Rory McIlroy ensures PGA Tour fans he will not be joining the LIV Golf League, but he makes a slow start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Rory McIlroy confirms he will not be joining the LIV Golf League
Rory McIlroy has confirmed in an interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith that he will not be joining the LIV Golf League despite recent speculation linking him with a shock move away from the PGA Tour.
McIlroy’s former manager Chubby Chandler fuelled talk of a potential switch in allegiance for the four-time major champion during a recent interview with Bunkered.
Rory McIlroy confirms he will not be joining the LIV Golf League
LIV Golf signed Jon Rahm at the end of 2023, before securing the services of two more European stars in Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk in February.
McIlroy admitted on The Overlap recently that he had never been made an official offer to join LIV Golf.
But rumours suggest a monumental figure of $950m was on the table for him if he ever did fancy a move away from the PGA Tour.
Having once said LIV Golf was ‘dead in the water’ and that PGA Tour members should face the consequences for joining the Saudi-backed circuit in 2022, McIlroy recently told the media he would welcome back some of the world’s biggest players on LIV Golf with open arms. “Let them come back,” he said.
Rory McIlroy confirms he will not be joining the LIV Golf League
But despite McIlroy softening his stance on LIV Golf and removing his seat from the PGA Tour table, the World No.2 has assured PGA Tour fans he will not be going anywhere.
Tradition and history of the PGA Tour means everything to McIlroy, he said in his interview with Smith, which you can watch below.
McIlroy does, however, hope the world’s best players can all come together again at some point down the line.
That will happen – albeit briefly and without Talor Gooch – in the first major of the season at The Masters* from 11-14 April.
WATCH MCILROY’S INTERVIEW
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McIlroy told ESPN’s Marty Smith:
“It’s not for me. I’m too much of a traditionalist. I love winning golf tournaments and looking at the trophy and seeing that Sam Snead won this trophy or Ben Hogan or Gene Sarazen or Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, whoever it is, the people that came before me, that to me is a big deal in our game.
“If we were to all put our heads together and be like ‘okay, what can we do to all come back together and move forward and be a little more cohesive’, I would sort of be all for that.”
McIlroy addressed the LIV Golf rumours head on with Smith 24 hours before getting off to a lacklustre start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at famed Bay Hill.
The Northern Irishman carded a 1-over 73 in a round that contained three birdies and four bogeys, two of which came at par-5s.
McIlroy found the water with his second shot to the par-5 6th – a hole where John Daly once made an incredible 18.
That led to his first bogey of the day to bring him back to level par having earlier birdied the par-3 2nd from 18 feet.
