Rory McIlroy has admitted he was “too judgmental” of the first golfers that left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf.
The Northern Irishman has been a vocal opponent of the Saudi-backed breakaway tour since its official launch in June 2022, reiterating last year that he “still hates” LIV Golf and would rather retire than compete on its circuit.
Four-time major champion McIlroy joined Tiger Woods in criticizing players who resigned their PGA Tour status to compete for guaranteed prize money on the new series, as a host of legal disputes unfolded between the two warring tours.
Those disputes were ended by the shock reconciliation announcement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf last June.
Having failed to reach an agreement by the initial deadline of December 31, the two sides continue to work towards finalizing the proposed framework for joining forces, with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan telling players in a memo sent Sunday that negotiations had made “meaningful progress.”
World No. 2 McIlroy, who resigned from his role on the PGA Tour policy board in November, said he had “accepted reality” that LIV Golf was “part of our sport now” and expressed regret at being “judgmental” of the first players to join the breakaway tour.
“I think that was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realize not everyone is in my position or in Tiger’s position,” McIlroy said on Stick to Football, a podcast hosted by Sky Sports presenter and former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville.
“You get this offer and what do you do? We all turned professional to make a living playing the sports that we do and I think that’s what I realized over the past two years, I can’t judge people for making that decision.”
McIlroy fine with ‘smart’ Rahm’s departure
McIroy said he had no issue with Jon Rahm departing the PGA Tour in arguably LIV Golf’s biggest coup to date, following the December announcement that the Spanish world No. 3 was set to sign a three-year, $300 million deal, according to ESPN.
The merger “legitimized what LIV was trying to do,” McIlroy argued, making it easier for players like Rahm to make the switch.
“Jon Rahm’s not got any of the heat the first guys got for going … it’s a smart business move, it’s opportunistic. I think he sees that things will come back together.
“If that is what he wants to do and he thinks that’s the right decision for him and his family, then who am I to say any different at this point?”
However, McIlroy took a dimmer view of those departees he perceived to have talked “crap” about their previous tours upon joining LIV Golf.
“We have all grown up and played on the European Tour and PGA Tour and that has given us a platform to turn into who we have and give us the profile,” McIlroy said.
“So when people have played that for, say, 15 or 20 years and then they jump to LIV and then they just start talking crap about where they’ve come from, that’s what bothers me because you wouldn’t be in this position if you didn’t have what you had coming up … it’s like, ‘Guys, it’s not a great look.’
“I don’t begrudge anyone for going and taking that money and doing something different but don’t try and burn the place down on your way out.”
McIlroy added that he had “never” had an offer to join LIV Golf.
“Just didn’t engage. At this point, I’ve pretty much set my stall out,” the 34-year-old said.
‘The IPL of golf’
Arguing that LIV Golf had “exposed some flaws” in the existing system of golf, such as the inability to guarantee PGA Tour sponsors that the game’s top players would feature at their respective events, McIlroy said he would be interested in playing on the tour if it was organized like cricket’s Indian Premier League (IPL).
“What I would love LIV to turn into is almost the IPL of golf,” said McIlroy.
“They take two months during the calendar. You’ve got your four weeks in May and your four weeks in November and you go and do this team stuff and it’s a bit different and it’s a different format.
“If they were to do something like that I’d be, ‘Yeah, that sounds like fun,’ because you are at least working within the ecosystem.”
WIth $250 million in total prize money pledged by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) for the inaugural LIV Golf season, and hundreds of millions more spent in signing on fees, McIlroy wishes to see funds instead put towards grassroots golf.
“The thing that I’ve come to realize is if you’ve got people, or a sovereign wealth fund, wanting to spend money in your sport, ultimately that’s a good thing, but you just want to maybe get them to spend it the right way and spend it on things that are important in the game,” he said.
“So instead of giving someone $100 million, why don’t you put $50 million into a grassroots program for the R&A or the USGA (US Golf Association), so that you can actually help?
“Whenever they say ‘growing the game,’ spending that money elsewhere to actually grow the game and not just try to buy talent, I think would be a way better way to spend that money.”
Mickelson: ‘It’s time for me and others to let go of our hostilities’
Phil Mickelson, one of the first players to join LIV Golf, welcomed McIlroy’s comments, acknowledging that they “probably weren’t easy to say.”
The six-time major winner faced heavy scrutiny for his decision to sign up for the breakaway tour but believes Rahm’s recent arrival could act as the “bridge to bring both sides together.”
“Let’s not use this as an opportunity to pile on,” Mickelson said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, responding to quotes posted from McIlroy’s podcast interview.
“Rather, It’s time for me and others to let go of our hostilities and work towards a positive future … until an agreement is reached it will be business as usual for both sides but hopefully without the needless disdain.”
The first LIV Golf tournament of the season tees off February 2 at LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico.
