The biggest LIV Golf name at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship isn’t Jon Rahm. Rather, that honor (and spotlight) is reserved for a 54-year-old Saudi businessman who was going by the name Andrew Waterman in last year’s event. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF Governor, will tee up at the DP World Tour’s Pro-Am once again this week.

As will his PGA Tour counterpart, Jay Monahan. The Tour Commissioner has been paired with Billy Horschel. And, as fate (or DPWT) would have it, team ‘Billy-Jay’ has been grouped with LIV Golf’s Yasir al-Rumayyan and Dean Burmester.

But which one of the two bigwigs carries a better handicap? Jay Monahan, actually, plays off a 6 handicap. But he was better, a 4-handicapper, as the 54-year-old said last year at a press conference. Whereas Yasir Al-Rumayyan is a 12-handicapper, per a report in the Daily Mirror. So, clearly judging by handicaps alone, we have a clear winner, even though the organization run by Rumayyan, a $924B giant named PIF, outmatches the PGA Tour. 

Having said that, handicaps don’t necessarily determine the eventual winner. Both groups tee off at 9:00 AM local time (4 AM ET). And, even though they might not see eye to eye on matters involving golf’s future, their love for the sport is in no doubt.

Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan have made surprise golf course appearances

Jay Monahan played collegiate golf and hockey at Trinity College Hartford. Moreover, the Commissioner and his father, Joseph Monahan III, a lawyer, played at the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Commissioner Monahan paired up with Harry Higgs, while his father teamed up with Keith Mitchell. 

Interestingly, Monahan also has a drink named after him at Pebble Beach: The Monahan on the Rocks. The Commissioner also teed up at the 2023 American Express with Scottie Scheffler and Tony Finau.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, on the other hand, teed off at the Trophy Hassan II Pro-Am last February. The Moroccan event was sanctioned by the PGA Tour Champions. Rumayyan, notably, also played at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last year. 

He was grouped with former R&A CEO Martin Slumbers. Strangely, the first list of players included ‘Andrew Waterman,’ which was later replaced with Rumayyan’s name. Nevertheless, the significance of this year’s grouping is not lost on anyone. 

The PGA Tour has been locked in talks with PIF for the $3 billion amalgamation for over a year. Monahan has reiterated that the talks are going forward and there are a lot of ever-moving pieces that need to be figured out before a final breakthrough. One can only hope a very public in-person meeting will accelerate the pace.