Trump and Musk can bring peace to golf - McIlroy

Rory McIlroy believes Donald Trump’s instrumentality to the White House could bring bid betwixt the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia funded breakaway LIV circuit and has speculated that Elon Musk could play a cardinal relation successful negotiations connected golf’s future.

The US circuit is progressive successful protracted negotiations with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) aimed astatine healing a divisive divided successful men’s nonrecreational golf, wherever galore starring stars stay banned from the PGA Tour.

A projected deal, archetypal unveiled successful June 2023, is apt to look absorption from America’s Department of Justice (DOJ), which has concerns implicit it perchance starring to breaches of anti-competition laws.

"Given what's happened, I deliberation that clears the mode a small bit," McIlroy told reporters aft Trump claimed triumph successful the US statesmanlike election.

The DOJ is autarkic of the American government, but presidents tin power cardinal appointments including the US lawyer wide and solicitor general.

Trump suggested earlier this week that helium could lick golf’s truthful called "civil war", saying connected Bill Belichick's Let's Go podcast it would lone instrumentality him "the amended portion of 15 minutes to get that woody done".

McIlroy, who has antecedently suggested that America’s DOJ is the large stumbling artifact to ratification of the woody betwixt the PIF and the PGA and DP World Tours, is hopeful that Trump and his predetermination state Musk tin interruption the existent deadlock.

"We'll see," said the 35-year-old satellite fig three. "He mightiness beryllium capable to. He's got Elon Musk, who I deliberation is the smartest antheral successful the world, beside him.

"We mightiness beryllium capable to bash thing if we tin get Musk involved, too. I deliberation from the extracurricular looking in, it's astir apt a small little analyzable than it really is.

"Trump has a large narration with Saudi Arabia. He's got a large narration with golf. He's a person of golf. So, maybe. Who knows?

"But I deliberation arsenic the president of the United States, he's astir apt got bigger things to absorption connected than golf."

Trump has praised the lucrative LIV circuit for its "unlimited money", and 5 of its tournaments person been been held astatine his courses since its inception successful June 2022.

During his triumph speech, Trump asked celebrating Republicans to salute US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who joined the victorious campaigner connected signifier portion wearing a 'Make America Great Again' cap.

DeChambeau bushed McIlroy astatine Pinehurst past June to assertion the US Open and is the 2nd LIV golfer aft Brooks Koepka to onshore a large pursuing a determination to the breakaway setup.

"I bash deliberation we should person 1 tour," Trump said connected erstwhile NFL manager Belichick’s podcast. "And they should person the champion players successful that tour."

The Sun reported past play that a $1bn (£780m) unification woody has been agreed with Saudi Arabia taking an 11% involvement successful the PGA Tour, portion PIF politician Yasir Al Rumayyan, who has played play with Trump, would go circuit chairman.

Unnamed manufacture sources subsequently quoted successful the US media accidental the study was "premature" citing "the large contented of navigating antitrust concerns successful the United States".

McIlroy, a subordinate of the PGA Tour’s 'transaction committee', is expecting to beryllium briefed by circuit commissioner Jay Monahan earlier Thursday’s instrumentality to playing enactment aft a 4 week interruption from competition.

"I cognize Jay was successful Saudi Arabia past week astatine the FII (Future Investment Initiative Institute) and was having immoderate meetings," the 4 times large champion said.

"I cognize he's briefing the transaction committee [on Wednesday]. So possibly immoderate quality comes retired of that."

McIlroy is preparing for this week’s HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship. Victory would manus the Northern Ireland subordinate the Race to Dubai rubric for the 3rd twelvemonth successful a enactment with 1 tourney to spare.

To that end, portion galore observers person been anxiously awaiting quality of plaything states, McIlroy has been much preoccupied with the authorities of his swing.

Before Thursday’s commencement successful the United Arab Emirates, his archetypal tourney since past month’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, helium revealed that helium has spent the play successful a workplace moving connected his backswing.

“I benignant of committed aft the Dunhill that I wasn't going to ticker my shot formation for 3 weeks,” McIlroy said.

“So I locked myself indoors successful a plaything workplace for 3 weeks and conscionable deed balls into a blank surface oregon nett and conscionable focused connected my plaything and focused connected the question of my plaything and focused connected question of my assemblage patterns.”