Rory McIlroy expects LIV to disappear in its current format, spelling bad news for Aussie event
Rory McIlroy has been a LIV hater from the start and he dropped a hint golf’s new world order could spell bad news for the Adelaide event.
The future of LIV‘s Adelaide event looks increasingly bleak after Rory McIlroy declared the breakaway tour will “go away” under golf’s new deal.
As the golfing world continues to digest news of the PGA Tour’s deal with LIV backers the Saudi Public Investment Fund McIlroy was adamant he still “hates LIV” and was confident it wouldn’t exist beyond this year.
Veteran Aussie tour pro Cameron Percy, who was in the meeting at the Canadian Open where PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan delivered news of the new arrangement, was also convinced that “LIV is finished”.
As part of Wednesday’s shock announcement, Monahan confirmed LIV would continue for 2023 but it’s future would be confirmed after a “comprehensive empirical evaluation” without making any commitment.
The South Australian government is one-year in to a four-year deal to host a LIV event and on Wednesday premier Peter Malinauskas was bullish about it’s future.
“We hope that it’s all upside,” he said of the new deal, having spoken to LIV officials including CEO Greg Norman.
“I think what it will mean is a greater degree of cross-pollination between players from the US PGA Tour and LIV Golf, which means better events presumably.”
But LIV executives were kept completely in the dark about the deal done by the PIF’s Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan who has committed future funding to the new venture, which will be run by the PGA Tour.
As McIlroy revealed the details he knew of the new deal, as laid out to him in a phone call before the rest of the players were told, he said it was not a “merger” with LIV and its place in golf would diminish.
“It‘s not LIV. I think that’s the thing. I still hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. Like, I hope it goes away. And I would fully expect that it does,” he said at the Canadian Open.
“And I think that’s where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF. Very different from LIV.
“All the headlines were PGA TOUR merges with LIV. And LIV‘s got nothing to do with this, right. It’s the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund are basically partnering to create a new company.
“I mean, if you look at the structure of how it’s structured now, this new company sits above everything. Jay’s the CEO of that. So technically anyone that is involved with LIV now would answer to Jay. So the PGA Tour have control of everything.”
Monahan made a commitment to looking at the team aspect of LIV but McIlroy said if it was to continue it “wouldn’t be under the LIV umbrella”.
Percy, who has played 209 PGA Tour events, said not only was LIV finished, but that Norman had been “used” by the PIF to get their foot in the door.
“He kept LIV going but LIV is finished,” Percy told RSN.
“They‘ve used Greg, they’ve got what they want. They couldn’t give two rats about Greg.“
Despite his hope the deal would secure the financial future of the game, McIlroy couldn’t hide his frustration with Monahan declaring he feels like a “sacrificial lamb” after the PGA Tour boss went behind the player’s backs.
“It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens,” McIlroy said at the Canadian Open.
“Removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for the game of golf. There’s no denying that. But for me as an individual, yeah, there’s just going to have to be conversations that are had.
“I think ultimately, when I try to remove myself from the situation and I look at the bigger picture and I look at 10 years down the line, I think ultimately this is going to be good for the game of professional golf.”
McIlroy was among a long list of players who baulked at offers from LIV, including Tiger Woods, who turned down a reported $1 billion offer.
But the four-time major winner said he was “never offered any money”.
McIlroy is adamant that there should be no automatic pathway back for the players who took the money and switched to LIV.
“There still has to be consequences to actions,” McIlroy said.
“The people that left the PGA Tour irreparably harmed this tour, started litigation against it. Like, we can’t just welcome them back in. That’s not going to happen.
“And I think that was the one thing that Jay was trying to get across yesterday is like, ‘Guys, we’re not just going to bring these guys back in and pretend like nothing has happened.’
“That is not going to happen.”
McIlroy also said players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour should be rewarded.
“The simple answer is yes,” McIlroy said.
A great day in global golf for players and fans alike. The journey continues!!
— Greg Norman (@SharkGregNorman) June 6, 2023
He said he understood anger from fellow professionals against Monahan, with several players calling for him to stand down at a heated meeting this week in Ontario.
“The complex answer is how does that happen, right? That’s all a gray area and up in the air at the minute.”
McIlroy insisted, however, he still had confidence in the under-fire tour chief.
“I’ve dealt with Jay a lot closer than a lot of those guys have,” McIlroy said.
“From where we were a couple of weeks ago to where we are today, I think the future of the PGA Tour looks brighter as a whole, as an entity.”
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