Rory McIlroy Praises Tiger Woods’ Role on PGA Tour Policy Board

Rory McIlroy, who just finished shooting an even-par 70 in the first round at the Tour Championship with a reported back injury, spent some time praising Tiger Woods and the job he’s done so far on the PGA Tour Policy Board.

Woods was appointed to the board earlier this month, which shifted the balance on the 11-person panel to the players. Woods marked the sixth player as opposed to five other board members.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said the move was made to help repair his relationship with players after the vast majority of them were blindsided by the abrupt announcement of the “framework agreement” between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) on June 6.

McIlroy said that Woods has been an exemplary member of the board in his short time in the position.

Rory says Tiger has already made an impact on the PGA TOUR policy board since being appointed. 🗣 https://t.co/bOuagXdZX8 pic.twitter.com/hreF6NskN2

— theScore (@theScore) August 24, 2023

Rory said:

“I think it’s meaningful that he’s on it, that he’s engaged. He’s certainly been spending more time on it than I have. He’s been talking to some people. He’s been talking to a lot of people. He’s really engaged in just trying to get the best outcome for the players on the PGA Tour. I think his difference has been felt already. I think it will only continue to – his presence on there will only continue to grow as we head towards that December 31 deadline.”

The deadline to reach an agreement before the end of the year must be approved by the board. Though Monahan said earlier this week that talks could be extended into 2024 if good progress is made by the current deadline.

Rory McIlroy walking from the parking lot to the clubhouse on Wednesday at East Lake. When @Ria_Martin and I watched this, we were wondering why he looked so uncomfortable. https://t.co/pS22Qr02zZ pic.twitter.com/hXgovLD7ym

— Ric Garni (@RICGARNI) August 24, 2023

On the course, McIlroy is going for his second straight FedEx Cup championship. He sits three shots back of the lead after day one, but his back will be a story throughout the weekend.

Cover Image via CNN