Rory McIlroy may not be making a return to the PGA Tour Policy Board but he will play a part in the negotiations with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

The Northern Irishman had looked to make his way back to the policy board and replace the outgoing Webb Simpson after resigning in November amid frustrations over the role. 

However, his return was shut down by his peers with the World No 2 stating that 'old wounds had re-opened'.

Yet, while the door to McIlroy's return to the board has been firmly shut, the 35-year-old will play a role in the ongoing talks with LIV Golf's Saudi backers regarding a potential multibillion-dollar investment in PGA Tour Enterprises, serving on the transaction committee. 

The PGA Tour announced Thursday that former Valero Energy Corp. CEO Joseph W. Gorder has been unanimously elected by the PGA Tour Enterprises board of directors to serve as its inaugural chairman. 

As part of his role, Gorder will also serve on the transaction subcommittee, which the Tour confirmed consists of liaison director Joe Ogilvie, Fenway Sports Group founder and principal owner John W. Henry, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, and golfers Adam Scott, Tiger Woods and McIlroy.

'I've already had calls with that group,' McIlroy said of the subcommittee following his opening round of 67 at the Wells Fargo Championship.

'I had a really good hour and a half Zoom with those guys on Sunday, we went through a 150-page doc about the future product model and everything.

'Yeah, I'm not on the board, but I'm in some way involved in that transaction committee. I don't have a vote so I don't, you know, I don't have I guess a meaningful say in what happens in the future.

'But at least I can, I feel like I can be helpful on that committee, and that was sort of a compromise for I guess not getting a board seat.'

McIlroy resigned from his position on the board in November amid frustrations with the role but was expected to replace Simpson on the board and the board of directors of PGA Tour Enterprises in a stunning return. 

Yet that comeback was met with resistance from the remaining five player-executives on the board. 

The player directors, which include Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Peter Malnati, Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth, voted against the decision to re-integrate McIlroy, according to The Telegraph. 

The outlet claimed that Woods, a long-standing ally of McIlroy's, was one of those who voted against the four-time major winner's inclusion, with the votes being cast 3-2 for the 35-year-old to be excluded from the board. 

McIlroy denied speculation of a rift between himself and the 15-time major winner on Thursday.  

The other two members who voted against McIlroy's re-inclusion are not yet known but it is understood that he and Cantlay do not always see eye to eye. 

'It just got pretty complicated and pretty messy,' McIlroy said ahead of the Wells Fargo Championship. 

'With the way it happened it opened up some wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before. And I think there was a subset of people on the board who were uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason.'

He added: 'I think the best course of action is if there are some people on there who aren't comfortable with coming back on, then I think Webb stays on and sees out his term. He's got to a place where he's comfortable with doing that. I just keep doing what I'm doing.

'I put my hand up to help. I wouldn't say it was rejected. I would just say it was a complicated process to put me back on there so that's all fine. No hard feelings and we'll all move on.'