot see the parties compromising so soon, particularly the PGA Tour players who essentially run Monahan’s board. And if no agreement is reached in the forthcoming months then there is speculation that the DP World Tour could be interested in quitting the “strategic alliance” it has with the PGA Tour and, together with the Saudi billions, set about building a global circuit to rival the American circuit.
With amateurs playing alongside the pros up until the final round, it is sometimes difficult to take the Dunhill seriously, but with 14 LIV players in this week’s field, including names such as Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton, Talor Gooch and Patrick Reed, it could be a glimpse of a future that features the best playing against each other – regardless of their tour – in tournaments other than the majors.
