Rory McIlroy’s candid take on LIV golf, PGA Tour merger, PIF and the future of golf
Rory McIlroy talks to the media after announcement of LIV Golf – PGA Tour merger. He also talks about the PIF and how it’s better to partner with them than be enemies.
USA TODAY
Rory McIlroy, who is one of the biggest critics of LIV Golf, continues to make his feelings known about the Saudi-backed venture, despite the PGA Tour and DP World Tour merging with the enterprise.
McIlroy spoke candidly after the first round of the Scottish Open on Thursday and made clear in no uncertain terms what he would do if LIV Golf was the only alternative to play.
The world’s No. 3 player was responding to questions concerning him and Tiger Woods, as the two were named as possible LIV team owners in documents that outlined proposals that were discussed before the merger.
THE DEAL: Documents shed new light on PGA Tour-LIV deal, proposed roles for Tiger and Rory
“If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on Earth, I would retire. That’s how I feel about it,” McIlroy said. “I’d play the majors, but I’d be pretty comfortable.”
McIlroy reiterated that other players were “blindsided” by news of the merger, and added he is now “apathetic towards all the noise around it.”
“There wasn’t a lot of new information in there for me, there was maybe some new information for other people,” McIlroy said. “I’ve almost been too close to it over the last year, so it’s nice to be able to distance myself a bit from it.”
McIlroy says that even though Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth slammed PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan for not being transparent with the tour members before the merger was announced, he hasn’t lost confidence in Mohanan yet.
“I’ve tried to step up for maybe the guys that didn’t have a voice early on, but I think with everything that’s transpired over the last few weeks, the players are going to find themselves more and more at the table to try to get whatever it is that they want out of it,” McIlroy said.
