Rory McIlroy Shares His Opinion On The PGA Tour And Saudi PIF Holding Meetings In NYC Week Of 9/11

The PGA Tour and Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sole funder of LIV Golf, have reportedly been holding meetings this week in hopes of coming to terms on an agreement that would shrink the divide in professional golf. The two sides meeting with one another isn’t necessarily a noteworthy story given that’s what happens during negotiations, but the timing and location of these meetings have raised everyone’s eyebrows.

As first reported by ESPN, the meetings are being held over the course of a few days in New York City this week, the week of the 23rd anniversary of 9/11. Fifteen of the 19 terrorists involved in the attacks in 2001 were from Saudi Arabia, therefore it’s understandable as to why 9/11 families are enraged with these meetings taking place this week in New York.

“Tomorrow, we commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, yet here we are today, in New York City, down the street from Ground Zero, and the PGA Tour and Tiger Woods are negotiating with them,” said Brett Eagleson, who lost his father John on 9/11 and now serves as President of 9/11 Justice, in a statement on Tuesday.

Initial reports suggested that Tiger Woods was expected to attend the meetings in person this week, but it was later reported that wouldn’t be the case.

Despite previous reports, Tiger Woods did not attend the PGA Tour – Saudi PIF meetings in person this week in New York City. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy is most certainly not attending the meetings given that he is playing in this week’s DP World Tour’s Irish Open, but did share his opinion about the discussions taking place in New York.

“It’s certainly peculiar timing,” McIlroy said. “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.”

“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.

McIlroy is not a member of the PGA Tour Policy board, but was named to a newly-formed ‘transaction committee’ that also includes Adams Scott and Woods who were to be negotiating directly with PIF representatives.

As for the Tour and PIF coming to any sort of terms this week, based on McIlroy’s further comments, that outcome sounds unlikely.

“A solution is hard to get to because there are different interests and people want different things. There’s going to have to be compromise on both sides but hopefully they’re the things they’re talking about in those meetings,” he told BBC.

The only public-facing updates shared by the PGA Tour over the past year-plus have been generic talk of ‘we’re continuing negotiations,’ which is probably what you can expect to hear later this week after these latest meetings wrap up.