Yasir Al-Rumayyan has reportedly entered the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship pro-am as Andrew Waterman
Yasir Al-Rumayyan has entered the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship pro-am under a pseudonym.
The governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is named in the draw as Andrew Waterman 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”, but his participation was only confirmed last week.
The PIF is the prime investor behind LIV Golf and is also in talks with the PGA Tour to end golf’s civil war and form an alliance.
Rupert believes the sport needs “peace” and he revealed what he and Al-Rumayyan will discuss when he arrives 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.”
A DP World Tour spokesperson confirmed the details of this story to NCG.
Al Rumayyan’s playing partner Uihlein is one of four LIV golfers playing on the formerly-named European Tour at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns this week.
Talor Gooch, Louis Oosthuizen and Hudson Swafford are allowed to be in the field because they were never members of the tour when joining LIV Golf, so aren’t culpable to sanctions and fines.
Laurie Canter is also playing, but his exemption status makes him eligible to participate without needing to pay fines.
At the 151st Open Championship, Slumbers refused to rule out golf’s oldest major one day partnering with the PIF and used examples of how Saudi Arabia has become involved in other sports.
“We have a number of large corporate partners that help us make this thing happen,” he said. “I think the world has changed in the last year. It’s not just golf.
“You’re seeing it in football. You’re seeing it in F1. You’re seeing it in cricket. I’m sure tennis won’t be that far behind.
“The world of sport has changed dramatically in the last 12 months, and it is not feasible for the R&A or golf to just ignore what is a societal change on a global basis.
“We will be considering within all the parameters that we look at all the options that we have.”
Follow NCG on X!
