‘On the Tour’s side:’ Rory McIlroy thinks Donald Trump can help PGA Tour-PIF negotiations

The PGA Tour believes it has an ally in President Donald Trump when it comes to their negotiations with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund to reunify men’s pro golf.

A potential merger had been almost ground to a halt by the previous administration’s justice department. The PGA Tour hopes the Trump administration will have a more favorable view of the deal and that the president can help hustle that process along.

Commissioner Jay Monahan and Adam Scott met with Trump last week in Washington, D.C., to discuss the negotiations, and Tiger Woods played golf with the president on Sunday.

Count Rory McIlroy among those who believe Trump can be a useful tool in negotiations. The four-time major winner played golf with Trump before the inauguration and sees the president as an ally to the PGA Tour.

“It was really good,” McIlroy said of his meeting with Trump during his pre-tournament press conference at the Genesis Invitational on Wednesday. “I thought we had a good discussion. I learned 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 believes that Trump’s position and love for the game of golf will be helpful as they look to bring the top players back together as soon as possible.

“So the president, he can do a lot of things,” McIlroy said. “He has direct access to Yasir’s boss [Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia 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.

“There’s a few things that he can do. He can be influential. He loves the game of golf.”

From a practical business standpoint, it makes sense for the PGA Tour to cozy up to Trump, hoping he can grease the skids and get their deal through the finish line.

Trump has hosted numerous LIV events at his courses and used to host a PGA Tour event. He has a relationship with several of golf’s stars and has had business dealings in Saudi Arabia since before LIV’s creation.

Monahan characterized his meeting with the president as “productive.” He hopes to have more meetings in the future and believes President Trump has the ability, desire and power to get things moving in the right direction.

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“Well, number one, you look at his passion for the game, his knowledge and understanding of the game,” Monahan said Wednesday of Trump. “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.”

In his press availability Wednesday, Monahan hinted that the PGA Tour and the PIF are finally on the verge of getting somewhere but was careful not to put a timeline on the reunification of the game.

“I don’t think you’re ever close until you’re finalized,” Monahan said. “When you look at all the parties involved, there’s a general enthusiasm for getting this done.”

“If you think about what the fans want, the fans want reunification,” Monahan said later. “That’s what we’re focused on. We’ve operated in a world where there’s more than one [tour] and the PGA Tour has performed very well. But in the long run, is that the best thing for fans? Is that the best thing for the game? We’re trying to solve it so everybody benefits.”

In order to solve golf’s civil conflict, the PGA Tour stars and power brokers are turning to Trump.

At this point, it doesn’t matter how it gets done. The game just needs to come together.

“I think everyone’s just got to get over it,” McIlroy said. “We all have to say, OK, 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.”