The divisions in the game between the PGA Tour and Public Investment Fund’s LIV Golf aren’t sustainable says four-time Major champion Rory McIlroy.
The two organisations, as well as the DP World Tour, are currently in talks to unify the game, promising to unify the game of golf, on a global basis after announcing a framework agreement last June.
Talks have been ongoing since then, with the original deadline of December 31, 2023, to reach an agreement extended.
McIlroy, who was originally against the idea of LIV golfers returning to the PGA Tour, believes the planet’s best golfers need to be playing against one another on a more regular basis, with the current spilt in the game seeing them only go head-to-head four times a year at the Major Championships.
"There needs to be a correction. I think what's happening is not sustainable right now, so something needs to happen to try to bring it all back together so we can all move forward so we don't have this division that's sort of ongoing," McIlroy told Golf Monthly.
"They keep going down those different paths and I just don't see how that benefits anyone in the long run. ... I think [it's] a shame for the overall game of golf."
Last month, several player directors, including Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay, met with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF, to talk about the direction of the game in the Bahamas.
While many had hoped that meeting would have acted as a catalyst for coming to an agreement, McIlroy believes the fractures in the game won’t be healed any time soon.
"We're probably still quite a long way from it, but I would hope that in the future that we can get there, unify the game and get the best players back together again," he said.
"Ultimately [LIV Golf] do have some of the best players in the world that are playing some really good golf.”
