LOS ANGELES – Rory McIlroy did not stay away from the PGA Tour’s policy board for long.
The four-time Major champion from Northern Ireland will return as a player-director and take a seat on the board of PGA Tour Enterprises, the Guardian reported on April 22.
McIlroy stepped back from the policy board in November following the dramatic tussle between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf and the organisations’ subsequent “framework agreement” for a merger.
According to the Guardian, however, Webb Simpson has submitted his resignation from the policy board with an “explicit request” that McIlroy take his seat.
The world No. 2 would need to be approved by a vote on April 24, per the report. With peers like Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay holding votes, it is unlikely McIlroy’s return would face any resistance.
The PGA Tour and DP World Tour have not completed a final merger agreement with LIV’s financiers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), in the months since a self-imposed Dec 31 deadline came and went.
In the meantime, LIV poached its highest-profile golfer to date in two-time Major winner Jon Rahm. The Spaniard was ranked among the top three in the world when he signed with LIV Golf in December.
The PGA Tour entered a separate partnership with Strategic Sports Group (SSG), a consortium of United States-based sports team owners.
Adding McIlroy as a player-director could fuel hope that a deal with the PIF can move forward, the Guardian reported.
The Northern Irishman, once a sharp critic of LIV Golf, has since come to the position that men’s golf needs reuniting, with LIV players allowed back on the tour without penalty.
The 34-year-old also denied a rumour last week that he was offered US$850 million (S$1.16 billion) to jump to LIV.
In other news, Woods announced on April 22 that Max Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner will join him on his four-man Jupiter Links Golf Club team that will compete in the indoor-simulator golf league scheduled to begin in January 2025.
The TGL, a prime-time golf league featuring six squads of four PGA Tour players competing in a fast-paced form of team golf, is run by TMRW Sports, a tech-focused sports company established by Woods and McIlroy in 2022.
“I have already shared my excitement and optimism for TGL,” said Woods, part-owner of Jupiter Links Golf Club.
“Now that we have finalised our roster with a team of world-class golfers, I am even more confident that this group will proudly represent the Jupiter area and connect with our fans for years to come.” REUTERS
