PGA Tour star Rory McIlroy was all smiles when he was pictured greeting LIV Golf chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan ahead of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Carnoustie

Rory McIlroy met with Yasir Al-Rumayyan in public for the first time (Image: Getty Images)

PGA Tour stalwart Rory McIlroy was seen grinning from ear to ear as he met with LIV Golf boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan on Thursday, just before the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Carnoustie kicked off.

Scotland is currently playing host to what seems like a ceasefire in the recent acrimonious dispute between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The DP World Tour Pro-Am event has opened its doors to representatives from both factions, including PGA Tour bigwig Jay Monahan and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) governor Al-Rumayyan, who are both participating in the amateur field.

Not only have the two leaders made it onto the entry list, but they’ve also been grouped together by the tournament coordinators, alongside Monahan’s professional partner Billy Horschel, and Al-Rumayyan’s – Dean Burmester from the LIV team.

Despite their contrasting views, Monahan and Al-Rumayyan have become quite familiar with each other over the past year, leading negotiations to reunify men’s professional golf following a surprise framework agreement announced last June. While a deal hasn’t been finalized yet, discussions are still ongoing between the two parties.

Playing just behind the two golfing chiefs is McIlroy, who is teamed up with his father Gerry, as well as tournament director Johann Rupert and Louis Oosthuizen. Before the first tee shots were fired on Thursday morning, McIlroy was spotted chatting with Al-Rumayyan, with the pair sharing a warm embrace.

The image of the two standing side by side signifies a notable shift in the sport, following McIlroy’s earlier criticism of LIV as one of its most vocal detractors. The Northern Irish golfer famously dubbed the Saudi-backed league ‘dead in the water’ in the run-up to its launch, after several high-profile players opted out of participation – only for many to later retract their statements.

Even after a peace agreement was declared last summer, McIlroy reaffirmed his position, confessing at the 2023 Canadian Open that he ‘hated’ LIV Golf and wished for the breakaway circuit to ‘go away’. A month later at the Scottish Open, the four-time major champion even confessed he would prefer to retire than switch to the Saudi league.

Rory McIlroy extended the pleasantries when meeting Yasir Al-Rumayyan ( Image: Getty Images)

However, as the new year rolled in, McIlroy’s stance seemed to evolve, with the Northern Irishman evidently eager to put an end to the ongoing dispute and protracted negotiations. “I was maybe a little judgmental of the guys who went to LIV Golf at the start,” he admitted in January.

“It was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realise that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Woods’s position. I can’t judge people for making that decision, so if I regret anything, it was probably being too judgmental at the start.”

Since then, McIlroy has continued to advocate for a deal that resolves the division between the PGA Tour and LIV.

His performance at Carnoustie on Thursday only reinforced the notion that his previous contempt for the Saudi’s venture into elite professional golf has been set aside in an effort to cease hostilities.