The four-time major winner also said the potential involvement of Elon Musk, a supporter of Trump and the owner of social media platform X, could speed up the 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.
McIlroy said in September that a 50-50 split between players on both sides and the US Department of Justice represented the biggest obstacles to a deal, with the DOJ having already forced a non-solicitation clause to be removed from the framework agreement.
However, the incoming president will be able to influence the priorities of the DOJ and Trump has a close relationship with Saudi Arabia and LIV Golf, with several of their 54-hole events being staged at Trump-owned courses.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, McIlroy was asked if he would be surprised if a deal had already been completed, as was reported in a national newspaper at the weekend.
“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,” McIlroy, who played in the same group as PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the Dunhill Links Championship recently, said.
McIlroy also agreed with the suggestion that the DOJ being more amenable to a deal would be “a huge moment” and was asked in a separate interview about Trump’s claim that he could secure a deal in 15 minutes.
“He might be able to,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. “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.”