Rory McIlroy Sees Tours 'Doing Their Own Thing For The Foreseeable Future' As Talks Over Future Of Men's Pro Game Continue

The four-time Major winner thinks there could be progress in the talks by the end of the year, but that it could be some time until the main circuits come back together

Rory McIlroy takes a shot during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Rory McIlroy doesn't think the main men's circuits will be formally reunited anytime soon
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy is erring on the side of caution over the chances of men’s main golf circuits coming together in the near future.

The World No.3 played in the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last week, which included amateurs playing alongside the professionals.

McIlroy was in the same group as PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in the second round of the event. Then, in the third round, he played alongside another of the key figures at the top of the men’s game, the governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) behind LIV Golf, Yasir Al-Rumayyan. Those encounters came after Monahan and Al-Rumayyan were paired together in the first round.

Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Jay Monahan and Yasir-Al Rumayyan were paired together in the opening round

(Image credit: Getty Images)

However, in an interview with The Scotsman, he admitted that, despite the appearances of Monahan and Al-Rumayyan at the event causing a considerable stir, the subject of the future of the men’s game wasn’t discussed that much.

He said: “It was good to spend some time with all of them and sort of talk a little bit about the situation, the goings on in the game. But, in fairness, it probably wasn’t as much talk about it as you would have thought.”

It wasn’t just the presence of Monahan and Al-Rumayyan in Scotland that created headlines at the event. There were also 14 LIV golfers in the field, and McIlroy admitted the best players coming together doesn’t happen enough nowadays.

He added: “It’s good to get most people together in terms of like, look at the field, you’ve got a mix of everyone in there, which is good. It is something that we don’t see as often as we should, but, you know, time will tell.”

Rory McIlroy and Jay Monahan in discussion during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Rory McIlroy played alongside Jay Monahan in the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

(Image credit: Getty Images)

McIlroy then revealed he sees the chance of an agreement over PIF investment in the PGA Tour coming by the end of the year, but struck a more cautionary tone over a timeframe for determining how the circuits will coexist.

 “I think by year’s end, whether the Public Investment Fund will invest in PGA Tour Enterprises, but that doesn’t solve the problem of where we find ourselves in golf, the schedule and everything,” he explained.

“I mean, I’d say we’ll know by the end of the year whether that’s a possibility or not, but I think all tours are going to keep trucking along and doing their own thing for the foreseeable future and I think the best thing we can maybe hope for is a bit of crossover between them and then maybe while that is happening over that period of time, whether it be one year, two years, three years, just trying to figure out the rest.”

Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Rory McIlroy during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

McIlroy also played with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Much of the credit for tournament bringing some of the big names in men’s elite golf back together went to Alfred Dunhill Links' main backer, Richemont, which is chaired by South African billionaire, Johann Rupert.

Before the tournament, McIlroy spoke to BBC Sport Northern Ireland, where he admitted that move had been “a step in the right direction.”

He said: "I think what Johann Rupert, the man who runs this event, is trying to do is just bring the golf world back together a little bit. If we need to be forced together in some way, he’s trying to do that. I think it will be good. It’s certainly a step in the right direction."

While that may well be true, it appears that, for the moment at least, McIlroy isn’t convinced anything more formal is imminent to bring the main tours back together.

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Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.