'The way Jimmy described (the PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger) was, ‘Rory, sometimes you’ve got 280 (yards) over water and you’ve just got to go for it,' ' McIlroy recalled of their 6:30 a.m. MORE FROM JIMMY DUNNE PGA Tour board member explains why he got involved in LIV Golf deal In a headline last year, after he was appointed to the PGA Tour's policy board, Golf Digest dubbed him the sport's 'ultimate power broker.' He's played rounds with everyone from Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth to retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady. Yet in the world of golf, he quietly looms large.ĭunne is a member of Augusta National and the president of the exclusive Seminole Golf Club. He primarily works as the vice chairman and senior managing principal at a well-regarded investment banking firm, Piper Sandler. It was Jimmy Dunne.ĭunne, 66, might be more familiar on Wall Street than he is to the average sports fan. The man on the other end of the line wasn't McIlroy's agent or a fellow player like Tiger Woods or even PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. Rory McIlroy said Wednesday that he first learned about the PGA Tour's bombshell merger with Saudi-funded LIV Golf on a phone call at 6:30 a.m. Watch Video: PGA Tour, LIV Golf merge: Here's what you need to know

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