As we ring in the new year, the divide in golf between the PGA Tour and LIV has reached its peak. LIV’s signing of Masters champion Jon Rahm last month was the latest and biggest blow to the PGA Tour.
As talks continue with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), staunch PGA Tour supporter Rory McIlroy has joined the English podcast, Stick to football.
They covered a wide range of topics, including McIlroy being hilariously snubbed for an autograph from his childhood hero, Roy Keane.
But things took a more serious tone when McIlroy was asked about LIV Golf. So far, the 34-year-old Irishman has been the most outspoken critic of the Saudi tour.
That seems to have changed.
“I think what LIV did, it exposed the flaws in the golf system … we’re all supposed to be independent contractors and we can pick and choose which tournaments we want to play. But I think what LIV and the Saudis have revealed is that you’re asking millions of dollars to sponsor these events and you’re not able to guarantee the sponsors that the players will show up,” McIlroy said.
He will then touch on how several PGA Tour sponsors have pulled out of events in recent months. Days after Rahm signed with LIV, title sponsor Wells Fargo announced it would end its partnership with the PGA Tour after 2024.
“I can’t believe the PGA Tour has done so well for so long,” McIlroy said.
On his face, the 4-time major champion is not wrong. Some of the best players in the world left for LIV, weakening the overall talent pool on tour. However, the PGA Tour has demanded more, not less, from their sponsors to keep up with LIV financially.
But what’s really interesting is that McIlroy’s answer came to the question, “What’s the main thing you don’t like about LIV Golf?”
For McIlroy’s mind when he heard this question to immediately go to the defense of the tour in Saudi Arabia is in stark contrast to his position in the past. In detail why.
“I was maybe a bit critical of the guys that went to LIV Golf at first and I think that was a bit of a mistake on my part because now I realize that not everyone is in my position or Tiger Woods’ position. ” he said.
“I’ve spent the last two years with this altruistic approach where I looked at the world the way I wanted to see it… I wouldn’t say I lost the fight against LIV, but I’ve just accepted the fact that this is part of our sport now.”
To some extent, his comments seem disingenuous. It’s like he’s tired of being ridiculed for being propped up as the proverbial knight in shining armor for the PGA Tour.
But at the same time, his acknowledgment that most players who entered LIV don’t have the same opportunities and revenue streams that he does rings true.
Either way, McIlroy made it clear that he still believes the two tours will happen soon. And this despite the fact that all the evidence points in the opposite direction. Even if the tour and PIF reach an agreement, the writing is on the wall. LIV Golf isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Kendall Capps is SB Nation’s Playing Through Senior Editor. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms.