Rory McIlroy has his thoughts about Jon Rahm’s comments on the current state of golf.
On Tuesday ahead of the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, Rahm, who defected to LIV Golf in December 2023 as a top player in the world, was asked his assessment of the professional game as the PGA Tour and LIV work out their framework agreement.
“I think so many of us want some kind of resolution to come together and get the best possible product for the consumer, which is what I think we’re still in a position to do,” the Spaniard said. “But I think we’re living in a golden era right now for golf where the possibilities are endless. A big tour in Europe and a worldwide and a massive and massive tour, the PGA Tour. And you have another big product with LIV and now you’re even adding the TGL. When it comes to golf, the possibilities are there right now.
“I think with the right minds put together, you can end up with a product—and I’ve been saying this all along—that could put golf at a different level in the world of sport. I’m still hopeful that that can happen.”
McIlroy, however, has a different view.
“Very rose-tinted glasses if you ask me,” the Northern Irishman said when asked about Rahm’s comments.
“Yeah, look, I think what I would say is with everything that’s happened in the game over the past two or three years, I think what I maybe could envision is that the domination of the American side of things might come back a little bit in terms of, not that the game has never been global, but you know, sort of trying to build on the opportunities globally. So I think where we are, I think we are in a good position to try to grow that part of it.
“There’s amazing players, right. There’s amazing players that play in all different tours and parts of the world and everything, which is great. But at the same time, it’s become too fractured and too disjointed.
But McIlroy, a member of the “transaction committee” that is negotiating directly on behalf of the PGA Tour with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, doesn’t completely disagree with Rahm.
“I would share his optimism if the game wasn’t as disjointed and as fractured as it was,” McIlroy said. “Maybe we’ll get to that point sometime in the near future, and if we do, then I would say, I would share that optimism.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rory McIlroy Pushes Back on Jon Rahm's ‘Golden Era for Golf’ Comment .
