PGA Tour, PIF pairings increase eyebrows on DP World Tour this week

Negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund, which runs LIV Golf, proceed to tug on, however eye-raising pairings at this week’s DP World Tour occasion is perhaps a touch {that a} remaining settlement between the combatants is within the offing.

The Alfred Dunhill Hyperlinks Championship goes down this week in Scotland, the place star execs will compete alongside members of the family and celebrities in a concurrent pro-am throughout historic programs: St. Andrews’ Outdated Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.

Rory McIlroy sometimes performs yearly along with his father, Gerry. However the main figures of each side within the PGA Tour-PIF feud are additionally taking part in this week.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will tee it up alongside American professional Billy Horschel. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor, can be taking part in the occasion, teaming up with LIV Golf professional Dean Burmester.

Whether or not accidentally or by design, Horschel and Burmester are paired collectively for Thursday’s opening spherical, teeing off at 4 a.m. ET (9 a.m. native time). That signifies that their pro-am companions, Monahan and Al-Rumayyan, may even be taking part in with one another on Day 1.

For Friday’s second spherical, Horschel and McIlroy shall be paired collectively, giving the four-time main winner time to strategize with Monahan.

The pairings weirdness continues on Saturday, when McIlroy will play alongside Burmester and Rumayyan.

Moreover, in all three of these rounds, the 2 teams will play in successive pairings, doubtlessly giving them further time to barter whereas ready on tees collectively.

Whereas no particulars of a remaining deal between the Tour and PIF have been publicized, the talks appear to be heating up.

On the Tour Championship in August, Monahan acknowledged as a lot, saying, “We’re on the desk and actively engaged with the Public Funding Fund. We stay hopeful about that end result. However on the similar time, we’re transferring ahead at pace and centered on what we are able to management, as a result of that’s what we owe to our followers.”

The edges then reportedly held secret talks in New York Metropolis in September.

McIlroy, who initially was a vocal critic of LIV Golf, admitted remorse for his involvement within the feud in Could, and expressed a want to see a remaining deal finalized between the 2 sides.

“My complete factor is I’m simply dissatisfied to what it’s accomplished to — to not the sport of golf, the sport of golf shall be high-quality — however males’s skilled golf and this type of divide we’ve on the minute,” McIlroy mentioned forward of the RBC Canadian Open. “Hopefully we’re on a path to sorting that out and getting that to return again collectively, however, yeah, I imply, hindsight’s all the time 20/20, however in hindsight I want I hadn’t have gotten as deeply concerned as I’ve.”

Kevin Cunningham

Golf.com Editor

As managing producer for GOLF.com, Cunningham edits, writes and publishes tales on GOLF.com, and manages the model’s e-newsletters, which attain greater than 1.4 million subscribers every month. A former two-time intern, he additionally helps hold GOLF.com buzzing outdoors the news-breaking tales and repair content material offered by our reporters and writers, and works with the tech workforce within the growth of recent merchandise and modern methods to ship an interesting web site to our viewers.