LIV Chairman Yasser Al-Rumayyan will not compete in the Ryder Cup ahead of PGA Tour merger talks

LIV is not expected to send anyone, including Yasser Al-Rumayyan, to the Ryder Cup in an official capacity. Photo: PA/Joe Giddons

Yasser Al-Rumayyan, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund manager and chairman of LIV Golf, has decided to stay away from the Ryder Cup as talks over a merger with the PGA Tour are set to begin in earnest once the two-year tournament begins. the showdown is over.

Al-Rumayyan, who is also chairman of Newcastle United, apparently decided it made political sense to skip the biggest week in professional men's golf, despite the fact that here in golf club Marco Simone, other influential figures of this sport should take place.

LIV is not expected to send anyone in an official capacity, which may be a surprise given the fact that Brooks Koepka represents a breakaway league on Team USA.

Telegraph Sport understands that, along with the bodies that run the four majors, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will also be here at Marco Simone, making his first trip abroad since a stress-related illness forced him to take a month off . after a controversial truce with LIV supporters.

With several Ryder Cup sponsors having ties to the Saudis, Al-Rumayyan would certainly have been welcomed with open arms in the most privileged of the hospitality bays at the Marco Simone Golf Club.

Telegraph Sport reported that the PIF duo met with R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers while the British Major was taking place at Royal Liverpool and although it was an informal meeting, it nonetheless highlighted Al-Rumayyan and, more pertinently, the billions that he controls are now welcome in the game's inner sanctums.

However, with tensions still high among the Tour rank and file, the idea of ​​Al-Rumayyan facing off against Monahan and World Tour DP Keith Pelley is a far cry from reality, especially given the complex and inevitably controversial nitty-gritty details of a potential deal . will be completed before the December 31 deadline.

Looking ahead to the match, which starts on Friday, European captain Luke Donald stressed that the Ryder Cup must remain above barter and horse trading. With the likes of Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter sidelined due to their multimillion-dollar contracts with LIV, it could have been a ludicrous spectacle of the PIF overlords mingling with the establishment.

The Ryder Cup is always was more than that kind of thing,” Donald said when asked about the significance of Ryder Cup players not being paid. “Of course, this has nothing to do with personal interests, does it? I mean, it's the complete opposite. You just always had to play for something greater than just yourself. This is pure, pure sport. And I think if you take all those things away, the Ryder Cup will always trump all of that.”