The DOJ and "different interests from the players' side" are holding up negotiations, McIlroy said, adding that there is still optimism in the process.

Daughter Poppy was getting the blame for passing it to her father. But the bug that dotted Rory McIlroy’s press conference on the eve of the BMW PGA Championship with occasional coughs and spluttering didn’t stop the four-time major champion from being his usual thought-provoking self.

Rory McIlroy believes it will be difficult for Ian Poulter or Lee Westwood to be a future Ryder Cup captain because they no longer have a connection with Europe's emerging stars after defecting to the LIV Golf League.

The world No 3 admitted he would not be happy under certain future European captains in the Ryder Cup, while also pinpointing the remaining factors in negotiations between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf

Rory McIlroy may not have been in attendance for the in-person meetings between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund last week in New York, but he still knows more than most when it comes to the slowly progressing potential deal between the tour and LIV Golf's financial backers.

A report earlier this week claimed that PGA Tour players were demanding that LIV Golf members handed the money they had earned from the Saudi league back in order to reach a peace deal

Jon Rahm's future on the DP World Tour remains in doubt, with the Spaniard facing a race against time to remain a member of the circuit and be eligible for the Ryder Cup

Rory McIlroy has explained what he thinks the stumbling blocks are over a potential merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Last year, it was announced that the two entities were in talks over a peace deal following the split in professional golf.

Rory McIlroy is in action at this week's BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am at Wentworth, and is involved in a stellar Pro-Am group alongside former footballer Gareth Bale