Jay Monahan And Yasir Al-Rumayyan All Smiles As They Share A Round At The Dunhill

It was the old adage that business was always done on the golf course, and maybe the business of sorting out the men's professional game could actually be settled out on the links.

The professional game has been involved in a bitter and lengthy split ever since the Saudi PIF backed Greg Norman's LIV Golf idea and began handing out huge sums for the biggest stars on planet golf.

Time has healed some rifts, and after an almighty backtrack, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan shook hands with PIF counterpart Yasir Al-Rumayyan on a deal last year.

Movement has been glacial since that June 2023 TV handshake, but maybe all the two most powerful men in golf needed to do was break out their clubs and head out on the course. 

Not just any course though, but at Open Championship venue Carnoustie at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which was the stage for the two men to share a handshake, an embrace, a few laughs and even a fist bump in what looked an extremely friendly round of golf.

Eyebrows were raised when the two powerbrokers in men's pro golf were paired together in the first round of the Pro-Am, but it looks like they got along swimmingly.

It obviously doesn't mean that an instant deal will be struck to bring the two factions of golf back together, but a cordial relationship between these two men was the last thing we thought we'd see during the height of the very public spat, which threatened to be played out in full in the courts.

Disputes have eased for some since then, with now most of the high-profile critics, notably Rory McIlroy, just looking for some way back to having all the top players play in the same events more often. McIlroy will play alongside Al-Rumayyan on Saturday.

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There are still plenty of critics among players on the PGA Tour - with the main problem being how any LIV Golf stars would be brought back into the fold, and what sanctions, if any, they would face.

Smoothing that process could well be the main sticking point in a deal being struck, but at least on this latest showing the men at the top can at least get along well, which can only help in negotiations.

Al-Rumayyan was partnered by LIV Golf's Dean Burmester, with Monahan playing with Billy Horschel, who himself has still admitted that he held a few grudges towards those players that left the PGA Tour.

"Personally I still hold a few grudges, I'm not going to lie," Horschell said ahead of the Dunhill Links.

"But I understand that for things to get better and heal, you have to get past that and move beyond that. 

"Personally, I've moved on beyond that, but I know some guys, some players probably still hold grudges, but I think we do need to move beyond that to really come together."

Monahan and Al-Rumayyan have at least come together to play on the golf course at the Dunhill, which also is played at Kingbarns and the Old Course at St Andrews.

And wouldn't it be apt if the Home of Golf was the venue for a major breakthrough in golf finally becoming whole again.