Report: Rory McIlroy set for surprise return to PGA Tour board

Rory McIlroy didn't stay away from the PGA Tour's policy board for long.

The four-time major champion from Northern Ireland will return as a player director on the policy board and take a seat on the board of PGA Tour Enterprises, the Guardian reported Monday.

McIlroy stepped back from the policy board in November following the dramatic tussle between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia-financed LIV Golf and the organizations' subsequent "framework agreement" for a merger.

According to the Guardian, however, Webb Simpson has submitted his resignation from the policy board with an "explicit request" that McIlroy take his seat.

McIlroy would need to be approved by a vote on Wednesday, per the report. With peers like Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay holding votes, it's unlikely McIlroy's return would face any resistance.

The PGA Tour and DP World Tour have not completed a final merger agreement with LIV's financiers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), in the months since a self-imposed Dec. 31 deadline came and went. In the meantime, LIV poached its highest-profile golfer to date in two-time major winner Jon Rahm. The Spaniard was ranked among the top three in the world when he signed with LIV Golf in December.

The PGA Tour entered a separate partnership with Strategic Sports Group (SSG), a consortium of U.S.-based sports team owners.

Adding McIlroy as a player director could fuel hope that a deal with the PIF can move forward, the Guardian reported. McIlroy, once a sharp critic of LIV Golf, has since come to the position that men's golf needs reuniting, with LIV players allowed back on the tour without penalty.

The 34-year-old also denied a rumor last week that he was offered $850 million to jump to LIV.

—Field Level Media