Rory McIlroy: ‘If people are butt hurt’ about reunification, who cares?
When asked about reunification, Rory McIlroy said all sides need to come back together and move forward and “that’s the best thing for everyone.”
LA JOLLA, Calif. – PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has refused to negotiate in the media for the last few years. But recently he shared a meeting that he and Tour policy board member Adam Scott had with President Donald Trump last week and on Wednesday he met with members of the media for a brief update that was short on details but overflowing with confidence that a potential deal to unify the game is accelerating in the right direction.
“The statement that Adam, Tiger and I released I think really reflects our enthusiasm for that meeting and for that day. I think the meeting ultimately gets us one step closer to a deal being done, but there’s a lot more work to do. Hopefully you sense my enthusiasm as I talk about it today,” Monahan said at Torrey Pines ahead of the 2025 Genesis Invitational.
Monahan confirmed that the Tour initiated the meeting with Trump and termed it “an important step for us.”
“For him to respond to our request to sit down and talk about how we achieve what he stated publicly as a goal, which is the game of golf operating under one tour with all the top players playing on that one tour, was a great opportunity,” Monahan said. “We had a really productive conversation.”
Monahan said there’s no next meeting with Trump on the books yet, but he expects there to be future meetings with him. Asked to describe how Trump can make a difference in the negotiations, which have dragged since June 6, 2023, when the Tour and PIF signed a framework agreement, Monahan said, “You look at his passion for the game, his knowledge and understanding of the game, he’s very familiar with the PGA Tour, he’s very familiar with the team at the Public Investment Fund. Like us, he has a very clear picture of what should happen and he wants to help. The game means that much to him. And he’s the ultimate dealmaker, so having him in the mix is a great thing for the game.”
Trump courses have hosted LIV events in the past and Monahan was asked if there have been discussions or if he foresees Trump venues being used in the future on Tour? “We’ve played at Trump venues in the past,” answered Monahan, a reference to Trump Doral formally hosting a World Golf Championship event. “While we haven’t talked about that with the President, I certainly see a day where we’re adding Trump venues to our schedule, certainly.”
Tiger Woods was supposed to be part of the conversation with the President but had to pull out when his mother, Kultida, died suddenly last Tuesday. Monahan noted that Tiger was included in the memo because “he was there with us in spirit. He had spent so much time and energy preparing for that meeting and what Adam and I were talking about was reflective of what Tiger was thinking and what our board was thinking.”
While the conversation with media was short on details, Monahan sprinkled a few new ones along the way.
The transaction committee has been meeting daily and is in regular contact with the board. Two one‑hour meetings were held this week – one with the competition committee, one with tournament sponsor and fan committee – and another will be held Wednesday evening with the business committee.
Of the $1.5 billion investment from SSG last year, he said little has been done in terms of investments yet, but “we’re currently in discussions with some opportunities where we will deploy capital. I’m not in position to share any of those details.”
Of LIV’s new CEO Scott O’Neill, Monahan mentioned that O’Neill called him on his first day on the job. “I think he’s nothing but additive and is going to be an important part of this as we go forward,” Monahan shared.
Monahan noted that he has met with PIF’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan close to a dozen times in the last year, and he’s gotten to know him and believes they have a shared vision for the future of the game. The search committee for a CEO to run the new for-profit enterprises for the Tour has uncovered several quality candidates that in different spurts he described as “great, really very good and exceptional.”
“It’s going to take time. We’re going to make sure we get this right,” he said.
That was a recurring theme. Each step in the process towards reunification will take time.
“Something could have happened earlier but it might not have been right,” he answered in explaining the reason the negotiation with PIF had dragged on so long. “I feel a lot stronger and a lot more confident that ultimately we’re getting this right. I’m very comfortable that we are where we are right now because of the way that we’ve responded and our players have responded over the last couple years with the strong PGA Tour that we’ve put forward.”
Monahan reiterated that these negotiations are complex with a lot of stakeholders and constituencies but they are all seeking the same outcome: “The game of golf under one tour with all of the best players playing.”
“I don’t think you’re ever close until you’re finalized,” Monahan said. “I would say this: Everything is moving forward with pace and I think there’s a general, when you look at all the parties involved, there’s a general enthusiasm for getting this done.”
