Donald Trump has swept to victory at the polls and will soon return to the White House as the 47th President of the United States.

Could Trump’s return help the PGA Tour and LIV Golf strike a deal to end the long-running standoff and bring golf together? According to Rory McIlroy, it’s a big possibility.

Ahead of this week’s ABU Dhabi HSBC Championship, Rory McIlroy was asked for his thoughts on Trump’s claim that it would take him the best part of 15 minutes to help make a deal between the PGA Tour and LIV, with the Ulsterman touting “smartest man in the world” Elon Musk as the key to potential negotiations.

“He might be able to. He’s got Elon Musk, who I think is the smartest man in the world, beside him. We might be able to do something if we can get Musk involved, too.

“Yeah, I think from the outside looking in, it’s probably a little less complicated than it actually is. But obviously Trump has great relationship with Saudi Arabia. He’s got a great relationship with golf. He’s a lover of golf. So, maybe. Who knows?”

However, McIlroy did temper expectations a little with his next statement, saying:

“But I think as the President of the United States again, he’s probably got bigger things to focus on than golf.”

It remains to be seen what impact Trump’s victory will have on the golf landscape but there appears to be growing optimism a deal could be made.

Article originally appeared on: Golfwrx.com