Rory McIlroy said that Trump has “a great relationship with Saudi Arabia.” Richard Heathcote/Getty Images/File

Rory McIlroy thinks that Donald Trump’s return to presidency could help unify the fractured landscape of men’s professional golf by brokering a deal between the PGA Tour and the breakaway Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

When asked on Wednesday if Trump could deliver on his own assertion that he could fix the LIV-PGA Tour deal in 15 minutes, McIlroy said: “He might be able to. He’s got Elon Musk, who I think is the smartest man in the world, beside him. We might be able to do something if we can get Musk involved, too.

“Yeah, I think from the outside looking in, it’s probably a little less complicated than it actually is. But obviously Trump has a great relationship with Saudi Arabia. He’s got a great relationship with golf. He’s a lover of golf. So, maybe. Who knows?”

However, world No. 3 McIlroy, speaking ahead of this week’s HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship, conceded: “But I think as the President of the United States again, he’s probably got bigger things to focus on than golf.”

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf announced they had reached a “framework agreement” to unify the sport in June 2023, yet nearly 18 months on, a complete resolution remains elusive.

The US-based circuit and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is behind LIV Golf, remain locked in negotiations, with the initial deadline for the partnership of December 31 last year extended into 2024.

Trump recently said that he thought he could “certainly help” heal the divisive split.

“I could probably get it done. I would say it would take me the better part of 15 minutes to get that deal done,” Trump said on the “Let’s Go!” podcast with Bill Belichick and Jim Gray.

When asked about the PGA Tour and LIV on the podcast, recorded Sunday ahead of the election, he added: “I’m really going to work on other things, to be honest with you.

“I think we have much bigger problems than that. But I do think we should have one tour, and they should have the best players in that tour.”

Trump, whose courses have hosted several LIV Golf events, welcomed the news of the partnership between the three main golfing organizations – the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf – in June 2023.

“Great news from LIV golf. A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf. Congrats to all!!!” he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social at the time.