Rory McIlroy has never been a supporter of the Saudi Public Investment Fund and LIV Golf. In fact, at times he’s been the most vocal critic among PGA Tour players, saying last year that “If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on Earth, I would retire.”
His stance has softened with time, however, and the four-time majors champion made a candid observation speaking to reporters Wednesday ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, saying that Donald Trump winning the presidential election could “clear the way” for a deal between the PGA Tour and the PIF, the Saudi sovereign fund that owns and operates LIV Golf.
McIlroy was responding to a question about an unconfirmed report in a British tabloid that a deal had already been struck.
“He might be able to [close a deal],” McIlroy said of Trump. “He’s got Elon Musk, who I think is the smartest man in the world, beside him. We might be able to do something if we can get Musk involved too.
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“I think from the outside looking in, it’s probably a little less complicated than it actually is. But obviously Trump has a great relationship with Saudi Arabia. He’s got a great relationship with golf. He’s a lover of golf. So, maybe. Who knows?”
The U.S. Department of Justice has long been viewed as an impediment to a deal because government officials have expressed concern that a foreign investment of this magnitude could violate antitrust laws. Negotiations have dragged on for a year and a half, but could accelerate under a Trump administration.
Earlier this week on the “Let’s Go!” podcast with Jim Gray and Bill Belichick, Trump said, “It would take me the better part of 15 minutes to get that deal done” between the PGA Tour and the PIF.
When the LIV tour launched in 2022 and siphoned off several of the top golfers on the PGA Tour, McIlroy accused some who defected from the PGA Tour of greed. Days after the merger was announced, he said, “I still hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. Like, I hope it goes away.”
Read more: Rory McIlroy hates LIV so much that he’d ‘retire’ if it was last place to golf on Earth
LIV Golf hasn’t gone away. Neither has Trump.
In the three-year history of LIV Golf, six tournaments have been held at Trump’s golf courses. The private equity firm of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, received a reported $2 billion investment from the PIF.
McIlroy is now resigned to the fact that LIV Golf not only is here to stay but that the merger with the PGA Tour is inevitable.
“I think, at this point, I was maybe a little judgmental of the guys who went to LIV Golf at the start, and I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realize that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Woods‘ position,” McIlroy told the “Stick to Football” podcast in January.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
