Rory McIlroy and Jay Monahan divided over LIV Golf unity

They’ve been the two most prominent frontrunners in the PGA Tour’s fight against LIV Golf, but when it comes to the prospect of the two circuits co-existing, Rory McIlroy and Jay Monahan are on entirely different pages.

Despite having lashed out at the Greg Norman-led league on several occasions, McIlroy has now welcomed peace talks between LIV and the PGA Tour, admitting “there’s a solution to everything” amid the ongoing turmoil.

“It has been an ugly year, [but] there’s a solution to everything.” He said. “If we can send rockets to the moon and bring them back again and have them land on their own I’m sure we can figure out how to make professional golf cohesive again.”

But while McIlroy may be open to the prospect of future harmony, his PGA Tour boss couldn’t be more opposed to the idea.

Speaking after McIlroy’s comments, Commissioner Monahan shut down talk of his league co-existing with LIV, ceasing the Northern Irishman’s hopes by insisting “it’s not in the cards.”

Monahan told ESPN: “They’ve gone down their path and I think we have been pretty consistent that we’re going down ours, and I don’t see that happening.

“I think words and actions are important. I think it’s impractical when you look at the fact that certain players have sued the PGA Tour, their employer has sued the PGA Tour.

“It’s not in the cards. It hasn’t been in the cards, and it’s not in the cards. I think we’ve been pretty consistent on that front.”

After the adamant stance, Monahan then turned his attention to the future of LIV Golf, backing his Tour to outlast the breakaway league because of “aspiration” and “context”.

The Commissioner continued: “The game, at the highest level, is about aspiration. It’s about context.

“Any young kid today, any kid that’s going to be playing the game going forward, ultimately is going to want to win the biggest championships, the biggest tournaments, and put themselves in a position and on a path over the course of their golf journey to get to the PGA Tour and to again, achieve at the highest level.

“We are going to continue to evolve and get stronger in every single area of that spectrum or of that journey.”

Meanwhile, the legal battle between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour has now taken another turn after Monahan’s circuit countersued the Saudi-Arabia funded series.