Rory McIlroy sees clear differences between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and its golf investment, LIV Golf. That’s what came up in the Northern Ireland star’s chat with Golf Weekly’s Off The Ball podcast this week at the Irish Open at K Club.
The four-time major champion golfer found that PIF cooperated with the sports the organization supports, especially soccer. PIF has also invested in famous English Premier League club Newcastle United, as well as establishing the Saudi Pro League which has signed superstars Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema. PIF also has ties to Formula 1 and mixed martial arts.
“The only thing I would say about PIF investing in other sports is that they have come in and played with the ecosystem of those sports,” McIlroy said. “They’re not trying to buy F1, they’re not trying to buy the Premier League. They’ve bought a Premier League football club in Newcastle and it’s been successful for them.”
McIlroy hopes a similar structure will be part of the agreement being negotiated between the PGA Tour and PIF: “If the PIF really cares about golf and wants to be part of the system, they better not try to control control it. That reduces the threat of LIV to golf. And there will be boundaries set in golf, ensuring everyone moves on,” McIlroy said.
