The PGA Tour and LIV Golf held a meeting on merger talks on September 11 with victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks slamming both organizations while Rory McIlroy spoken on the latest developments
Rory McIlroy has insisted that he was not involved in any talks between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf after a meeting was held on September 11, the anniversary of the 2001 New York City terror attacks which has left the victim’s families angered.
McIlroy has been openly frustrated with both the PGA and LIV over the last few months having previously been involved with communications between the two parties, after he resigned from the board with the PGA Tour and has gone on to suggest he has extremely little involvement in a potential merger.
“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,” McIlroy said Wednesday during a news conference at the Irish Open.
“Yeah, I mean, 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.”
Despite his apparent lack of involvement, McIlroy has agreed to take part in a made-for-TV PGA vs LIV matchup, with him and Scottie Scheffler set to take on Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in December in a move that is seen as bridging the gap between the two leagues.
This comes after PGA Tour officials and representatives from Saudi Arabia’s PIF were said to have held a meeting and convened in New York on Tuesday. The timing of the meetings has been hugely criticised, with 9/11 Justice president Brett Eagleson labelling both parties as ‘completely tone deaf.
Jay Monahan is said to have met with Saudi Arabia officials in New York on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks
He said: “At one point in time, the PGA Tour were brothers in arms with us. They were standing lockstep, fighting the battle about Saudi Arabia doing 9/11. About all these other atrocities, women’s rights, human rights. All these different issues that Saudi Arabia is infamous for, the PGA was standing side-by-side with us. And then all it took was a couple billion dollars and they caved like a cheap suit.
“Of all days, they pick this day. The day we mourn the death of 3,000 Americans, to be blocks away. As we speak right now, they’re likely locked in arms smoking cigars while our family members burned alive 10 blocks away.
“What happened to (PGA Tour commissioner Jay) Monahan? He said he was going to meet with us, he said he owed us an apology. We haven’t heard words from him. He sent Jimmy Dunne in front of a senate committee panel and made him take arrows. Monahan just stepped away… So you know what, the PGA, shame on you – you should be advocating that we have closure first, and then let’s talk about your golf deal next.”
McIlroy has appeared to distance himself from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf when it comes to talks between the two, after he had initially been one of LIV Golf’s biggest critics, and had wanted nothing to do with the breakaway league before then agreeing to join a committee alongside PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan in a bid to complete the merger. He has since left that committee.
