PGA Tour Players SOUND OFF on Rory McIlroy: ‘To Want Back In is Peculiar’

PGA TOUR Players are sounding off about not wanting Rory McIlroy back on the TOUR Policy Board after he chose to leave last November.

Reports have circulated that McIlroy has wanted to return to his post on the TOUR Policy Board for about a month, and he planned to jump right back in with open arms.

It did not go according to plan.

This morning, we reported that McIlroy would not be rejoining the Policy Board after he revealed that things got “messy” when he attempted to try and regain a spot:

“It got pretty complicated and pretty messy, and I think with the way it happened, I think it opened up some old wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before.”

Here’s Rory McIlroy talking about the PGA Tour policy board and the “subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason.” pic.twitter.com/0skNOwtWxz

— Patrick McDonald (@pmcdonaldCBS) May 8, 2024

According to the report, several players may not have necessarily wanted Rory to return after leaving. Now, we know who a few of those players are:

Kevin Streelman

Kevin Streelman did not want McIlroy back on the PGA TOUR Policy Board. He believes he should sleep in the bed he made (via Golfweek):

“He was very clear that it was too much for him. He had business dealings; he has a kid, and he wants to focus on his game. Trust me, I get it. But once you quit, you’re not getting back. I wouldn’t quit on something that you were elected to by your peers. To want back in is peculiar.”

James Hahn also did not like the idea of Webb Simpson “handpicking” his successor, as he felt it should go to a vote:

“That’s just not how democracy works. It goes against all the principles of what makes a Tour-run organization.”

Additionally, Hahn said it made no sense for someone who is stepping down to get to pick because they could simply choose someone who agrees with their views without having to do any of the work:

“Imagine if instead of Rory, Webb said he wanted Nate Lashley, who has been vocal against some of the Tour policy decisions or named me to replace him. There would be an absolute uproar. People would be saying, ‘You can’t do that.’”

It seems logical that Hahn would have an issue with Simpson simply picking the next person in line, especially if that same person just left six months ago. Streelman seemed to have the same thoughts: Once you say you don’t want it, how can anyone be sure you’ll still be around if things get tough again?

McIlroy doesn’t seem to have any hard feelings:

“So yeah, I put my hand up to help, and it was — I wouldn’t say it was rejected. It was a complicated process to get through to put me back on there. So that’s all fine, no hard feelings, and we’ll all move on.”

Cover Image via Golfweek