Rory McIlroy finally broke cover today following the surprise announcement on Tuesday that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Saudi-owned fund behind LIV Golf have decided to join forces as one.
Speaking at a news conference ahead of the Canadian Open, where McIlroy is the defending champion, the 34-year-old Northern Irishman has been largely a leading figure in the campaign for players to remain loyal to the PGA Tour and to jeer at those. who joined LIV Golf, said he had “mixed feelings” about the merger, but admitted it would eventually be “good for professional golf”. He also expressed hope that the money invested by the Saudi Public Investment Fund would be used “in the right way.”
The four-time winner said:[The merger] Unites men’s professional golf and secures its financial future. But there are mixed feelings there, too. It’s hard for me not to feel a little bit like a sacrificial lamb, I feel like I’ve put myself out there and that’s what happens. After removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for golf, there’s no denying that.”
Many players left the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to join the LIV circuit when it launched last year, and McIlroy, once a staunch critic, couldn’t hide his feelings on Wednesday when he said, “I hate LIV. I hope it’s gone now. It’s all I wanted.” His act is to protect the ambitious nature of the PGA Tour. This company is above all else. Anyone involved with LIV now answer Jay [Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner]. Like it or not, the PIF will continue to spend money in the game of golf. Now the PGA Tour will control how that money is spent. Would you rather have one of the largest sovereign wealth funds as a partner or foe? At the end of the day, money speaks, and you’d rather be your partner.”
McIlroy said he still has faith in Monahan, who faced calls to resign in an intense and heated meeting of players at the Canadian Open tennis championships on Tuesday in Toronto, but feels there should be consequences for defectors from Leaf. For example, it is believed that those who have resigned their DP World tour membership and are now ineligible for the Ryder Cup should not be allowed to play for Europe against the United States in Rome from September 29 to October 1.
“I got to deal with Gaye a lot closer than I did with these guys, and from where we were a couple of weeks ago to where we are today, I think the future of the PGA Tour looks a lot brighter as a whole,” McElroy said. . “What it’s like for individual players to hold the tour card, to bring players back into the fold, that’s where the anger comes from. I understand that and there still has to be consequences for actions. People who have left the PGA Tour have irreparably damaged this tour, and are starting to Litigation is against it. We can’t welcome them back. That’s not going to happen. That’s what Jay was trying to get across on Tuesday.”
Asked if those who turned down LIV deals should be compensated, McIlroy replied: “The simple answer is yes. The complex answer is how does that happen?” Down the road, that’s something I’m looking forward to being more specific about.
Asked about increasing Saudi investment in golf, McIlroy replied: “You’ve made peace with me. I’ve seen what’s happened in other sports and businesses. I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that this is going to happen. The PIF and the Saudis want to spend money in golf and they won’t stop. How We can get this money into the game but are we using it in the right way? Hopefully this is the way to do it. Let’s use the money in the right way.”