Peter Lockhart: Rory McIlroy’s row with LIV, fighting for golf’s soul, has only enhanced his role model status - when he wins his fifth major, it will be his sweetest victory

Firstly, on June 6, PGA Tour CEO Jay Monahan announced that a merger deal had been agreed between the PGA Tour, the DP World (formerly European) Tour and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). Then, Sunday night saw the conclusion of the US Open, with McIlroy once again agonisingly close to ending his major championship drought, losing out to Wyndham Clark by one stroke.

These events are significant to McIlroy for different reasons. First let’s consider the merger. It is important to quell some common misconceptions at this point – this is not a merger between the PGA, DP World and LIV tours, the latter of which is funded by the PIF. The deal is a partnership between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF (not LIV). The LIV Tour was simply a commercial interest of the PIF which they were using in the hope of gaining prominence in the golf world as a means of diversifying their financial interests from oil. This new deal precludes LIV’s primary purpose and it is therefore expected that LIV will soon disappear.

The whole fiasco is a bona fide example of sports-washing, whereby a nation with a poor human rights record invests in elite sport as a means of sanitising its reputation. The Saudis have spent gargantuan sums on a new tour and have been rewarded with significant influence at golf’s top table, a multi-billion-pound industry with global reach. This influence will undoubtedly be converted into pro-Saudi sentiment amongst politicians and sports fans in years to come. Granted, given the possible anti-trust violations there is a substantial risk that the merger could be prohibited by the US Department of Justice or even the Senate (who have just announced they will be investigating the deal). For now, this recent announcement is many magnitudes more significant than the purchase of Newcastle United FC, the previously most clear-cut example of sports-washing by the Saudis.

The above is a brief summary of the moving parts and geo-political considerations. I could go on about why I believe this is a worrying precedent for golf or Western democracy more generally, but this piece is concerned with the significance of the merger for Rory McIlroy. At a time when golf’s primary tour, the PGA Tour, faced its greatest threat, McIlroy turned down eye-watering sums of money in a principled, uncompromising stance against the insurgent LIV Tour. LIV was an observably unserious enterprise from the start, designed only to launder Saudi Arabia’s reputation (Graeme McDowell, who defected to LIV last year, is on a team called the “Cleeks”, while other teams are called the "Fireballs" and the "Niblicks"). McIlroy regularly assumed the role of the PGA Tour’s chief advocate, in Monahan’s conspicuous media absence over the last year and as Tiger Woods faded from prominence. He has stood up for the fundamentals of professional golf which the PGA Tour embodies, and has been pivotal in preventing other superstars from having their heads turned by Saudi cash (think Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth et al) through the example he has set.

This is set against a context of relative drought for McIlroy on the golf course in the biggest tournaments. A regular winner on the PGA Tour, he has not won a major since the 2014 PGA Championship, with Sunday’s near miss at the US Open the latest in a litany of near misses. One could argue, with merit, that the last year has taken a toll on his golf game. After meekly missing the cut at the Masters this year (the tournament which stands between him and the career grand slam), McIlroy took an extended break citing a need for rest. Hardly surprising given his central role in the year-long battle for golf’s soul, but it sparks concern that he is expending the prime years of his career on political battles rather than winning golf tournaments.

Yet, in my opinion the last year has enhanced McIlroy’s legacy as much as his four major championships, both in golf and here in Northern Ireland. Think of two of Northern Ireland’s previous sporting icons – Alex Higgins and George Best. The flawed genius archetype. Brilliant in full flow but always set against a string of controversies and personal issues. They had the ability to make people’s hairs stand on end, to transcend their everyday existence, but they were troubled individuals whose talent, not character, ultimately defined their respective legacies. In Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland has a true role model, someone who has matched acute sporting excellence with the ability to stand up for what they believe in and face down a charm offensive which lesser individuals would’ve capitulated to.

When his fifth major victory comes, it will be his sweetest.

Peter Lockhart, 26, is a law student at QUB and an avid golf fan.