Rory McIlroy recently stated that he feels the PGA Tour should still negotiate with the Saudi PIF for a potential deal. Recently, the Tour announced a partnership with SSG which is investing $3 billion in the newly planned PGA Tour Enterprises. The new for-profit wing of the Tour is said to have a value of around $12 billion.
The Northern Irishman feels that a deal with PIF is very crucial for the Tour. Meanwhile, some other players such as Jordan Spieth have expressed that after partnering with SSG, the deal with the Saudi-based firm would not be good for the Tour.
Rickie Fowler, on the other hand, had a similar take as Rory McIlroy. However, he stated that if a deal is finalized between the PGA Tour and PIF and the LIV Golf players are allowed to return, they must receive some sort of punishment.
Rory McIlroy Feels Having PIF As A Partner Will Help in the Unification of Golf
McIlroy is currently at Pebble Beach, California playing at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. While speaking in an interview, he said that the PGA Tour should work with the Saudi PIF as they were the original investors in July 2023. He said that leaving them out after a deal with SSG might not make them happy. He further said,
“My thing was if I’m the original [potential] investor that thought that they were going to get this deal done back in July, and I’m hearing a board member say that – what am I gonna feel about that?” Rory McIlroy said. “I know what Jordan was saying. But if I were PIF and I was hearing that coming from here, the day after doing this SSG deal, it wouldn’t have made me too happy.”
Rory McIlroy added that not having PIF as a partner was not an “option for the game of golf”. He felt that a deal with the Saudi-based firm would ensure unifying the game once and for all.
“Having PIF as your partner as opposed to not having them as your partner, I don’t think is an option for the game of golf. I think they’re committed to investing in golf and in the wider world of sport and if you can get them to invest their money the right way to unify the game of golf,” McIlroy said.
The negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Saudi PIF are still under development. The deal was expected to be finalized before December 31, 2023. However, after announcing some delay, it is said that the final say would be given before the Masters Tournament in April. If a deal is finally struck between them, it could potentially mean that a lot of top stars from LIV Golf could return to the Tour.
