Rory McIlroy said Wednesday he wasn’t trying to send a message by agreeing to meet world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler in a televised match against LIV Golf League stars Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in December.
Last week’s announcement of the game came as officials from the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia prepared to meet in New York this week to continue discussions about investments that could restore the broken game.
PIF sponsors LIV Golf, which has attracted DeChambeau, Koepka, Jon Rahm and others from the PGA Tour.
“I don’t know much about the ongoing discussions. I know there are but it’s not something I’m part of,” McIlroy said Wednesday during a press conference at the Irish Open.
“Yeah, I mean, I think we’re all in the golf game trying to find a solution to all of this and try to move forward. So we’ll see, yeah. I know as much as you know right now, and I’m sure news will start coming out here in the next few days.”
McIlroy is a member of the PGA Tour Enterprises sub-committee that has been negotiating with the Saudis, along with golfers Tiger Woods and Adam Scott.
Last week, McIlroy confirmed that he had agreed to take part in an exhibition match with the LIV Golf stars, which is expected to take place on the golf course in Las Vegas.
The PGA Tour is expected to provide press releases for McIlroy and Scheffler to appear at the event, as they have done at other charity events in the past.
McIlroy said his decision to participate had nothing to do with his frustration over the division that has plagued men’s professional golf for the past three years.
“I wouldn’t say it’s meant to send a message,” McIlroy said. “It’s more than we wanted to do something that, I think, all golf fans can be happy about. You’ve got the best player in the world. You’ve got two guys in Bryson and Brooks who have won the last two majors. I’ve never done what those guys have done in the last few years, but I feel like I’m one. of the best players in the world.”
Because LIV golfers are suspended by the PGA Tour and cannot compete in circuit events, almost exclusively golfers from both states compete in the four majors: Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and The Open.
“It’s a way to show golf fans around the world that this is possible and that these are opportunities going forward,” McIlroy said. “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 tried to do, in the middle of December. There’s not much going on in golf, so. [we’re] trying to get people excited about something before the season starts again. I think we all thought it was a great idea and something we hope is a sign of things to come. “
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