The PGA Tour faces fierce internal opposition this week over its choice to accept funds it has accused of tainting money spent last year from Saudi Arabia, but is one of its most prominent players on Wednesday. It seems to have the support of Rory McIlroy. He was one of the major critics of the Saudi-backed LIV golf circuit, which has wreaked havoc on the sporting world.
Looking 10 years into the future, McIlroy said Wednesday that an agreement to combine the Tour and LIV business transactions into a single company controlled by the PGA Tour would be “good for professional golf.”
“There are a lot of ambiguities,” McIlroy said Wednesday in Toronto, where tour events are scheduled to begin on Thursday. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but at the very least this means that the litigation that has been a huge burden on tour officials and everyone who plays the tour will be gone, and we will unify the game at an elite level. We can start working towards some method.”
McIlroy, a member of the PGA Tour board of directors who must finally approve the deal that blinded nearly the entire golf industry when it was announced Tuesday, is just one player. But he is one of the world’s most celebrated golfers, and his decision not to join the wave of accusations against the PGA Tour will be invaluable to Commissioner Jay Monahan and his allies as they strive to curb the pact rebellion. grace period.
McIlroy was one of the players who met with Monaghan in Toronto on Tuesday afternoon, and Monaghan himself admitted that the forum was “intense” and “heated.” In response, some players signaled a loss of trust in the commissioner, who secretly negotiated a contract with the Saudi side.
In Wednesday’s appearance, McIlroy declared his staunch opposition to LIV. “I still hate LIV. I hate them. I hope it goes away.” He argued that the circuit could be scrapped. (The tour is expected to take a majority of seats on the board, but Yasir Al-Rumayyan, president of the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund, will take over as chairman of the company, and the fund will be a new investor.) company that will have the exclusive right to invest in )
“Like it or not, the PIF and Saudis want to spend their money on golf,” McIlroy said, referring to the state investment fund led by Al Rumayyan. “They wanted to do this and they weren’t going to stop.”
