Ahead of this week’s Wells Fargo Championship, Rory McIlroy spoke at length about the possibility of rejoining the PGA Tour Policy Committee, which he resigned from in November.
He is “impatient” with the PGA Tour’s current negotiations with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and believes an agreement needs to be reached quickly. McIlroy also believes the current disparity in golf is unsustainable. He therefore felt that not only would the Northern Irishman welcome his return, but it would also help professional golf as a whole.
the current Board members felt nothing. same.
“It’s become quite complicated and messy. I think given the history of this incident, it’s opened up some old wounds and scar tissue from what happened before,” McIlroy said Wednesday.
“There were some people on the board who were probably uncomfortable with me coming back for whatever reason. I think if the people are there, I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.”
Patrick Cantlay doesn’t have a friendly history with McIlroy. Jordan Spieth disagrees with McIlroy over PIF at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and drop at The Players. And, somewhat surprisingly, Tiger Woods didn’t want McIlroy back, according to Joel Beal. golf digest.
It’s no surprise that Cantlay and Spieth are hesitant to bring McIlroy onto their team. But considering Woods and McIlroy are launching TGL together in 2025, the 15-time major champion’s dissent will certainly raise some eyebrows.
In fact, Beal reports that the relationship between Woods and McIlroy has “deteriorated” over the past six months. Players have different views on how professional golf should proceed in the future, and McIlroy defends the need for a World Golf Tour. He sketched out this dream scenario in Dubai in January.
Meanwhile, Woods has not publicly stated his vision for the future of the PGA Tour. But at the Genesis Invitational in February, Woods said key players were considering a number of options.
“We are looking at all the different models for return routes. [for LIV Golf players]” Woods said in February.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25440226/2003722136.jpg)
“We don’t have an answer to that right now, what that looks like, what the impact is on the players who stayed and the players who didn’t leave, and how we’re going to improve the product going forward. We’re looking at ideas to varying degrees, but we don’t know what it’s going to be in the short term. We don’t even know what it’s going to be in the long term. Trust me, this and the upcoming tour. There are daily and weekly emails and discussions about what’s going to happen.”
Meanwhile, McIlroy previously said he “hated” LIV Golf, but has reversed course in recent months in a bid to resolve the rift. He wants all of his fellow golfers to play together and LIV he welcomes anyone to join him in golf.
Perhaps that’s where the difference in opinion between Woods and McIlroy lies.
Nevertheless, tensions between PGA Tour leaders remain volatile, indicating that negotiations between the Tour and PIF remain far off. Until the leading players on the PGA Tour are on the same page, opinion in men’s professional golf will remain divided.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
