- Rory McIlroy became an advocate for ending hostilities with Saudi-backed LIV
- Jimmy Dunne resigned after orchestrating the framework for a possible merger
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Rory McIlroy has admitted he is ‘concerned’ that merger talks between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian backers of the LIV circuit are heading for the rocks.
The world No 2 has transformed into a strong advocate for Saudi investment as a means of ending the hostilities with LIV.
But following the resignation from the Tour’s policy board of Jimmy Dunne, the investment banker who had orchestrated last year’s framework agreement between the warring parties, McIlroy’s hopes of seeing a unified game seem to have plummeted.
Dunne this week revealed that ‘no meaningful progress’ had been made despite almost a year of negotiations with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, while also inferring that too much power had been placed in the hands of a select group of player directors, including Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay.
Rory McIlroy fears that the merger talks between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are ‘on the rocks’
![The doubt comes from Jimmy Dunne's resignation after orchestrating the merger last year](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/15/21/84926811-13423055-image-a-134_1715805528752.jpg)
The doubt comes from Jimmy Dunne’s resignation after orchestrating the merger last year
![The world No. 2 became a strong advocate for ending the hostilities with Saudi-backed LIV](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/15/21/84926795-13423055-image-m-136_1715805537480.jpg)
The world No. 2 became a strong advocate for ending the hostilities with Saudi-backed LIV
Speaking ahead of the US PGA Championship, for which McIlroy is among the heavy favourites despite the revelation that he is going through a divorce from his wife of seven years, the 35-year-old said: ‘Honestly I think it’s a huge loss for the PGA Tour (that Dunne is leaving the process), if they are trying to get this deal done with the PIF.
‘Jimmy was basically “the” relationship, the sort of conduit between the Tour and PIF. It’s been really unfortunate that he has not been involved for the last few months, and I think part of the reason that everything is stalling at the minute is because of that.
‘So it is really, really disappointing, and you know, I think the Tour is in a worse place because of it. We’ll see where it goes from here and we’ll see what happens.
‘But you know, I would say my confidence level on something getting done before last week was as low as it had been and then with this news of Jimmy resigning and knowing the relationship he has with the other side, and how much warmth there is from the other side, it’s concerning.’
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