“The lawyers have been talking a lot” – Rory McIlroy details his lack of duty on the PGA Tour-PIF deal despite criticism of inefficiency

Rory McIlroy’s 2024 PGA Tour season concluded on Sunday with the Tour Championship. The 35-year-old golfer finished T9 in the competition and watched on as Scottie Scheffler bagged the FedExCup trophy. Following this, the Northern Irishman revealed that he was expecting a quiet off-season with no duties from the PGA Tour.

For the unversed, McIlroy is part of the PGA Tour Enterprises’ Transaction Committee and is responsible for action in the ongoing deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Notably, the circuit officials have been under fire lately due to a lack of action in the negotiations. Despite this, the four-time major champion has now revealed that he expects no immediate duties from the PGA regarding the deal.

Replying to a media query about his duties on the Transaction Committee, McIlroy promptly said he had no meetings lined up. He noted that the “lawyers have been talking a lot” from the legal standpoint of the deal and his committee had “nothing to add in that regard.”

Speaking at a press conference after the 2024 Tour Championship’s conclusion at East Lake, Rory McIlroy said, as quoted by ASAP Sports:

“Not that I've heard of. Yeah, no, so I -- I could look at my phone and have an email saying there's a call next week. But yeah, not as of yet, no… Not for us. Look, the lawyers have been talking a lot, and I think just the complexity of this deal (PGA Tour-PIF merger) from a legal standpoint is something that -- obviously we have nothing to add in that regard, so there's no point in us being on those calls.”

Furthermore, the ace golfer, who won twice on the Tour this season, noted that he’s expecting a “quiet” off-season. Instead of attending PGA Tour meetings, McIlroy is set to travel across Europe for five starts on the DP World Tour in the coming months.

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Rory McIlroy warns the PGA Tour over the delay in PIF deal

Rory McIlroy’s comments on his lack of PGA Tour duties come just days after he issued a warning to the circuit about the Saudis. The Northern Irishman addressed the delays in the ongoing negotiation with the Public Investment Fund and stated that the Saudis will look elsewhere if the PGA fails to deliver.

Speaking about the extended delay in the PGA-PIF deal first announced on 6 June 2023, McIlroy said the ‘Saudis are going to have to look at alternative options’ if it doesn’t fall through.

Replying to a media query about the PGA-PIF deal’s future, Rory McIlroy said after the first round of the 2024 Tour Championship, as quoted by ASAP Sports:

“I think if it doesn't happen soon, then honestly, I think PIF and the Saudis are going to have to look at alternative options, right? I think that's probably the - I'd say that's the next step in all this if something doesn't get done.”

It is pertinent to note that the negotiations between the two sides haven’t progressed much since PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan first announced it. The officials have pushed the deal’s deadline twice so far.

Furthermore, PGA’s recent $3bn investment deal with the American-based Strategic Sports Group also seems to have raised several doubts about the PIF deal’s future. Rory McIlroy, who has been a staunch opponent of LIV Golf since its inception, claimed that fans are ‘frustrated’ with the current position of the sport.