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Ahead of the 2024 RBC Canadian Open, Rory McIlroy reiterated his regrets over the fractured nature of men's golf amid the rift between the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf League.
“I don't think so,” McIlroy said Wednesday at Hamilton Golf Club, when asked if the off-court drama has impacted his performance on the course. “In hindsight, I wish I hadn't … gotten as deeply involved in it, and I've articulated that. I hold no grudge. I hold no resentment over the guys that chose to go and play on LIV. Everyone's got their own decisions to make and everyone is, has the right to make those decisions.”
McIlroy spent nearly two years as an outspoken critic of the Saudi-backed circuit (“I still hate LIV“), serving as a de factor spokesperson for the PGA Tour and on the policy board. Last fall, though — months after he (and everybody else) was blindsided by the framework agreement — McIroy resigned from the policy board, citing a desire to refocus on golf.
Since then — as negotiations have stalled — McIlroy agreed to rejoin the policy board to help accelerate negotiations with LIV's backer, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), but his efforts were blocked. Instead, a Transaction Subcommittee was created, featuring Rory and Tiger Woods, devoted to PIF talks.
“My whole thing is, I'm just disappointed to what it's done to, not to the game of golf — the game of golf will be fine — but men's professional golf and this sort of divide we have at the minute.”
In the last two weeks, a pair of ket behind-the-scenes figures, Jimmy Dunne and Mark Flaherty, resigned from the PGA Tour policy board citing a lack of “meaningful progress” in talks. McIlroy said he the “tour is in a worse place” after their resignations.
McIlroy supports a globally unified golf circuit mainly operated by the PGA Tour and financed by PIF. Policy board members such as Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth prefer to keep PIF at bay, and move forward with a PGA Tour largely backed by private equity. Earlier this year, the PGA Tour secured a $3 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group and created a for-profit brach, PGA Tour Enterprises, tasked with growing the game (Tiger is vice president).
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In March, Tiger hosted a meeting in the Bahamas with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, PIF Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan (for whom McIlroy shares a close relationship), PGA Tour player directors, and SSG reps.
“Hopefully, we're on a path to sorting that out and getting that to come back together,” McIlroy added Wednesday. “Hindsight's always 20/20, but in hindsight I wish I hadn't have gotten as deeply involved as I have.”
McIlroy secured his 25th and 26th PGA Tour victories earlier this month, at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and Wells Fargo Championship. He finished T12 at the PGA Championship at Valhalla — the site of his his last major victory (2014).
McIlroy rolled to a seven stroke victory the last time Canada's National Open was held at Hamilton in Ancaster, Ontario. He also triumphed in 2022, at St. George's.
PGA Tour and LIV Golf stars will reunite for the third time of 2024 at Pinehurst for the U.S. Open, which begins on June 13.
