Rory McIlroy Talks ‘Messy’ Situation That Ended PGA TOUR Policy Board Return

It turns out Rory McIlroy’s return to the PGA TOUR will not be happening, as a “messy” situation ended his potential bid to come back after leaving late in 2023.

McIlroy has taken his name out of consideration to be on the Board once again, according to Golf Channel.

However, the Northern Irishman decided to shed additional light on the situation before this week’s Wells Fargo Championship begins:

“There’s been a lot of conversations. It sort of reminded me partly why I didn’t…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. There was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason. I think the best course of action is if, you know, there are some people on there that aren’t comfortable with me coming back on, then I think Webb just stays on and sees out his term, and I think he’s gotten to a place where he’s comfortable with doing that and I just sort of keep doing what I’m doing.”

It seems several players had an issue with McIlroy leaving just six months ago and then trying to return. It is not known which players may have objected, but McIlroy said it might have been more trouble than it was worth:

“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.”

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

There are, without a doubt, some things to speculate on here. Initially, there is the issue of Patrick Cantlay, who has been rumored to be one of the most prominent members of the Board, which is interesting considering his calm and quiet nature.

Cantlay and his caddy, Joe LaCava, had a dust-up with McIlroy at the Ryder Cup last Summer in Rome. This could have added to some of the issues with Rory potentially returning to the Board, but it is definitely far-fetched.

Additionally, McIlroy has been less-than-hellbent on his narrative about how LIV Golf is a divisor in the game. After Jon Rahm left the PGA TOUR last year, Rory seemed less than critical of potential stipulations that would prevent those players from playing events like the Ryder Cup.

Perhaps the TOUR Board is not looking for a member whose stance changed so dramatically after a single player’s move. Once again, this is speculation, but it is something to consider.

Rory McIlroy’s decision to leave the TOUR Policy Board seemed to be an attempt to step away from the drama that has engulfed the game for several years. While his presence on the TOUR Board is likely a positive, perhaps players on the Board are willing to navigate this new chapter in golf without one of the TOUR’s best players.

Cover Image via Golf365