Rory McIlroy has revealed that he played golf with Donald Trump before his inauguration and claimed the US president is “on the PGA Tour’s side” when it comes to golf’s civil war.
In a wide-ranging press conference ahead of the Genesis Invitational, McIlroy said he learned that Trump is not a fan of LIV Golf’s 54-hole format, which includes team and individual elements and a shotgun start.
McIlroy, who initially played golf with Trump in February 2017, said in 2020 that he would not do so again – and doubted he would even be invited – after questioning Trump’s leadership during the coronavirus pandemic.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott met with Trump last week as efforts continue to strike a deal between the US-based circuit, the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV Golf.
WILL THE MERGER HAPPEN
Talks have been ongoing since the signing of a framework agreement in June 2023.
Asked about that meeting and what Trump could achieve, McIlroy made reference to Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF.
“So the president, he can do a lot of things,” McIlroy said. “He has direct access to Yasir’s boss [Mohammed bin Salman]. Not many people have that.
“Not many people can say, I want you to get this deal done and by the way, I’m speaking to your boss, I’m going to tell him the same thing.
“He [Trump] can be influential. I saw it when I was playing with Sheikh Hamdan of Abu Dhabi the day when he got elected in November and the respect he has in the Middle East… I don’t think people appreciate how much respect that he has there.
“So I think whenever he says something they listen and I think that’s a big thing.”
Asked if he had spoken to Trump recently, McIlroy said he had played golf with him “a few weeks ago”.
LIV HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE
“It was great. Yeah, it was really good,” McIlroy added. “I thought we had a good discussion.
“I learnt that he’s not a fan of the LIV format. I was like, ‘But you’ve hosted their events?’ He was like, ‘yeah, but it doesn’t mean that I like it’. So I think he’s on the Tour’s side.”
McIlroy was initially among the biggest opponents of LIV Golf and said in July last year he would rather retire than play on the Saudi-funded breakaway, but has softened his stance more recently.
“Whether you stayed on the PGA Tour or you left, we have all benefited from this,” the Northern Irishman added.
“I’ve been on the record saying this a lot, like we’re playing for a 20 million dollar prize fund this week. That would have never happened if LIV hadn’t have come around.
“I think everyone’s just got to get over it and we all have to say ‘okay, this is the starting point and we move forward’. We don’t look behind us, we don’t look to the past.
“Whatever’s happened has happened and it’s been unfortunate, but reunification, how we all come back together and move forward, that’s the best thing for everyone.
“If people are butt-hurt or have their feelings hurt because guys went or whatever, like who cares? Let’s move forward together and let’s just try to get this thing going again and do what’s best for the game.”
WILL RORY PLAY ON LIV GOLF
Whether that extends to McIlroy himself playing in LIV Golf events appears unlikely however.
McIlroy responded, “I hope not,” when asked if there needed to be some “crossover” between the rival tours, before expanding on how the two entities could exist in the future.
“We’ll see, we’ll see,” McIlroy said. “Do they take up a smaller part of the schedule maybe?
“There are certain markets that their product has worked, in Adelaide for example this week. So are there certain markets where we try to cherry pick the best ones that make sense and try to do something with them?”
