Getty Rory McIlroy unloaded on LIV Golf after the PGA Tour's decision to merge with its former rival.
One of Rory McIlroy‘s main reasons to stay loyal to the PGA Tour is something LIV Golf can’t replicate.
Speaking March 7 to ESPN, McIlroy said it’s the history of the tournaments, and the caliber of players who have won them, that motivates him to add his name to those same trophies.
Liv Golf, McIlroy said, “is not for me.”
The Ulsterman elaborated: “I’m too much of a traditionalist … I love winning golf tournaments and looking at the trophy and seeing that Sam Snead won this trophy or Ben Hogan or Gene Sarazen or Jack Nicklaus or Gary Player or Tiger Woods or Nick Faldo, whoever it is, the people that came before me.
“That, to me, is a big deal in our game,” he said.
No one was more vehemently against LIV Golf than Rory McIlroy. No one defended the PGA Tour more aggressively.
From afar, his stance seems to have softened. Speculation ensued.
At Bay Hill Weds I asked him directly what consideration he’s given to joining LIV:
“It’s not for me.”
PGA Tour Boss Gave an Update This Week on LIV Merger
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, meanwhile, gave a brief update Tuesday about the proposed merger with LIV Golf.
Monahan spoke at a press conference, via Golf Channel, prior to the upcoming PGA Tour Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, which McIlroy and other PGA hotshots like Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas will be participating in.
For Monahan, such a deal cannot be negotiated “in public” and said that he has held talks with Saudi Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.
“While we have several key issues that we still need to work through, we have a shared vision to quiet the noise and unlock golf’s worldwide potential,” said Monahan.
He added that he sees “a positive outcome for the PGA Tour and the sport as a whole … [and] our great fans.”
Monahan continued: “I couldn’t be more excited about the progress we have made since that time. This is a very complicated business when you have 200-plus members, more than 100 corporate partners, 50 tournament organizations, and communities you’re responsible for.
“I feel as an organization, we’ve come a long way in the past several months and I expect the next time I’m in front of all of you, we’ll have a lot more progress to report.”
McIlroy Wants More Cohesion
In the same interview McIlroy gave ESPN last week, he said there is one thing he’d like to see when it comes to the PGA Tour and LIV merger.
“If we were to all put our heads together and be like, okay, what can we do to all come back together and move forward and be a little more cohesive, then I would sort of be for that.”
As for the PGA Tour itself, McIlroy shared a vision at a Friday, March 8 press conference which could see heightened tension for its players.
“I’m all for making it more cutthroat, more competitive,” said McIlroy, via TenGolf.
He acknowledged he “probably won’t be very popular for saying this” but added he’s “all for less players and less Tour cards, and the best of the best.”
As for the PGA Championship, the highly-anticipated tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach takes place Thursday, March 14 and concludes Sunday.
Scheffler, fresh off his win last weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, will hope to make history as the first champion to defend the title at TPC Sawgrass.
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Rory McIlroy’s Reason to Stay on PGA Tour Is Something LIV Golf Can’t Replicate