Rory McIlroy believes incoming US president Donald Trump and the potential involvement of Elon Musk could help pave the way for a peace deal in golf’s civil war.
Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 US Presidential election while Musk, owner of social media platform X, has been a huge supporter of Trump and McIlroy has labelled the South African as ‘the smartest man in the world’ and a pivotal figure in speeding up golf’s peace process.
Talks between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV Golf, have been ongoing since the signing of a framework agreement in June 2023.
A split between players on both sides of golf’s peace deal and the US Department of Justice has provided one of the bigger stumbling blocks since the framework agreement was announced but Trump will have influence over the DOJ and he has a close relationship with Saudi Arabia with several of the LIV Golf events being staged on his golf courses.
Trump has previously claimed that he could fix a LIV/PGA Tour deal in fifteen minutes and McIlroy, who played in the same group as PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the Dunhill Links Championship last month, thinks a Trump, Musk combination could secure a breakthrough.
“He might be able to,” McIlroy said ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links. “He’s got Elon Musk, who I think is the smartest man in the world, beside him. We might be able to do something if we can get Musk involved, too.
“Yeah, I think from the outside looking in, it’s probably a little less complicated than it actually is.
“But obviously Trump has a great relationship with Saudi Arabia. He’s got a great relationship with golf. He’s a lover of golf. So, maybe. Who knows?
“But I think as the President of the United States again, he’s probably got bigger things to focus on than golf.”
“Yeah, I would, but then obviously given today’s news with what’s happened in America, I think that clears the way a little bit. So we’ll see.”