Rory McIlroy: Golf’s traditions stand in the way of an inter-tour peace deal

Rory McIlroy believes professional men’s golf will have to abandon at least some of its cherished ‘traditions’ if a peace deal with the Saudis is to be reached to steer the sport into a new prosperous era.

McIlroy plays in the Dunhill Links – the glorified pro-am in Fife and Angus which starts on Thursday – and as Telegraph Sports unveiled earlier this week, as did PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Public Investment Fund that finances the breakout LIV Golf series.

The pair are effectively in the same fourball at Carnoustie for the first round, an unfathomable scenario when LIV was formed three years ago and one that many in the game believe could be a symbolic moment in this sporting civil war, with negotiations seemingly are still going on. deadlock.

And with DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings also in attendance, this will be the first time the trio will be shown to the public in the same week and at the same location since the saga broke out.

McIlroy, who plays alongside father Gerry in the $5million event, welcomed the meeting of the three heads and believes it is a positive step. But while the world number 3 is optimistic enough to be confident there will be good news before Christmas, he also believes golf must change some of what it holds dear and move with the times to ensure it ensure it remains successful.

“You know, there’s no better place than the home of golf to get everyone together and talk,” McIlroy told BBC Northern Ireland after his practice round at the Old Course at St Andrews, a host course along with Carnoustie and Kingsbarns .

“It’s great and a good sign that Jay and Yasir are both here and playing together. It’s a step in the right direction. Time will tell if things go the way I and many people want. We all understand that this isn’t easy and, you know, changes in golf are met with resistance for the most part because it’s such a traditional sport. But at this point, change is needed to move the game forward and hopefully we can get to that point.”

Asked when news of a deal could be announced, he replied: “Certainly before the end of the year. Maybe it’s too slow for the people who follow golf. But I think deals of this size in the business world take time. You know, you’re talking about billions of dollars changing hands across jurisdictions in the Middle East, the US and Europe.”

McIlroy’s confidence is at odds with other insiders who can’t see the parties making compromises so quickly, especially the PGA Tour players who effectively control Monahan’s board. And if no agreement is reached in the coming months, there is speculation that the DP World Tour could be interested in ending the “strategic alliance” it has with the PGA Tour and, along with the Saudi billions, a global circuit could build up to compete with the American circuit.

With amateurs playing alongside the pros until the final round, it’s sometimes hard to take the Dunhill seriously, but with 14 LIV players in this week’s field, including names like Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton, Talor Gooch and Patrick Reed , it could be a glimpse of a future where the best can play against each other – regardless of tour – in tournaments other than the majors.

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