As long as the PGA Tour and LIV Golf continue to operate as separate entities, fans are going to analyze any soundbite that might indicate a change of heart or loyalty. Imaginations have run wild after Rory McIlroy eased up on the critical comments he made about the Saudi-backed league, leading to some speculation that he could be open to a mind-boggling move.

His former agent, Chubby Chandler, only encouraged this type of theorizing when he floated the possibility of the 34-year-old Northern Irish star ditching the PGA for LIV on a deal for approximately $1 billion. It is important to note that Chandler listed the probability of such a defection at just 10 percent, but listing any number greater than zero was shocking to those who heard McIlroy vehemently oppose the rival tour in the past.

The four-time major champion put on his troll cap when asked about Chandler's comments last month, but he was more serious and definitive this week when speaking on the prospects of him joining LIV Golf.

“It's not for me,” McIlroy told ESPN's Marty Smith in a sit-down interview. “I'm too much of a traditionalist…I loving winning the golf tournaments and looking at a 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's a big deal in our game.”

PGA Tour fans don't have to worry about Rory McIlroy

Even though he has been a fixture in the sport for over a decade, Rory McIlroy stills holds the history of golf in the highest regard. That level of reverence, coupled with the fact that the PGA Tour is giving its talent the chance to earn substantial revenue in equity shares, should keep the No. 2-ranked golfer loyal to his roots.

Though, McIlroy is hopeful that an agreement can be reached with LIV to ensure that the best players in the world are competing against each other year-round. He bemoaned the DP World Tour rule that bans European LIV golfers from participating in the Ryder Cup when Jon Rahm stunningly left the PGA.

McIlroy is not overly focused on what is taking place on another tour at this moment, however. He is determined to bounce back from a momentum-altering triple bogey at the Cognizant Classic last weekend. A one-over par effort in Thursday's opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational is surely not the start he wants. But the opportunity to once again win the tournament that bears the namesake of a golfing legend is what fuels this athlete.