PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Rory McIlroy, who recently stepped down as player-manager on the PGA Tour, said Sunday he “welcomes” Monday’s meeting between tour players and Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund President Yasir Al-Rumayyan. . This is the company that operates LIV Golf.
“I definitely think this should have happened months ago, so I’m glad this is happening,” McIlroy said of the meeting, which will reportedly take place Monday at a home near TPC Sawgrass. he said. “I hope that this will move the conversation forward and bring us closer to a solution.”
Asked if he thought Tiger Woods, who did not appear at The Players this week, should be involved in the meeting, McIlroy said: “I mean, he’s a player-manager, he’s a member of the board, so he’s definitely involved.” I need to.” ”
Asked what he believed Al Rumayyan’s message should be in the meeting, McIlroy said: “Fundamentally he wants to do the right thing. I think the people who spent his time there and represented him at LIV did him a disservice. [LIV CEO Greg] Norman and those guys.
“I look at these two organizations and I think there is a huge disconnect between PIF and LIV,” McIlroy continued. “We have PIF here and I think LIV is doing its own thing here. So if we get close to negotiations with Mr. Yasir from PIF and hopefully get that investment completed, that would be a really good thing. I think it will.”
McIlroy was asked if he sensed a “bigger picture” than what’s currently happening at LIV Golf when he spoke to Yasir.
“Of course,” he said. “I think there are ways to incorporate it… They’re passionate about team golf, and they want team golf to survive on the calendar in some way. It doesn’t necessarily have to be similar to LIV. In my mind, I think I should stop playing individual golf and play team golf around it.
“But it will require patience. The contract with LIV is until 2028 or 2029. I don’t know if they will see it through to the end, but in any case the next few years There is no doubt that LIV will continue to play in its current form until everything is figured out.
“I don’t think it will be solved overnight, but if we get the investment. [from LIV]That way we can start working towards a compromise where at least we’re not going to make everyone happy, but at least everyone understands why we’re doing what we’re doing. ”
Sam Ryder didn’t win Sunday’s Players Championship, but he had a solid week at TPC Sawgrass.
Ryder broke the record for most birdies in a tournament with 27, one more than the previous record.
Ryder, who shot a 69 on Sunday for a total of 10 under par for the week, came out hot early in the round, shooting 7 under par for the first 11 holes. However, he suffered a double bogey on the 13th hole, derailing his rise to the leaderboard.
“Honestly, it’s unbelievable because they’re making so many birdies,” Ryder said. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster, but it’s cool. It’s always nice to have a record. It’s hard to be too happy about it now that we’ve just gotten off course, but it’s cool.”
McIlroy, who finished at 9 under par and had an up-and-down week, said he felt he had “improved a little bit from this time last Sunday at Arnold Palmer,” adding, “Yeah, there’s that.” ‘
McIlroy shot a 7-under 65 in the opening round but was unable to continue his run.
“My expectations were pretty high because after the first round I thought, ‘Oh, I think I got it.’ Then the last three days I struggled a little bit more. But I’m moving in the right direction. I think so.”
McIlroy revealed before the Masters that he is “on my way to San Antonio” for the Valero Texas Open and may visit Augusta for early Masters practice.
“I might go down there and play on Monday and then head to San Antonio,” McIlroy said. “Just in terms of preparing for this week and really getting into the mindset that I need to have. So I might make a quick pit stop on the way to San Antonio and do some practice rounds and spend some time,” he said. I don’t have anything planned at the moment.”
McIlroy hasn’t won a major championship since the 2014 PGA Championship.
