Trump presidency could ‘clear the way’ for peace deal in golf civil war, says Rory McIlroy
The Saudi-backed LIV Golf and PGA Tour have been trying to strike a deal to end the civil war and McIlroy believes the presence of Trump and Elon Musk will help
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Your support makes all the difference.Rory McIlroy believes Donald Trump becoming US president for the second time could help “clear the way” for a peace deal in golf’s civil war.
The four-time major winner also said the potential involvement of Elon Musk, a supporter of Trump and the owner of social media platform X (Twitter), could speed up the process.
Talks between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV Golf, have been continuing since the signing of a framework agreement in June 2023.
McIlroy said in September that a 50-50 split between players on both sides and the US Department of Justice (DoJ) represented the biggest obstacles to a deal, with the DoJ having already forced a non-solicitation clause to be removed from the framework agreement.
However, the incoming president will be able to influence the priorities of the DoJ and Trump has a close relationship with Saudi Arabia and LIV Golf, with several of their 54-hole events being staged at Trump-owned courses.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, McIlroy was asked if he would be surprised if a deal had already been completed, as was reported in a national newspaper at the weekend.
“It’s the first that I’ve heard of it,” McIlroy said of the alleged deal. “I know [PGA Tour Commissioner] Jay [Monahan] was in Saudi Arabia last week at the FII [the Future Investment Initiative conference] and was having some meetings. I think I would’ve heard if there was.
“He’s briefing the transaction committee tonight, so maybe some news comes out of that. But as far as I’m aware, I haven’t heard a thing.”
But McIlroy does think that Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris sets things up for a deal to be agreed.
“Given today’s news with what’s happened in America, I think that clears the way a little bit,” McIlroy added. “So we’ll see.”
McIlroy also agreed with the suggestion that the DoJ being more amenable to a deal would be “a huge moment” and was asked in a separate interview about Trump’s claim that he could secure a deal in 15 minutes.
“He might be able to,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. “He’s got Elon Musk, who I think is the smartest man in the world, beside him. We might be able to do something if we can get Musk involved, too.
“Yeah, I think from the outside looking in, it’s probably a little less complicated than it actually is. But obviously Trump has a great relationship with Saudi Arabia. He’s got a great relationship with golf. He’s a lover of golf. So, maybe. Who knows?
“But I think as the President of the United States again, he’s probably got bigger things to focus on than golf.”
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