Rory McIlroy has confirmed that talks between the PGA Tour and Saudi PIF are taking place, but says he's not involved and expects news on them to emerge "in the next few days".
McIlroy's focus is on teeing it up at the Irish Open this week on home soil in Northern Ireland, so he's not involved in the talks that reportedly involve Tiger Woods in New York.
Talks have been dragging on between the two parties, with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan insisting progress is being made but the complexity of the situation is slowing negotiations.
McIlroy has now confirmed that talks are taking place, but insists he's not involved and says he'll find out the results of them at the same time as everyone else - while admitting that the timing of the meeting is odd.
"Yeah, it's certainly peculiar timing," said McIlroy. "I don't know much about the talks that are going on. I know that there is but that's not something that I'm a part of.
"Yeah, I mean, I think we are all in the game of golf trying to look for a solution to all this and try to move forward.
"So we'll see, yeah. I know as much as you do at this point, and I'm sure news will start to trickle out here in the next few days."
From staunchest LIV Golf critic, McIlroy is now, like most people, tired of the continued split and just wants golf to find a way for all of the best players to play together again.
McIlroy will partner with Scottie Scheffler to tackle LIV Golf duo Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in a match that could be seen as a beginning of the healing process.
Rory McIlroy discusses the reason for his upcoming made-for-TV match with Scottie Scheffler against Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. pic.twitter.com/ut6Lxwr1PCSeptember 11, 2024
And as well as creating some excitement in golf during a usual down time, it's a way of showing fans what could happen if a deal can finally be worked out.
"I wouldn't say it's meant to send a message. It's more we wanted to do something that, I guess, all golf fans could get excited about," said McIlroy.
"You've got the best player in the world. You've got two guys in Bryson and Brooks that have won Majors in the last two years. You've got me in there who - I haven't done what those guys have done the last couple years but I've definitely been I feel one of the best players in the world.
"It's a way to show golf fans in the world that this is what could happen or these are the possibilities going forward. I've been saying this for a long time. I think golf and golf fans get to see us together more than four times a year.
"I think that's what we've tried to do. It's in the middle of December. There's not a lot going on in the game of golf. So trying to get people excited about something before the season starts again. I think we all thought it was a good idea and something that hopefully is a sign of things to come in the future."
