Golf’s ongoing feud between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf might be moving toward resolution, if the pairings at this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship are anything to go by.
Along with the 14 LIV Golf players competing in the DP World Tour event, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Saudi Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan will also both be playing, and they've been paired together.
In the unique format, where each pro is teamed up with an amateur, Monahan will play alongside two-time BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel, while Al-Rumayyan is paired with LIV’s Dean Burmester. Their opening round begins at 9:00am local time from Carnoustie's 10th tee.
In the second round, Al-Rumayyan will team up with Johan Rupert, the head of luxury brand Richemont and the event’s overseer, while Monahan partners with Rory McIlroy. For the third round, Al-Rumayyan will join forces with McIlroy, and Monahan will play alongside Rupert.
There is hope that with both of them in attendance, along with DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings, they can move closer to healing the fractures in the game.
The three organisations announced a framework agreement last June, promising to unify the game of golf, on a global basis.
The announcement was followed by a mutually agreed end to all pending litigation between the participating parties, while the three organisations ensured they would work “cooperatively” and in “good faith” to establish a fair and objective process for any players who desire to re-apply for membership with the PGA TOUR or the DP World Tour.
LIV golfers still remain suspended from the PGA Tour after an agreement wasn’t reached by the original deadline of December 31 2023.
Recent reports suggest that the payouts players received for joining LIV Golf are a potential obstacle in their return to the PGA Tour, though there’s no official indication that negotiations have run into issues.
