The forgotten third party in unified professional golf has entered the discussion

So far, the DP World Tour has rarely been mentioned in discussions of the PGA Tour’s negotiations with the Public Investment Fund.

The key figures include PGA Tour President Jay Monahan, Strategic Sports Group members John Henry and Arthur Blank, PGA Tour players Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, and Yasser Al Rumayyan, President of PIF, which funds LIV Golf.

Obviously, there were more people involved behind the scenes on all sides, but few people mentioned the other tour.

The Dubai World Tour, which has a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour, was reportedly rejected an invitation from the Pacific Islands Forum and was highlighted in the “framework agreement” that was shockingly announced in June 2023.

But the leadership of the DP World Tour has rarely been mentioned, which naturally raises concerns about whether the European tour is being left behind.

Maybe this is all a misunderstanding. Or maybe things are changing.

DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings, who replaced Keith Pelley earlier this year, was present at recent meetings between the two sides in New York. Although the DP World Tour will not be participating in this week's Presidents Cup, Kinnings is expected to travel to Montreal where more meetings are likely to take place.

In a meeting with reporters earlier this year after officially taking the job, Kinnings revealed that all relevant parties have yet to sit in the same room.

“I walked away from those meetings witnessing all the right organizations, the right parties, with the right mindset, all parties working hard to try to find a solution that was good for the game,” Kinnings told reporters Friday at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth outside London. “It's a long road. There are a lot of details, a lot of complex things to do.

“But it’s a good thing for all of us. We all want it to be successful, and if it is successful then a lot of things … can be resolved.

“Obviously, we know the PGA Tour very well and we work with them every day, but now we know and work closely with companies like Strategic Sports Group and Fenway Sports, and the Public Investment Fund, and what you do is you talk to all the parties and if they do come together, then you’ve got the right people to make something happen, and I think it’s going to be very exciting for the game.”

Jinnings confirmed Sports Illustrated Reports surfaced last week that the LIV Golf Alliance was trying to reach a deal with the DP World Tour that would have waived fines for LIV players who violated the tour's conflicting event rules in exchange for guaranteed schedules, a chance to play on the DP World Tour and a fund to help pay prize money.

The proposal was rejected, with Kinnings saying it was due to the parties involved, including the PGA Tour.

“LIV does take a certain approach,” he said. “But at the end of the day, we are talking about a large discussion that requires all organizations to participate. It would be very inappropriate to not have piecemeal conversations while the discussion is ongoing if only a few parties are involved.

“So we made it very clear. We said, 'Listen, we're always willing to listen to everybody, talk to everybody, whatever it is, but this has to be part of a bigger picture of looking to solve the issues across the game.'”

It remains unclear what the current situation is.

Rory McIlroy said last week he believed the U.S. Department of Justice was a factor in the lengthy process, along with “differences of opinion among the players.”

McIlroy said as many as 50% of PGA Tour and LIV Golf League players were not in favor of the deal that would theoretically unify the leagues.

Michael Kim came out and said he was not in favor of a deal, suggesting it wouldn't change much for him.

The former PGA Tour champion and Cal teammate of Max Homa said on X (formerly Twitter) that the trade will only help the top players.

“Whether the tour and LIV come to an agreement or not, it will not impact my bottom line,” King wrote. “It will not change my schedule in any way, nor will it change my income. It really only affects the top 30 golfers on the PGA Tour, who will likely make more after this deal.”

King said he doubted having the world's best players competing more frequently would have a significant impact on television ratings. “You could say it would be better for the PGA Tour if the players came back and it would bring more interest, but I find that hard to believe.

“It's not going to be a big dogfight, it's just going to be a couple of big purse events if I were to guess. How many LIV players really impact the ratings and the tournament? Phil (Mickelson), Bryson (DeChambeau), (Jon) Rahm?

“Will it increase ratings and revenue by more than 1%? Sure, the first few events will be cool, but what about after that? I could be totally wrong, but that’s my take. What’s going to make a bigger difference is making the TV product better.”

Kim is among those who think LIV defectors will need to pay some fine to come back, an idea that is ridiculed in many circles because of the huge investment that PIF will make into PGA Tour enterprises. If PIF invests $1 billion or more, it is hard to imagine huge fines being imposed under the goal of peace.

