Rory McIlroy shared his thoughts on a potential deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, saying the PGA Tour doesn’t “need” it. McIlroy weighed in on the ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) on Wednesday at Bay Hill.
This comes after optimism had grown about a possible agreement following the PGA Tour’s decision to bring in President Donald Trump to facilitate talks last month. However, this optimism has waned slightly over the past week, prompting McIlroy to offer his assessment.
“I think the narrative around golf, I wouldn’t say needs a deal,” the world No. 3 stated. “I think the narrative around golf would welcome a deal in terms of just having all the best players together again.
“But I don’t think the PGA Tour needs a deal, I think the momentum is pretty strong. TV has been good, TGL has hopefully been pretty additive to the overall situation.”
McIlroy had previously addressed this question at Torrey Pines two weeks ago, and although the situation may have changed since then, he still believes a deal would be ideal for golf as a whole.
Nevertheless, from a purely PGA Tour perspective, he doesn’t think it’s necessary. And that might not suit someone like Brooks Koepka, who allegedly is keen to return to the PGA Tour, a move which would be made easier by a deal between the factions.
Fred Couples, golf legend and 1992 Masters winner, shared on KJR 93.3 FM: “I talked to Brooks Koepka all the time. I love Brooks Koepka, and I’m not going to say anything extra except I talked to him all the time. He wants to come back. I will say that I believe he really wants to come back and play the Tour.”
Rory McIlroy had his say on a peace deal ( Image: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Koepka would need an olive branch from the PGA Tour to officially make his comeback since he was among the high-profile players who dived into the Saudi-backed LIV arena nearly three years ago, amidst controversy alongside Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson. Curiosity about his stance on the future landscape of men’s professional golf is at an all-time high, yet when posed this question on The Joe Pomp Show, Koepka maintained his distance from negotiations, expressing, “Everyone asks that question man,” and “If I was in the room I would give my opinion, but I am not in the room.”
Since the dramatic shift to LIV in 2022 where he helms Smash GC—one of the league’s 13 franchises—Koepka has notched up six wins, out of which five are chalked on the LIV scoreboard, plus an impressive victory at the 2023 PGA Championship.
