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RORY MCILROY HAS welcomed the PGA Tour’s shock merger with the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf today but said rebel players who joined the upstart circuit should not be granted an automatic return to the sport.
Northern Ireland star McIlroy, one of the staunchest critics of LIV Golf since the rebel circuit launched, said he believes the deal announced yesterday would secure the financial future of the sport.
“I think ultimately, when I try to remove myself from the situation and I look at the bigger picture and I look at 10 years down the line, I think ultimately this is going to be good for the game of professional golf,” McIlroy said.
“It unifies it and it secures its financial future.”
McIlroy was speaking on the eve of this week’s Canadian Open in Toronto in his first comments since Tuesday’s bombshell agreement was revealed.
Under the new deal, the PGA Tour and Europe’s DP World Tour said they had signed an agreement with LIV’s Saudi backers that will lead to “a new collectively owned, for-profit entity.”
The dramatic volte face comes after more than a year of bitter acrimony throughout golf which has torn at the fabric of the sport.
McIlroy, who is reported to have turned down an offer in the region of $400 million to switch to LIV, said he understood anger from fellow professionals against PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan – but insisted he still had confidence in the under-fire tour chief.
“I’ve dealt with Jay a lot closer than a lot of those guys have,” McIlroy said.
“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.”
However, McIlroy is adamant that there should be no automatic pathway back into the sport for the players who switched to LIV last year.
“There still has to be consequences to actions,” McIlroy said.
“The people that left the PGA Tour irreparably harmed this tour, started litigation against it. Like, we can’t just welcome them back in. That’s not going to happen.
“And I think that was the one thing that Jay was trying to get across yesterday is like, ‘Guys, we’re not just going to bring these guys back in and pretend like nothing’s happened.’
“That is not going to happen.”
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It’s all about the money!!
@Mittenbery: All top level sport is about money, name one that isnt.
@Justin Gillespie: he didn’t say it wasn’t to be fair.
McIlroy the hypocritical mercenary. A very unlikeable individual at the best of times.
@Kenmark: untrue and unfair
@Kenmark: he couldn’t be anymore the opposite of a mercenary, for gods sake he turned down $400m to join the sham tour! Any how is he hypocritical he has been incredibly consistent on this from day one.
Did you use two words that you don’t understand??
@Eoghan Ryan: Rory was never offered any money to join liv.
@Eoghan Ryan: why did he say “yes” when he was asked should the pga players be whole financially now they have merged?
@Kenmark: never a fan but the opposite is true in this case
@for God sake.: lol, at least do a small bit of research, even a simple Google search, or heaven forbid, read the article you’re commenting on!
Behind that Saudi fund is the guy who ordered the dismemberment of jamal khashoggi. Remember him?
@AnthonyK: with all due respect, Trump said he didn’t do it. He asked the Crown Prince and he denied being involved.
@Paul Whitehead: Blondhead .
MONEY MONEY MONEY MUST BE FUNNY IN A RICH MANS WORD. PIF AND LIV ARE THE SAME THING.
A good Irish man. Fair play, Rory.
Another who sold his soul for some silver, well now we know his true colors .
@Brendan O’Connell: Do keep up! Can you read??
Ah, the good barbaric regime. No public flogging, no public executions, no murdering journalists,
no invading other countries no suppression of human rights. All fully backed by the west, cause its the good barbaric regime.
@Daniel Gilroy: we’ll if you want to play golf where regimes don’t merger innocent people I suspect we will be confined to a very small number. Certainly the US, China and the UK are out.
So it was the fact that players were jumping ship rather than who was funding them that had McIlroy upset ?
If McIlroy and the other golfers had a set of balls amongst themselves they would set up an independent Players Golf body & sue the PGA for breeches of contract and loss of earnings.
Petrodollars is a cure.
Despite all the wind and hula baloo – Rory and all the boys who missed out will be well compensated and all on the quiet. His reported condescending answer to those down the ranks last says everything about him
He clearly “got the call” after his outburst last night
Interesting… So does this mean Russian golfers will be allowed to play at all levels and competitions? After all with the human rights record of Saudi Arabia, surely you can’t ban Russians now?
How much of a silly billy does he look now. He should have taken the 400 million and ran. Even Donald Trump said there was to be a merger last year. This silly game is all about the money and nothing else. PGA has no credibility left.
@Lord Sea: He was never offered any money to join LIV.
@for God sake.: did you even read the article?
@Shiv D.: Yes I did ,and your point is.
Now they have access to decent execs, they’ll drop Greg Norman like a sword on a thief’s wrist.
The fact you can play golf when your 80 should tell you everything you need to know about this “sport”. I’d get more exercise walking the canal and feeding the swans. Overpaid, untalented and now, hypocritical.
Absolute bs .
Also no mention of the fans .
Enjoy MBS
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