Rory McIlroy less confident PGA Tour, LIV near merger - ESPN

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Rory McIlroy called Jimmy Dunne's departure from the PGA Tour's policy board a «huge loss,» and the four-time major champion said his confidence in the tour getting a deal done with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to reunite men's professional golf is as low as ever.

Dunne, one of the architects of the framework agreement the PGA Tour signed with the PIF on June 6, resigned from the board Monday. In his resignation letter, the Wall Street dealmaker said his vote and role had become «superfluous» because player directors outnumbered independent directors on the board.

Tiger Woods was added as a sixth player director to the board in August. There were five independent directors, including Dunne.

«Yeah, honestly I think it's a huge loss for the PGA Tour, if they are trying to get this deal done with the PIF and trying to unify the game,» McIlroy said Wednesday at Valhalla Golf Club, the site of this week's PGA Championship.

«Jimmy was basically the relationship, the sort of conduit between the PGA Tour and PIF. It's been really unfortunate that he has not been involved for the last few months, and I think part of the reason that everything is stalling at the minute is because of that.»

In Dunne's resignation letter, he wrote that «no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with PIF.» Dunne said he hadn't been involved in talks with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan and others since June.

The PIF is financing the rival LIV Golf League.

«It's really, really disappointing, and you know, I think the tour is in a worse place because of it,» McIlroy said. «We'll see. We'll see where it goes from here, and we'll see what happens. But you know, I would say my confidence level on something