No active PGA Tour player fought harder against the existential crisis LIV Golf created than Rory McIlroy.
As more and more big names defected from the PGA to join the Saudi-backed league, McIlroy stopped the Tour from running off the tracks with a Spider-man-like effort. And for all his efforts it was PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan who ultimately stabbed him in the back by merging with LIV Golf.
McIlroy had to address the media on Wednesday morning before the 2023 RBC Canadian Open just 24 hours after learning about the deal (despite the fact he sits on the PGA Tour policy board) and he sounded completely demoralized.
It’s hard to blame him.
Rory McIlroy shares his thoughts on Tuesday's announcement.
Watch the full presser: https://t.co/LoHqYAuBmi pic.twitter.com/qNI6StFdrz
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 7, 2023
“I’ve made my peace with it,” McIlroy said, albeit rather unconvincingly. “I’ve seen what’s happened in other sports and businesses. I’ve just resigned myself to the fact this is going to happen. How do you keep up with people who have more money than anyone else?
“…It’s hard for me not to sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb. I still hate LIV, I hate them. I hope it goes away and I fully expect that it does….All I’ve tried to do is protect what the PGA Tour stands for and I think you will see that going forward.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of golf’s new landscape from one of the most visible and well-known stars.
“I still hate LIV. I hope it goes away.”
Rory McIlroy wasn’t holding back discussing the PGA TOUR’s competitor 👀 pic.twitter.com/64Umxvzzn2
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) June 7, 2023
McIlroy may get his wish. It seems the merger will put an eventual expiration date on LIV Golf. But that also means creating a process to welcome back the PGA players who defected — proving that Monahan’s threats of lifetime bans had no teeth.
“We can’t just let these guys back in and pretend like nothing has happened,” McIlroy said. “These guys irreparably damaged the PGA Tour and started litigation against us. They’re not just coming straight back in, that’s what Jay was trying to get across yesterday.”
One idea McIlroy floated: Compensating the PGA Tour players who turned down tens of millions in the name of staying loyal to their circuit, though he has no clue how that would work.
Yet McIlory also supported Monahan during his press conference, saying he’s worked more closely with the commissioner than most golfers and “the future of the PGA Tour looks brighter”.
Maybe so, but it’s clear from McIlroy’s tone some wounds will need a lot of time before they can begin to heal.
