by Rory McIlroy doesn’t see the televised matchup between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf stars as a message, but rather a glimpse into the possibilities of what can happen and what’s been missing from golf since the great divide.
McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will face Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in December in Las Vegas. The only times they’ve played in the same draw this year have been at all four majors.
McIlroy, once a vocal opponent of Saudi-backed LIV Golf, has been optimistic about finding a solution to bring the best players together more often. He served on the PGA Tour board for a year, resigned and is now part of a negotiating committee.
“We really wanted to do something that I think all golf fans could get excited about,” McIlroy said Wednesday before the Irish Open. “It’s a way to show golf fans around the world that this is what could happen or this is what the future holds for them. I’ve said this for a long time. I think golf and golf fans should see us together more than four times a year.”
“I think we all thought it was a good idea and it was something that I hope is a harbinger of things to come in the future.”
A flight-tracking site reported that private planes from the PGA Tour and Aramco, formerly known as Saudi Arabian Oil Co., were in the New York area, and ESPN reported new meetings between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Tiger Woods was also in New York, initially for a charity event.
“I don’t know much about the discussions that are going on. I know there are some, but I’m not involved in them,” McIlroy said. “I think we’re all in golf, trying to figure this out and move forward.”
The PGA Tour is entering the fall portion of its schedule, while LIV Golf is wrapping up its regular season at a public course in suburban Chicago. Jon Rahm, who signed with LIV in December, has a narrow lead in the race for the individual title and an $18 million bonus.
Rahm’s status with the Ryder Cup is still unclear. He must play four European Tour events to retain his membership (the Olympics count as one) and Rahm has announced he will play the Spanish Open next week.
But he is facing fines for playing LIV events against European Tour events.
“I’m still in talks with the DP World Tour. I plan on playing in Spain,” Rahm said Wednesday ahead of LIV Golf Chicago. “We signed up a long time ago. Whether they let me play or not is another matter. I’m not a big fan of fines. I think I’ve been upfront about that. I have no intention of paying the fines, and we’re continuing to try to have a discussion with them about how we can work that out.”
Rahm said the European Tour would be doing Spanish golf a disservice by not letting him play.
The European Tour said in a statement: “Jon is subject to pending sanctions for violations of the DP World Tour Tournament Conflict Rules. Until these pending sanctions are resolved, he will not be eligible to compete in any DP World Tour event.”
As for the PGA Tour-LIV match in Las Vegas, Rahm said he would be happy to be a part of a similar event in the future.
“I think we could do some special things by doing both tours,” he said.
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