Liverpool owner set for Rory McIlroy collision course as ugly golf row takes twist
Rory McIlroy appears tired of the LIV row
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Liverpool owner John W Henry has been selected by the PGA Tour as the 'unanimous choice' to become their new co-investor as the LIV Golf row rumbles on.
The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf have been locked in negotiations over the past few months in an attempt to create an expensive merger.
A deadline of December 31 was originally set for the merger talks to be concluded, but the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are now pushing through their own deals to best position their negotiating stance.
LIV Golf pulled off a huge coup last week when it was confirmed they had snapped up Jon Rahm in an astonishing deal worth a reported £450million.
John W Henry is set to invest in the PGA
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The PGA Tour are now looking for funding themselves to help rival LIV's power and look set to welcome on board Liverpool owner Henry.
The American billionaire is a part of Strategic Sports Group, who have been chosen to become a co-investor in the PGA Tour.
“The PGA Tour Policy Board has unanimously selected an outside investment group to further negotiate with as talks with the PIF continue to progress,” the PGA Tour's statement read.
“The decision to advance discussions with Strategic Sports Group (SSG) was announced Sunday in a memo to Tour members.
"The update followed a series of Policy Board meetings over the past several days that featured a thorough review of the 'extremely strong' final proposals submitted by several outside investors.”
A memo to the players added: “We also anticipate advancing our negotiations with PIF in the weeks to come. Further, the DP World Tour [formerly European Tour] will continue to be an important part of the process as we build toward PGA Tour Enterprises.”
If Henry does join forces with the PGA Tour then he will likely be heavily involved with McIlroy.
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner confirmed earlier this year that FSG were in talks with the PGA Tour to invest and he made a point of showing his support to McIlroy.
"We don't really like to talk about things that are in discussion," he said in June.
"Really, we're here to talk about tomorrow’s golf and this team and anything we can do to help Rory and the PGA, we're happy to offer our support.
"We just want to offer our support creatively to any of the ideas that are welling up. It's really up to the players to decide on the direction they want to go. I can confirm we have had conversations."
McIlroy has been the unofficial PGA Tour spokesperson against LIV Golf's emergence and appeared dejected when speaking about Rahm's move to the Saudi-backed league.
"My fear is that we continue down this path where we have competing tours and it divides the eyeballs that are on the game," McIlroy said.
"Some people like LIV, the majority of people like the PGA Tour, but if LIV start to take a few players each and every year it's really going to be divided and that's no good for anyone.
"You're basically cannibalising yourself as a sport, sort of the same as what boxing has done with all the different organisations and a few other sports have as well.
"To me, having all the best golfers under the one umbrella is the best way forward because I think that's really what the public wants.
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"The majors are already so big, but my fear is that if we keep going down this path then all the best players are only going to get together four times a year. That means golf is only going to be relevant four times a year and that's good for no one in the game."