Rory McIlroy has softened his stance on LIV Golf in recent months, after claiming he felt like a “slaughtered lamb” following the surprising announcement last summer of the funding of the PGA Tour by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). Both parties remain immersed in talks about a possible commercial merger after surpassing the self-imposed deadline of December 31, 2023, although so far without too many developments.
The Northern Irish golfer resigned from his position on the PGA Tour Board of Directors last November, after 18 months, and although he once said he “hated” the 54-hole game format of LIV, he now believes that the circuit led by Greg Norman could have a place in the world golf calendar. Something like becoming the golf version of the Indian Premier League of cricket, which attracts some of the big stars of that sport for a specific period each year.
“I would like LIV to become the IPL of golf,” said Rory on the Stick to Football podcast. “In the cricket IPL they occupy two months of the calendar, four weeks in May and another four in November, and it is done by teams, a bit different, a different format. If they did something like that, I would say ‘ok, sounds fun’, because at least you’re within the ecosystem. It’s not like the Saudis in football were trying to take over the sport, or when they exposed some of the flaws in the structure of professional golf,” he pointed out.
“They have been able to completely disrupt our game with their money, so that exposed some of those flaws. I hope we can put our minds together to figure out what is best for the game in the future,” he concluded.
A significant change of stance from McIlroy
McIlroy, moreover, described the signing of Jon Rahm by LIV Golf: “I think it has been a smart business move by Jon, opportunistic. I think he sees that things will return to normal and he is in a fortunate position. There is not a single person who would not want him on our Ryder Cup team because of how good he is, so he was in a great position where there was not a great risk for him to leave. I have no problem with him leaving if that is what he wants to do and believes it is the right decision for him and his family. Who am I to say anything else at this point?”.
However, the Northern Irishman hopes that, sooner or later, players and executives “put their egos aside” for the sake of harmony in golf. “I hope we all come back together. There are people on both sides who do not want this to happen for certain reasons. The LIV guys do not want to go back to playing on the PGA Tour because they do not feel very well treated,” he indicated.
“Some of the guys on the PGA Tour also do not want everything to come back together because they do not want to deal with those who left. People have to put their egos and feelings aside for us all to move forward, that would be the best for golf,” said Rory in a conciliatory tone.
The mistake of prejudging those who chose LIV
However, he admitted that the money offered by PIF is “incredible”, although in his case it is not the reason for making decisions: “When I dreamed of becoming a professional golfer, everything revolved around winning trophies and majors. This happens in all sports. I am tired of golf conversations revolving around money because fans do not care about that. They want to see good golf and great players competing against each other. Fans do not care if you win this and the other guy wins $200,000 a week”.
“At first I maybe judged a bit the guys who went to LIV Golf, and I think that was a mistake on my part, because now I realize that not everyone is in my situation or in Tiger Woods’. We all turned professional to make a living playing the sport we love, and I think that’s what I’ve realized in the last two years. I can’t judge people for making that decision. So, if I regret anything, it’s probably being too critical at first,” insisted McIlroy.
“I’ve spent the last two years with this altruistic approach where I’ve seen the world as I wanted to see it. Ultimately, you can say what you want and do what you want, but at the end of the day, you’re not going to be able to change people’s minds. You’re never going to get them to decide based on what you say. I wouldn’t say I’ve lost the fight against LIV, but I’ve accepted the fact that this is part of our sport,” he said with a certain tone of resignation.
Rory, with no offers from LIV Golf
Rory, moreover, revealed that he has never been tempted by LIV: “I have never received an offer from LIV Golf personally. I did not commit to them when they came to see me and I think at this point I have already positioned myself. The figures are incredible, and we have seen what is happening in football and F1, so they are getting fully involved in sport. They will get the World Cup in 2034, so they are causing a big stir in the whole world of sport. It is no different from what the United Arab Emirates have done in the past”.
Finally, he assumed: “I think at this point with all the framework agreement and the merger news in June, what LIV was trying to do has been legitimized, so it made it easier for some players to go there. Jon Rahm has not been as criticized as the first ones to leave. Jon is a smart guy and I think he sees that things are going to go well at some point, so he is thinking about accepting the initial money, which is his prerogative, and if things go well, he will play in LIV for a year and then go back to playing on the circuit and playing team golf”. Without a doubt, a significant change of stance is beginning to show McIlroy.
