McIlroy Okay With PGA Tour & Saudi Partnership—as Long as LIV Golf Goes Away

In a preview of what’s likely to come in Los Angeles next week when we hear the thoughts from all of golf’s biggest names about the biggest news in golf before the U.S. Open, Rory McIlroy took questions from the media prior to this week’s RBC Canadian Open.

McIlroy was in a players-only meeting with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan but was reportedly largely quiet in that gathering.

On Wednesday, McIlroy’s main point was that he sees a difference between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the LIV Golf tour that the fund bankrolls.

“I still hate LIV. … All I’ve tried to do is protect what the PGA Tour is and what it stands for and I think it will continue to do that.”

Rory McIlroy discusses more on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf merge.

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McIlroy said:

“I still hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. I hope it goes away, and I would fully expect that it does. I think that’s where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF — very different from LIV.”

Monahan took plenty of criticism from players in-person and on social media after yesterday’s announcement, but McIlroy said he still has faith in the commissioner who will be the chief executive of the new company that will be formed by the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and the PIF.

“Look, I’ve dealt with Jay a lot closer than a lot of those guys have. From where we were a couple of weeks ago to where we are today, I think the future of the PGA Tour looks brighter as a whole, as an entity.”

But the Northern Irishman said that doesn’t mean he’s entirely pleased with the path that Monahan took that led to Tuesday’s announcement.

McIlroy explained:

“It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there, and this is what happens.”

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McIlroy would also see those who took huge paydays—some reportedly into nine figures—to ditch the PGA Tour for LIV to have to face consequences for their decisions.

“The people that left the PGA Tour irreparably harmed this tour [and] started litigation against it. Like, we can’t just welcome them back in. That’s not going to happen.”

As part of Tuesday’s explanation of the framework agreement, Monahan said a plan would be created for LIV players to reapply for PGA Tour membership at the end of the 2023 season.

Cover Image Via CNN