As the PGA Tour continues to negotiate with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, two major players in the talks will compete against each other on the golf course.
Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan are grouped for the first round of the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which begins Thursday and will be contested at three courses in the Fife, Scotland, area – St. Andrews’ Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. Monahan’s professional partner for the event is Billy Horschel while Al-Rumayyan will team with LIV member Dean Burmester.
In the group behind them for the opening round at Carnoustie will be Rory McIlroy and his dad, Gerry McIlroy. On Friday at Kingsbarns, Monahan will play with the McIlroys while Al-Rumayyan’s team is paired with another LIV member in Louis Oosthuizen. On Saturday at St. Andrews, McIlroy will be paired with Al-Rumayyan with Monahan and Oosthuizen’s teams together.
Monahan spent last week at the Presidents Cup in Royal Montreal, though did not speak to reporters about the status of the negotiations. Earlier this month, the two sides met for multiple days in New York City.
“I would say that the priority, it’s been enhanced,” Monahan said on Aug. 28 during the Tour Championship. “It’s stronger. That’s a direct result of dialogue and conversation and really starting to talk about the future, future product vision and where we can take our sport. I think when you get into productive conversations, that enhances the likelihood of positive outcomes and that enhances the spirit of those very conversations. I think that’s where things stand.”
Also in the field are several more LIV players, including Jon Rahm (who last Tuesday celebrated the birth of his third child), Brooks Koepka, David Puig, Tyrrell Hatton, Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch, Eugenio Chacarra, Branden Grace, Caleb Surratt, Hudson Swafford and Peter Uihlein.