Rory McIlroy Played 'Vital Role' In PGA And DP World Tour Link Up

Rory McIlroy is said to have played a "vital role" in the link up between the PGA and DP World Tours according to The Telegraph.

The four-time Major champion, a multiple winner of both the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai titles, is chairman of the PGA Tour's Player Advisory Council and reportedly played a big part in the new deal that sees the two powerhouses working closer together amid the ongoing threat of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series.

The DP World Tour will reportedly be boosted by a $150m cash injection, with the deal promising to see purse increases for the next five years. McIlroy is said to have been instrumental in securing 10 PGA Tour cards for the top finishers on the Race to Dubai rankings at the end of each season. The decision to award the PGA Tour cards to DP World Tour members is what he "pushed for most passionately with commissioner Jay Monahan," according to the Telegraph.

The new deal lasts until 2035 and will also see more concrete routes from the PGA Tour of Australasia and South Africa's Sunshine Tour to the DP World Tour, essentially linking all four Tours together and creating a clear divide versus the LIV Golf Invitational Series and Asian Tour.

The announcement from the two tours did essentially admit that the DP World Tour is now an official feeder Tour to the PGA Tour, though. "Members will now have direct and formal access to the very pinnacle of the men’s professional game on the PGA Tour," the joint statement read.

The PGA Tour also last week announced huge purse increases including a $25m Players Championship prize fund, which has been done to stop more of its big name players making the jump to LIV. The likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Matthew Wolff and Patrick Reed have all made the move to LIV Golf over the past 4-6 weeks.