LIV Golf and PGA Tour ‘in agreement’ as Rory McIlroy ‘helps strike £1bn deal’

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf appear ready to settle their long-standing rivalry with a groundbreaking peace agreement reportedly worth £1 billion, with Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy playing a significant role in brokering the deal.

Since LIV Golf’s creation in 2022, the PGA Tour has maintained a strict stance against the Saudi-backed league, even enforcing bans on players who participated in LIV events. Hopes for reconciliation emerged in June of last year when the PGA Tour announced a surprising framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). However, negotiations have continued for the past 17 months, with both parties working to finalize a formal arrangement.

Reports from The Sun suggest that a resolution is now in sight. The proposed deal involves a substantial financial injection from PIF, totaling around £1 billion. In exchange, PIF is set to receive an 11% stake in the PGA Tour, including two board seats, one of which would be the chairmanship.

One of the primary beneficiaries of this agreement will be PGA Tour players who resisted the temptation to join LIV Golf when it launched. PIF’s investment will contribute to a fund created to reward players who showed loyalty to the PGA Tour. Among those who chose to stay was McIlroy, who has been a vocal critic of LIV Golf. His influence in the negotiations has been pivotal, with McIlroy joining forces with Tiger Woods to help reach an understanding between the two tours.

McIlroy spoke recently about the progress made during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, where PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan played alongside LIV chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the event’s Pro-Am. McIlroy acknowledged that the process may feel slow to fans of the sport but emphasized that negotiations of this magnitude require time and careful consideration.

“Deals of this size take time,” he stated. “You’re talking about billions of dollars changing hands, multiple jurisdictions. But I think we’ll know a lot more by the end of the year.”

McIlroy expressed optimism that the completion of the deal was near: “It’s October, so hopefully three months to get something done.”

He also viewed Monahan and Al-Rumayyan’s partnership at the Dunhill Links event as a positive indicator, applauding Johann Rupert, the event’s organizer, for his efforts to promote unity within the golf world. McIlroy added, “If we need to be brought together in some way, he’s helping make that happen. I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

Although PGA Tour players have yet to formally endorse the agreement, they are expected to support it, bringing an end to the prolonged divide in professional golf.