But the sentiment is real. King's point is that 11 players who competed in the LIV Golf event sued the PGA Tour.

“I just think there have to be consequences for their decision to leave and sue the PGA Tour,” he said. “You can say it’s a minor thing, but the LIV guys sued the PGA Tour primarily for their PIP (Player Impact Program) money. The PGA Tour is also the reason you get paid big money in the first place. This is equally minor in my opinion.”

“FYI, just because there is a protocol does not mean every LIV player will have full eligibility for the PGA Tour. There will be very limited crossover.”

We’ll have to wait and see how things pan out, but it does give us some insight into why getting a deal won’t be easy.

Lahm, Spain and fines

Jon Rahm was ill last weekend and was unable to play in the LIV Golf League Team Championship in Dallas. He had previously said he would return home to Arizona after the tournament and that his wife, Kelly, might be induced to give birth. She is due soon. Rahm plans to play in this week's Spanish Open in Madrid and the Dunhill Links Championship next week in Scotland.

This was all achieved after Rahm appealed to the DP World Tour, which effectively delayed any kind of punishment. DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings was asked a lot of questions on this topic last week as it also applies to LIV player Tyrrell Hatton.

“One thing we can try to do is stay consistent and follow the rules,” Kinnings said. “These are the rules — they don’t change. If people follow the rules, then they have a chance to do things, and that’s why there are players playing, and I’m glad they do. I’m glad Jon is playing in Spain — glad he’s playing his national open, and there are other people who follow the rules and play.”

The big question, of course, is what happens if their appeals are rejected? Will those appeals then be heard?

Last year, the DP World Tour won a case at the UK Arbitration Tribunal that allowed the tour to enforce its penalty regime for playing in conflicting events. As a result, the appeal will be dismissed. And it’s not even clear when the appeal will be heard.

“There’s no set plan, so we’ll just have to wait and see how long the appeals process takes,” Kinnings said of the appeals process, which could last into next year. “We have very smart attorneys working for the people to take care of everything, and in the meantime, the most important thing we’re doing is continuing to have discussions about the future that may or may not have an impact on the appeals process.”

It’s an interesting way of saying that — like so many things affecting the world of golf — the resolution to the ongoing negotiations could render these things irrelevant.

Once again a “narrow winner”

Billy Horschel looked almost embarrassed when his eagle putt fell in the hole on the second playoff hole at Wentworth, giving him his second BMW PGA Championship title in three years — while painfully denying Rory McIlroy the chance to win again.

McIlroy's near misses this year have been one of the most noteworthy stories of the year in golf. He finished runner-up to Bryson DeChambeau at the U.S. Open. He had a great run on the back nine at the Olympics, only to fall into the water and miss out on a medal. He finished second in consecutive weeks on the DP World Tour, including the Irish Open in his native Northern Ireland.

The win was significant for Horschel, who often competes overseas, but it was another heavy blow to McIlroy.

“I think he's the best player of our generation,” Horschel said of McIlroy. “He's done so much for the game. You see how much support he has here; you see how much support he has around the world. He has the most fans and supporters, other than Tiger Woods. He means so much to the game of golf.”

McIlroy's overall record has been somewhat underwhelming amid all the recent difficulties, with more than 40 titles worldwide, including 26 PGA Tour titles – the most of any active player besides Woods. He has been ranked in the top five in the world for most of the past 15 years.

McIlroy made eagle on the 17th hole at Wentworth to tie the lead, two shots behind. He could have won with a birdie on the 18th, but he hit a bad approach shot — he said he was lucky to avoid the water — and had to settle for par. He then made birdies on the hole twice in a playoff, but Horschel beat him with eagle.

“That’s golf, and I’m playing good golf,” McIlroy said. “These things happen. It’s just that this sport is testing me a little bit more than it has in the past, but that’s OK. All I can do is keep working hard to play good golf, and sooner or later I’ll get the win.”

“The good thing is there's next year and the year after and the year after that. If you look at my career as a 30-year journey, this is just one year in that 30-year journey and hopefully the next 29 will be more productive or a little bit better. I've definitely had years where I've felt worse.”

McIlroy has three more tournaments scheduled this year. He will play in the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland next week with his father. Then he will play in the season finales in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.