Rory McIlroy makes bold LIV Golf forecast and shares what role he will play

Rory McIlroy has made a bold forecast about the future of men's professional golf amidst the first face-to-face meeting between the PGA Tour's transaction committee and representatives from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), the financial muscle behind LIV Golf.

The star-studded transaction committee, which includes McIlroy himself, Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, player liaison Joe Ogilvie, Fenway Sports Chair John Henry and PGA Tour Enterprises Chair Joe Gorder, has been engaging with PIF officials thrice weekly for the past month. Although McIlroy considered jetting to New York post-Memorial Tournament's second round for an in-person discussion on Friday, he ultimately decided to participate remotely.

McIlroy, speaking to Sports Illustrated, has voiced his conviction that LIV Golf isn't going anywhere anytime soon, despite the ongoing discussions. The 35-year-old golfer even suggested a scenario where the Saudi-funded circuit might collaborate with the PGA Tour, noting the significant investments and long-term contracts already in place within LIV Golf. "I certainly don't see in the next couple of years LIV slowing down," said McIlroy.

"They're buying office space in New York. They have over 200 employees. I don't see a world where - and I haven't heard any of those guys say that they don't want to play over there either, right? You've got guys who are on contracts until 2028, 2029.

"Looking a few years down the line, LIV is going to continue to sort of keep going down its path. But hopefully with maybe more of a collaboration or an understanding between the tours. Maybe there is some cross-pollenation there where players can start to play on both. I guess that will all be talked about in the coming weeks."

As for his role in Friday's meeting, McIlroy asserted that he would be taking a back seat to those who were better suited to handle the "big boy stuff".

"There's going to be people in that room on the PGA Tour side who are going to take the lead," he continued. "And it's not going to be Adam, Tiger or I. That's going to be Jay, Joe Gorder, Joe Ogilvie, John Henry. It's going to be the business guys. We're there to maybe give a perspective from a player's point of view.

"This is a negotiation about an investment in the PGA Tour Enterprises, this is big boy stuff. And I'll certainly be doing more listening than I will be doing talking."

McIlroy's comments come exactly one year after the PGA Tour and PIF reached a framework agreement, seemingly marking the reunification of men's golf. But 12 months later, negotiations between the two sides have come to a crawl with no end in sight.

Rory McIlroy has admitted that his views on the LIV Golf defectors have mellowed, telling reporters: "My stance on some of the LIV stuff has softened," and explaining, "They're contracted to play 14 events, but the other 38 weeks of the year you're free to do what you want."

He also highlighted the logistical challenges in the golfing calendar, saying, "The only thing is there are so many tours and so many golf tournaments. There are only a certain amount of weeks in the year. That's the complicated part. Trying to figure out which tournaments go where, when do we play them, how many players, what players."