Rory McIlroy issues message to LIV Golf chief after intriguing pairing at Dunhill Links Championship
Rory McIlroy will play with Saudi chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan on Saturday
PA
Rory McIlroy is hopeful Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan can make progress to end golf's ongoing civil war with both in action at the Dunhill Links Championship this week.
McIlroy was one of the more outspoken critics of LIV Golf when it first emerged as a rival to the PGA Tour.
But his stance has softened recently after the PGA Tour and PIF reached a 'framework agreement' in June last year.
McIlroy has now led calls for the two warring tours to come together and move forward.
Rory McIlroy will play with Saudi chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan on Saturday
PA
Negotiations have been ongoing with Tiger Woods involved in talks earlier this year during a meet-and-great with Al-Rumayyan.
Talks will be expected to continue this week at the iconic Dunhill Links course in Scotland with players from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf facing off against one another.
Monahan and Al-Rumayyan will also tee it up in the DP World Tour event and have been paired together in the same fourball on Thursday.
McIlroy and his father will be paired with Monahan and his playing partner, Billy Horschel, on Friday before teeing up with Al-Rumayyan and South African LIV golf player Dean Burmester on Saturday.
Other LIV stars such as Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Tyrell Hatton are also competing in the event.
McIlroy feels it can only be a good thing for golf when all the sport's most influential figures are in the same place and hopes it can act as a stepping stone towards finally reaching an agreement.
“You know, there’s no better place than the home of golf to get everyone together and talking,” McIlroy told the BBC.
“It’s a great thing and a good sign that Jay and Yasir are playing together on Thursday.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan will also play with Jay Monahan
GETTY“Obviously you’ve got quite a big contingent over from LIV that are playing in this event as well.
"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 (laughing), he is trying to do that, but I think it will be good.
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Rory McIlroy wants the game of golf to move forward
Reuters"I think it is a step in the right direction. You know, time will tell if things go in the direction I want them to or a lot of people want them to.”
And the Northern Irishman wants to see a breakthrough made by the end of the year.
"Maybe it's going too slow for the people that follow golf. In the business world, deals of this size take time," he added.
"You are talking about billions of dollars changing hands, different jurisdictions.
"I think we'll know a lot more by year's end. We're in October so hopefully [there's] three months to get something done."