Rory McIlroy has called for a swift resolution to negotiations between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, warning that the Saudi-backed group could explore “alternative options” if a deal is not finalised in the near future
Rory McIlroy has issued a warning that LIV Golf’s backers could resort to drastic measures if the ongoing negotiations with the PGA Tour continue without any resolution in sight.
Speaking to reporters after the first round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, McIlroy expressed his growing frustration over the stalled talks between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the financial muscle behind LIV Golf.
“I think anyone that cares about golf, I think has to be frustrated,” he started. “I think anyone that cares about the PGA Tour has to be frustrated because we’re not putting forward the absolute best product that we can. I just think that it’s gone on long enough. I think everyone is trying to find a solution. It’s just a solution is hard to get to.”
To emphasise his point, McIlroy referred back to his painful defeat at Pinehurst No. 2 earlier this summer, where he lost a two-shot lead to eventual champion Bryson DeChambeau with just five holes left.
“I go back to, even though I was on the wrong side of things, like the US Open with Bryson, and you’re only really going to get that four times a year at most,” the Northern Irishman continued. “I think the game of golf deserves having those sort of things happen more than just four times a year.”
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