It is exactly a year ago when Yasir Al-Rumayyan entered the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship pro-am under a pseudonym.
The governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia was named in the draw as Andrew Waterman in 2023, in a group with R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers and LIV Golf’s Peter Uihlein.
Johann Rupert, the chairman of Dunhill’s parent company Richemont, told the Scotsman he invited Al-Rumayyan “a while ago” before the tournament, but his participation was only confirmed a week before the pro-am started.
The PIF is the prime investor behind LIV Golf and had not long been in talks with the PGA Tour to end golf’s civil war, following the June 6 announcement of a framework agreement. With just baby steps in progress and a formal agreement still waiting, the PGA Tour has instead allied with Strategic Sports Group.
At the time, Rupert said he believed the sport needed “peace” and he revealed what he and Al-Rumayyan would discuss upon his arrival in Scotland.
“Sport is supposed to unite people, not divide,” he said. “We need to get peace. “It was suggested to me a while ago that I should extend an invitation to His Excellency, but I only got confirmation last week to say he would be playing.
“And, if I am asked by anyone what we will discuss, I will be saying it will be support for amateur golf worldwide.
“What is happening in golf just now is not growing the golf. It’s only making the top 100 players a lot wealthier. We have just launched the African Amateur Championship, for example, and we need support to expand the credibility of that.”
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Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Jay Monahan become playing partners at Alfred Dunhill
A DP World Tour spokesperson confirmed the details of this story to NCG at the time. Now at the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Championship, Al-Rumayyan is back and is set to play with PGA Tour commissioner Monahan in round one and Rory McIlroy in round two.
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Al-Rumayyan’s playing partner for the pro-am is LIV Golfer Dean Burmester. The South African is one of a healthy handful of players from the Saudi-backed league in the field this week.
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are playing in Scotland while their sanctions for playing in LIV Golf events as DP World Tour members are under appeal. Louis Oosthuizen, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed are also among the names from commissioner Greg Norman’s roster making an appearance on the Old World circuit.
In the time the PGA Tour has remained locked in snail-paced talks with Al-Rumayyan and the PIF, the circuit’s deal with SSG signed last December secured up to $1.5 billion in equity for the players which will be dished out based on performances.
At the Tour Championship at East Lake in August, NCG asked Monahan what was still to be gained from striking another deal with the PIF.
“I think when you look at where we are today and when you think about – and what we hear from fans and what we’re hearing from players, ultimately we’re both in a position to bring the best players in the world back together. I think that’s a good and aspirational goal.
“As I said earlier, we’re in those discussions. We’re at the table. They’re complex, and it’s going to take time.
“But ultimately, the PGA Tour is the greatest tour in the world, and we’re going to continue to focus on the things that we control, and I think as I’ve outlined, I’m really proud of the accomplishments our players and entire team have captured together.
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“I think it’s the right time to be having these conversations, and it’s the right time not only for the PGA Tour but for the game. That’s why we’ve committed ourselves to those conversations.”
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